Andrew Dutil Forecasts a Tougher Year for Change Order Negotiations
Andrew Dutil lays out what he expects to change in project controls and contract administration over the next year, and where that leaves people managing public works contracts.
A Harder Year for Cost Estimates
West Palm Beach, Florida, November 11, 2026, ZEX PR WIRE, Andrew Dutil has spent his career on the owner and contractor sides of civil works contracts, most of it tied to the US Army Corps of Engineers. He expects the coming year to put more strain on cost estimates than usual.
Material pricing has not settled into a predictable pattern. Dutil says that unpredictability shows up first in change orders, where both sides have to agree on a number before work can keep moving. When the baseline price keeps shifting, that agreement takes longer to reach.
“A change order used to be a for...
