INDUSTRY REPORT | CLEARSTORY x DODGE CONSTRUCTION NETWORK

The 2026 State of Change Orders: General Contractor Report

New research from Clearstory and Dodge Construction Network on where fee erosion starts, why spreadsheets still own the workflow, and what General Contractors say they're ready to adopt.

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Change order costs are hiding in places most GC teams aren't tracking. This report shows where.

Change order costs are hiding in places most GC teams aren't tracking

83%

of GCs still track change orders in spreadsheets alongside their financial software.

16 hrs

per week, per project on core change order admin tasks.

96%

of GCs say change orders impact their ability to control project costs

The workflow hasn't changed. The cost of that hasn't either.

  • 86% of subcontractor change orders arrive via email

  • Half of GC fee erosion comes from unsolicited subcontractor changes

  • Only 15% are "very confident" in visibility of undocumented field-directed work

  • 7 in 10 of GCs avoid T&M, yet it still drives 28% of fee erosion

  • Only 16% have a formal change order risk metric across projects

2026 GC Industry Report - Preview Graphic

Every GC in this study is dealing with the same problem. Most don't know how bad it's gotten.

For Ops Leaders

Why nearly 7 in 10 GCs are blindsided by unsolicited changes and how top firms catch them early.

For Project Executives

How the highest-performing GCs get real-time visibility into unsolicited change exposure before it becomes a problem.

For Project Managers

Where fee erosion actually starts on your projects and what you can do to stop it before closeout.

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