Procore Superintendent Certification Procore Superintendent Change Order Management — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Procore, what is the first step a superintendent typically takes when a change in scope is identified in the field?
- Submit a change order directly to the owner
- Create a Potential Change Order (PCO) (Correct answer)
- Issue a revised project schedule
- Send an RFI to the architect
Correct answer: Create a Potential Change Order (PCO)
A Potential Change Order (PCO) is the first document created in Procore to capture and track a scope change before it becomes a formal change order.
Question 2: Which Procore document allows a superintendent to capture field-identified scope changes and link them to cost codes and budget line items?
- Daily Log
- Submittals
- Prime Contract Change Order
- Potential Change Order (PCO) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Potential Change Order (PCO)
Potential Change Orders (PCOs) in Procore allow superintendents to capture field changes and associate them with cost codes and budget line items for tracking.
Question 3: When a superintendent receives a verbal instruction from the owner to proceed with extra work, what is the best practice in Procore?
- Wait for a signed change order before documenting anything
- Document the verbal instruction in a PCO immediately (Correct answer)
- Update the project schedule only
- Issue a subcontractor change order first
Correct answer: Document the verbal instruction in a PCO immediately
Verbal instructions should be immediately documented in a PCO to create a contemporaneous paper trail and protect the contractor's right to compensation.
Question 4: In Procore's change management workflow, what is the correct order of change order documents from initial identification to final execution?
- RFI → PCO → CCO → Prime Contract Change Order
- PCO → RFI → CCO → Prime Contract Change Order
- PCO → CCO → Prime Contract Change Order (Correct answer)
- CCO → PCO → Prime Contract Change Order
Correct answer: PCO → CCO → Prime Contract Change Order
Procore's change management workflow flows from PCO (internal capture) to CCO (subcontractor-level adjustment) to Prime Contract Change Order (owner-level execution).
Question 5: A superintendent notices a subcontractor has performed extra work not included in the original scope. What is the correct action in Procore?
- Update the project drawings to reflect the extra work
- Create a PCO and send a Request for Quote (RFQ) to the subcontractor (Correct answer)
- Issue a new RFI to the design team
- Modify the original subcontract directly in Procore
Correct answer: Create a PCO and send a Request for Quote (RFQ) to the subcontractor
Creating a PCO and requesting a quote from the subcontractor formalizes the scope change and ensures proper cost tracking before billing or approval.
Question 6: Which Procore feature provides real-time visibility into the financial impact of pending and approved change orders on the overall project budget?
- Meetings module
- Budget tool with change order integration (Correct answer)
- Submittals log
- Correspondence module
Correct answer: Budget tool with change order integration
Procore's Budget tool integrates directly with the change management module to display real-time cost impacts from both pending and approved change orders.
Question 7: What does a 'pending' status on a change order in Procore indicate?
- The change order has been fully approved and the contract updated
- The change order has been rejected by the owner
- The change order has been submitted but not yet approved by the receiving party (Correct answer)
- The change order is still being priced internally
Correct answer: The change order has been submitted but not yet approved by the receiving party
A 'pending' status in Procore means the change order has been submitted to the relevant party (such as the owner) but their approval has not yet been received.
Question 8: When tracking time and materials (T&M) work for a potential change order, what should a Procore superintendent document daily?
- Equipment costs only, as they are the largest expense
- Labor hours, material quantities, and equipment usage with supporting photos and receipts (Correct answer)
- Just the total estimated cost for the day
- Only the subcontractor's daily invoice
Correct answer: Labor hours, material quantities, and equipment usage with supporting photos and receipts
Daily T&M tracking requires documenting all cost components—labor hours, material quantities, and equipment usage—with supporting documentation to fully substantiate the change order.
Question 9: Which Procore module is most effective for documenting unforeseen field conditions (such as buried utilities or differing site conditions) that may justify a change order?
- Meeting Minutes module
- Daily Log with photos and field notes (Correct answer)
- Submittals log
- Inspection checklists
Correct answer: Daily Log with photos and field notes
The Daily Log in Procore allows superintendents to document field conditions contemporaneously with photos and notes, creating the evidentiary foundation for a change order claim.
Question 10: How does an approved change order affect the project budget in Procore?
- It reduces the original contract value as a cost savings measure
- It has no effect on the budget until a pay application is submitted
- It adjusts the revised contract value and updates the corresponding budget line items (Correct answer)
- It only affects the contingency reserve line item
Correct answer: It adjusts the revised contract value and updates the corresponding budget line items
Approved change orders in Procore update the revised contract value and adjust the corresponding budget line items to reflect the new authorized scope and cost.
Question 11: What is the primary benefit of attaching supporting documentation (photos, sketches, emails) to a PCO in Procore?
- It is only required by contract for changes exceeding $10,000
- It provides substantiation for the change and protects against scope or cost disputes (Correct answer)
- It automatically triggers approval of the change order
- It sends automatic notifications to all subcontractors on the project
Correct answer: It provides substantiation for the change and protects against scope or cost disputes
Attaching supporting documentation to a PCO in Procore creates a comprehensive, auditable record that substantiates entitlement and helps resolve potential disputes.
Question 12: A superintendent determines that a change order will extend the project completion date. What should be included in the PCO in Procore?
- Only the cost impact, since schedule impacts are tracked in a separate system
- Both the cost impact and a request for a time extension reflecting the schedule impact (Correct answer)
- Only a revised schedule without cost information until pricing is confirmed
- A notice to proceed for the additional time only
Correct answer: Both the cost impact and a request for a time extension reflecting the schedule impact
PCOs should capture both cost and schedule impacts to ensure the contractor is compensated for additional costs and protected against liquidated damages for the delay.
Question 13: In Procore, what does a 'disputed' status on a change order indicate?
- The change has been conditionally approved pending minor revisions
- The owner has formally rejected the change in its entirety
- The parties disagree on the pricing, scope, or entitlement of the change (Correct answer)
- The change is pending subcontractor pricing submissions
Correct answer: The parties disagree on the pricing, scope, or entitlement of the change
A 'disputed' status in Procore indicates that the parties involved cannot reach agreement on some aspect of the change order, such as cost, scope, or whether the change is entitled.
Question 14: According to Procore change management best practices, when should a superintendent create a PCO relative to when the changed work is performed?
- After the work is complete so actual costs are fully known
- As early as possible—ideally before or immediately when the change is identified (Correct answer)
- Only after the owner formally requests a change order in writing
- When the next pay application period is being prepared
Correct answer: As early as possible—ideally before or immediately when the change is identified
Creating a PCO as early as possible ensures timely notice to the owner, proper documentation, and preservation of the contractor's contractual right to compensation.
