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Committee debates how to report change orders; members propose lowering threshold
Summary
ODOT staff proposed flagging change orders above $500,000; committee members suggested a lower threshold for large projects and recommended a running cumulative summary and narrative context to explain cost escalations.
ODOT staff said the draft template would flag change orders that exceed $500,000 or those that extend a project’s schedule by more than 30 days. The committee debated how to surface both large single orders and the cumulative effect of many smaller orders so reviewers can see why project costs rise over time.
"We haven't had any change orders that exceed the $500,000 mark," staff said about the example project, while contractor Ted Odlin recommended a lower threshold for large projects: "Maybe 250,000 on a large project." Members pressed for a concise running total of change orders and narrative explanations for the largest items so the commission and legislators can understand not just the dollar totals but the reasons behind cost changes.
Staff agreed to explore a compact summary table showing cumulative change‑order value with notes on the most significant items and to consider a lower threshold for flagging sizeable orders on large projects.
