A Change Order Is a Delta, Not a Second Bill of Materials
How we merge an original quote, revisions and change orders into one bill of materials without double counting cameras, licenses or ports.
On a recent video surveillance project we had the original quote, a later proposal revision, a change order and a small add-on, all for the same site. The ask was simple: one complete bill of materials (BOM) with final counts.
The easy mistake is to stack the documents and total the columns. Do that and every camera that shows up in two versions gets counted twice. Our first combined pass showed nearly double the cameras actually on the project.
What works
- Confirm whether the documents cover one site or several before merging anything.
- Pick the baseline quote of record.
- Apply each later document in date order as adds and deletes against that baseline.
- Keep a column per source so anyone can trace how each final quantity was reached.
- Tie every source back to its own printed totals before trusting the result.
Why it matters
The final count is what gets ordered, licensed and installed. Camera count drives licenses, storage, switch ports and PoE budget, so a doubled line does not stay small for long.
First question on any multi-document BOM: is this the same site?
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