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Work with a team and deliver · Guide 13 of 13

You won. What happens next?

Turn the award into a work plan, manage changes, and submit an invoice the buyer can process.

About 4 minutesFederal prime contracts · Check local and subcontract terms separatelyLook up a term

What you’ll leave with

A simple delivery record with clear owners for work, changes, and invoicing.

The essentials

Read the award before sending the crew.

Check the start date, scope, deliverables, inspection and acceptance requirements, invoice instructions, and any conditions that must be met before work begins. Your proposal is useful background; the executed award tells you what you have agreed to deliver.

The person at the site may not have authority to change the contract.

For federal prime contracts, changes must be handled by someone with the required contracting authority. A request from a building user does not automatically authorize extra work or payment. Document it and promptly follow the contract’s changes and notice process.

Make completed work easy to verify.

Keep the records the contract calls for: completed visits, quantities, test results, deliverables, and acceptance documentation. A proper invoice and satisfactory performance matter to payment; neither a photograph nor an email is automatically the required evidence for every contract.

What to do next

  1. 1

    Hold a short kickoff.

    Give each deliverable a responsible person, due date, and acceptance requirement. Confirm who coordinates site access, who can authorize changes, and where invoices go.

  2. 2

    Keep one record of delivery and open issues.

    Update it as the work happens. Record an access problem or missing information when it occurs, then use the contract’s notice procedure. Do not wait until the invoice to explain why the schedule changed.

  3. 3

    Handle extra work through the contract.

    Record the request, affected scope, and likely cost or schedule effect. Contact the contracting officer through the required process and follow applicable directions and notice clauses. Keep performing authorized work as the contract requires.

  4. 4

    Invoice against the actual award.

    Use the required destination, contract or order numbers, line items, units, and supporting documents. Track receipt and correction requests. Keep closeout, warranty, and performance records where the next project team can find them.

Worked example · Fictional business

‘While you’re here, could you do the hallway?’

Mesa Flooring’s fictional award covers carpet replacement in four specified offices. During the job, a building manager asks the crew to add the hallway.

Record what changed.

The owner checks the awarded scope and records the additional area, materials, and schedule effect. The hallway is not quietly folded into the original price.

Ask the person with contracting authority.

Mesa contacts the contracting officer and follows the contract’s change process. The company continues the authorized work as required while the hallway request is addressed.

Make the invoice match the authorized work.

Mesa supplies the completion and acceptance records required by the award and uses the correct line items. An informal request from a building manager is not enough to support an extra charge.

The practical move: A clear record protects the relationship as well as the invoice. Everyone should be able to see what was ordered, what changed, and what was delivered.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Treating an on-site request as authority to expand the scope.
  • Submitting an invoice that cannot be tied to the award’s line items or accepted work.
  • Assuming the payment clock always starts when you finish the last task.
  • Closing the file without keeping the delivery evidence you will need for your next project example.

One useful next step

Before starting, make a one-page delivery plan with the work, owner, due date, acceptance evidence, and invoice requirements.

Official sources & further help

Reviewed September 9, 2026. Practical examples and worksheets are Bid Rigor’s own. Check current requirements with the buyer; agency-specific rules or deviations may apply.