In late July, the West Virginia Purchasing Division of the Department of Administration issued an “emergency rule” that exempts construction contracts from a new law regarding change order approval. This new law, which went into effect on July 1, originally required that all change orders be approved by the Purchasing Division and the Attorney General prior to commencement of work. The emergency rule, which was adopted by the West Virginia Secretary of State, clarifies that change orders related to government construction contracts do not require prior approval. The rationale behind the exemption for government construction contracts relates to the lengthy work stoppages that would inevitably occur while waiting for the required preapproval. The Department found that these stoppages are “costly and unfeasible” and often lead to “increased costs for the taxpayer, state government agencies, contractors and countless others.” So as to avoid these delays and additional costs, contractors on public West Virginia projects must continue to work after submitting a change order request.

Contractors should be familiar with this change to the law’s applicability, as failing and/or refusing to perform work while a change order is pending approval may subject you to liability for any resulting delays to the Project’s completion and/or additional costs incurred by the government.