Free Work Order Template

The subcontract is signed, but the drywall crew still needs authorization to start on Level 3. Use this work order template to release a defined construction task, agree on what's included and excluded, and document its completion.

The subcontract sets the rules. The order identifies the specific work being released under those rules — not a new agreement for the whole project.

A work order authorizes a subcontractor to carry out a defined package of work on a specific project. The general contractor (GC) usually prepares it, and the subcontractor reviews it before mobilizing. Many signed subcontracts still require separate releases for particular areas, phases, or dates.

Purchase order vs. work order: a PO generally purchases goods; this form authorizes construction labor or a work package under a subcontract. Use the document that matches the transaction.

It doesn't independently establish the project's general warranty, indemnity, termination, or dispute-resolution terms. It also doesn't provide final acceptance, release retainage, waive lien rights, or replace required permits, insurance, and safety plans. Look to the subcontract and separate project records for those matters.

Before completing the work order form template, have the signed subcontract, current drawings and specifications, milestone schedule, approved changes, and insurance requirements in hand. Copy the subcontract number and date from the signed copy: a wrong reference can leave the parties arguing over which terms apply.

Check the following before authorizing the crew:

If a reference or approval is missing, confirm it before sending the order.

Use the work order form to answer five questions: which project, exactly what work, who supplies what, how it's priced, and when it begins and ends.

Enter the order number and issue date; both parties' legal names; subcontract title, number, and date; project name and number; project owner; site address or work area; contacts; and trade. Add the start date or notice-to-proceed reference and completion date or milestone schedule reference. Use dates the subcontract permits rather than inventing new deadlines.

Write results that can be inspected, not activities that leave room for interpretation.

In Work excluded / responsibilities of others, name adjacent tasks the subcontractor hasn't priced: electrical patching, final cleaning, or GC-provided hoisting. List drawing sheets, revision dates, and scope attachments. An updated drawing isn't automatically an authorized change; use the subcontract's change procedure.

For larger packages, a Statement of Work can organize detailed deliverables as an attachment, as long as it agrees with the subcontract.

Specify who provides materials, lifts, storage, power, and temporary facilities. Reference site-access rules, permit coordination, and applicable safety plans rather than trying to rewrite them in the order.

First, check the pricing method the subcontract allows. Choose according to who bears uncertainty: with a fixed total, the subcontractor generally carries the risk of overruns on defined work; with time and materials, the GC generally bears more quantity risk; a not-to-exceed price limits exposure but requires careful tracking.

Complete Task / labor / material, Quantity / hours, Rate USD, and Amount USD, then Agreed price / cap USD. An NTE cap isn't a promised payment; work above it needs the required approval. Keep timesheets and receipts separately — the order isn't a tracking system.

In Tax / other charges basis, explain whether freight, equipment, fees, and applicable taxes are included. California Regulation 1521 generally treats contractors as consumers of installed materials, but fixtures and some time-and-materials arrangements differ. For example, explicit transfer of material title before installation with separately stated material prices can make the contractor a retailer; CDTFA's guidance also addresses sales-tax billing on T&M contracts. Check your state's rule.

Finally, enter the subcontract reference for billing, payment, and retainage; this order shouldn't renegotiate those provisions.

Compare the filled order against the subcontract, approved changes, drawing revisions, and schedule. Correct inconsistencies before obtaining approval.

The form provides signature blocks for both parties before work begins, subject to any additional approvals specified in the subcontract.

Keep a copy showing both required approvals before mobilization. The form has no additional owner or completion-acceptance signature block.

Use the second page's Authorization and Completion Record to enter the actual completion date, Completed by, and the status: Completed, Partially completed, or Not completed. Then describe work performed and any remaining tasks.

For partial completion, write something concrete:

This helps determine whether another release or a formal change request is needed.

Completion recorded isn't final acceptance or payment in full. Inspection, punch-list signoff, invoices or pay applications, and release of retainage follow the subcontract. The PDF expressly preserves defect, warranty, and other contract rights.

The usual paper trail can be a PDF emailed around, a tablet signature or its photo sent in a text thread, and no clear final copy when an invoice is disputed months later. In Loio, you can keep the authorization, revisions, signatures, and history organized.

To handle a work order online, prepare it in Loio's PDF editor and request eSignatures by email. Invite the subcontractor to suggest changes in the same draft. You can review scope and exclusion edits using redlines, rather than chasing different email attachments. Set the order of the two signers, and let each sign on-site from a phone. The signed copy has a time-stamped audit trail.

A useful completion workflow: make a separately identified copy of the signed order, then use Loio's PDF editing tools to check the completion-status box, enter remaining-work notes, and insert job-site photos captured on a phone or tablet. Save the completion copy alongside the unchanged signed authorization. This preserves a clear distinction between what was approved and what was later reported.

For the next release, select Use again on the signature request to create a fresh copy. A project-specific work orders template library helps keep release formats consistent across floors and phases without copying old signatures or dates.