Hey {{first_name | default: "there"}},
Most PMs know they need to send a notice when something changes. What they don't know is that they had a 7-day window to do it — and it started the day the event happened, not the day they decided to write a change order.
By the time they realize it, the window has been closed for three weeks.
THE LESSON
Notice requirements are the claim-killers that don't announce themselves.
The language is buried in the general conditions — usually somewhere around Section 7 or 8 depending on your contract form. It says something like: "Contractor shall provide written notice of any claim for additional compensation or time within 7 days of the occurrence of the event giving rise to such claim."
Seven days. From the occurrence. Not from when you quantified it. Not from when the owner acknowledged it. From when it happened.
Miss that window and you've potentially waived the claim regardless of how valid it is. Courts take notice requirements seriously. "We didn't know the damage yet" is usually not a defense. The contract says you had to tell them something was happening, even if you couldn't price it yet.
The fix is a notice habit, not a notice reaction. When something changes on the job — directed work, unforeseen condition, design change, weather event with schedule impact — you send a notice that day or the next day. Short. Factual. "We are providing notice pursuant to Section X.X of a potential change to cost and/or schedule resulting from [event]. We will provide quantification under separate cover."
That letter costs you nothing to send. A missed notice window can cost you everything.
I've watched PMs lose six-figure claims because they waited to send the notice until they had the full CO priced out. By then the window was gone. The work was real. The cost was real. The claim was dead.
THE TOOL
The Construction Correspondence workflow has a Notice of Potential Claim letter type built in specifically for this situation — when you know something happened but you don't have it priced yet.
It asks for the triggering event, the contract clause, and the date. It drafts a letter that preserves your rights without committing to a number you don't have. Short, clean, defensible.
Send it the same day you know something changed. Price it later.
Toolkit at https://jessgregg.gumroad.com/l/pmedgetoolkit — $29.
INDUSTRY PULSE
On my radar:
• Contract notice windows are getting shorter — Some newer owner-drafted contracts are moving from 14-day to 7-day or even 5-day notice windows. If you're signing a new contract, that section deserves a close read before you're in the field.
• Email is generally sufficient but check your contract — Most courts now accept email as written notice, but some older contracts specify certified mail. Know which yours requires before you hit send on a claim notice.
• Differing site conditions are the most missed notice trigger — DSC claims are time-sensitive and the trigger date is the date of discovery, not the date you finished excavating through it. If you hit something unexpected underground, notice goes out that day.
Send the notice. You can always follow up with the pricing. You cannot recover a missed window.
— Jesse
The PM Edge | pmedge.io