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Guide · data

Autodesk Build cost management: budgets, contracts and the change order chain

Autodesk Build's Cost Management tool holds a job's budget, its subcontracts and purchase orders, and every change to either. Its change orders are a chain of document types rather than one form — PCO, RFQ, COR, OCO, SCO — and knowing which one moves the budget and which moves a commitment is what makes the numbers readable. This guide explains the structure from Autodesk's own help pages, works one change through the chain, and covers reporting on it next to the ERP.

Updated · 9 minute read

Key takeaways
  • PCOs are the start of every budget or cost change; they are exposure until approved.
  • COR → OCO is the owner side and moves the budget; SCOs move supplier commitments.
  • Budget Only PCOs take a Budget Change; In Scope PCOs take a Cost Change via RFQs and SCOs.
  • Keep ACC's job number identical to the ERP's so the two can be reported together.

The pieces: budgets, contracts, cost items

The change order chain

Autodesk's help puts it plainly: potential change orders "are the starting point of any budget or cost change." From a PCO the chain splits into an owner side and a supplier side:

DocumentWhat it isMoves
PCO — potential change orderA possible change, with its cost items, before anyone has agreed to itNothing yet — it is exposure
RFQ — request for quotationAsks a supplier to price the PCO's cost itemsNothing — it gathers the price
COR — change order request (RCO in the API)One or more PCOs sent to the owner for approvalNothing until the owner accepts
OCO — owner change orderOne or more CORs the owner has approvedThe budget and the contract with the owner
SCO — supplier / subcontract change orderChanges a supplier's contract; generated from an OCO or a PCOThe commitment

A PCO's scope decides which way it can go: a Budget Only PCO offers a Budget Change (owner side only), an In Scope PCO a Cost Change (supplier side, through RFQs and SCOs).

PCOexposure RFQsupplier price CORto owner OCObudget moves SCOcommitment moves cost change (in scope)
Owner side: PCO → COR → OCO moves the budget. Supplier side: RFQs price it and an SCO moves the commitment — ideally after the OCO.

One change, worked through

The owner asks for soffits in the lobby of job J-1104:

PCO opened with a drywall cost item—
RFQ to the drywall sub: quoted$28,000
COR to the owner at 15% markup$32,200
Owner approves → OCO: budget and owner contract rise+$32,200
SCO to the drywall sub: commitment rises+$28,000
Margin on the change$4,200

The order matters. If the SCO is issued before the owner approves the OCO, the job carries $28,000 of committed cost with no approved revenue behind it — the gap the change order guide calls working at risk. Reporting on open PCOs and unapproved CORs is how that exposure stays visible.

CalculatorChange order margin

Reporting on it: exposure, buyout and the ERP

Three numbers per job come straight out of this structure:

The ERP holds the other half: posted cost, payroll and payments. Autodesk's project record carries a job number field, which is the key to join the two — keep it identical to the ERP job number (the integration guide covers why). Autodesk exposes budgets, contracts and each change order type through its Cost Management API, which is how reporting tools read it; Constructelligence reads budgets, contracts and owner and supplier change orders from ACC and sets them beside Sage's budget and cost per job.

Autodesk BuildPCOs · CORs · SCOsERPposted cost · payrolljob number joins themPending exposureopen PCOs + submitted CORsBuyoutcontracts vs budget linesCost at riskSCOs without an approved OCO
Pending exposure, buyout and cost at risk come from the project side; the ERP holds posted cost. The job number is the join.
Checklist
ACC change log in Excel, filled in with example rows — columns: PCO, Description, Scope (Budget Only / In Scope), RFQ quote, COR amount, COR status, OCO, SCO amount…
The ACC change log as it opens in Excel: example rows in italics, calculated columns shaded.
Free template · ACC change log (Excel & CSV)An Excel workbook with drop-downs, validation and formulas built in — or the same columns as a CSV for Google Sheets and Numbers.
Download Excel (.xlsx)
What this template captures

Each potential change order through the Autodesk Build chain: scope type, RFQ quote, COR amount and status, owner change order, supplier change order amount and whether the SCO is at risk ahead of the OCO.

9 columns: 6 you fill in and 3 picked from drop-down lists, so every row uses the same values. In the Excel version, 3 columns reject entries of the wrong type (a date column only takes dates, an amount column only numbers), the header row stays frozen with filters on it, and the workbook opens on an Instructions sheet that lists every column below.

Every column, and how it is captured
ColumnTypeWhat goes in it
PCOTextFree text.
DescriptionTextWhat the line is, in words the other party will recognise.
Scope (Budget Only / In Scope)Drop-downOptions: Budget Only / In Scope.
RFQ quoteAmount ($)Enter the amount in dollars.
COR amountAmount ($)Enter the amount in dollars.
COR statusDrop-downOptions: Draft / Submitted / Approved / Rejected.
OCOTextFree text.
SCO amountAmount ($)Enter the amount in dollars.
At risk (SCO before OCO)Drop-downOptions: Yes / No.

See it on real-looking numbers

Constructelligence is a construction intelligence platform: it reads your ERP, project and field systems read-only and does this arithmetic every week, for every job. The demo runs it on a sample eight-job portfolio.

Try the demoJoin the private beta

Frequently asked questions

What is a PCO in Autodesk Build?

A potential change order: the starting point of any budget or cost change in Cost Management. It holds cost items linked to the affected budget, contract and supplier, and from it you generate RFQs, CORs, OCOs or SCOs.

What is the difference between a COR and an OCO?

A COR (change order request) is one or more PCOs submitted to the owner for approval. An OCO (owner change order) is one or more CORs the owner has approved, and it is what changes the budget and the owner contract.

What is an SCO in Autodesk Build?

A change order on a supplier or subcontractor contract. It changes the commitment and can be generated from an OCO or directly from a PCO.

What is the difference between a Budget Change and a Cost Change?

A Budget Change affects only the budget side and is used for owner-directed changes (Budget Only PCOs). A Cost Change affects supplier contracts through RFQs and SCOs (In Scope PCOs).

How do I report on Autodesk Build cost data next to my ERP?

Keep the ACC project's job number identical to the ERP job number, then read ACC's budgets, contracts and change orders and the ERP's posted cost into one report joined by job. Track pending exposure (open PCOs and CORs) separately from approved changes.

CI
Written by the Constructelligence teamConstruction finance and software. Worked examples use the sample demo portfolio; formulas are standard practice. Reviewed September 2026.
Change order management: stop carrying work nobody has signed forHow contractors manage change orders: PCOs, CORs and CCDs, the real cost of unsigned work in place, the KPIs to track, and how to catch it the week it happens.Committed cost in construction: track buyout and the exposure still to buyWhat committed cost is, how to track buyout against budget, the projected-cost formula that includes uncommitted scope, a worked example and a buyout log template.Construction software integration: connecting ERP, project management and field toolsHow to connect construction accounting, project management and field software: a system of record per field, the shared keys, sync direction, methods and monitoring.

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