Questions that might reveal change order abuse include:
- Do you know or suspect, or have you heard about, abuses in the change order process?
- Are proper procedures for requesting and approving change orders followed? If not, what are the exceptions?
- Do certain contractors receive an unusually high number of change orders? If so, who receives and approves the changes?
- Is there adequate need or justification for the change orders?
- Are requests for change orders supported by adequate documentation?
- Are their instances or a pattern of low bid awards to certain contractors followed by change orders that increase the price of the contract?
- Are their instances or a pattern of unusually high or low line item bids that are followed by:
- Change orders that extend the quantities of the high-priced line items? (see the discussion of Unbalanced Bidding)
- Change orders that reduce or eliminate the low-priced line items? (see the discussion of Unbalanced Bidding)
- Are controls and procedures to prevent change order abuse in place and enforced?