When hotel furniture design changes after an order has been placed, first identify the affected items and their current production status. Ask the supplier to assess the consequences before the authorised person approves the change. Keep the design decision, commercial response and instruction to production connected in one record.
A revised drawing can show what the designer wants. It does not, by itself, tell the factory what to do with parts already cut, explain who accepts additional costs or confirm whether delivery can still follow the original plan.
For a useful change record, keep four things visible:
- The exact change and the items it affects.
- The supplier's assessment of work already completed and work still possible.
- The approvals needed before anyone acts.
- Evidence that the approved instruction reached the people doing the work.
Establish the version that governs the order
Find the drawing, specification, finish sample and quantity schedule currently accepted for production. Record their identifiers. If those documents disagree, resolve that conflict before evaluating another change.
This step is different from preparing the original hotel furniture specification. At order stage, the team needs to know which information the supplier actually used. A document saved most recently on the designer's computer may never have been issued to the factory.
Give the proposed change its own reference. Keep the current version available for comparison, clearly marked with its status. Do not overwrite the only record of what was previously approved.
Describe a change that someone can assess
"Update the minibar" is too broad. State which item changes, which room types use it, what detail moves and whether the request applies to all units or only a defined group.
Include a marked drawing or another clear comparison. If a component changes, identify its current and proposed references. Explain the reason when it affects the decision, such as revised equipment information or a confirmed site dimension.
AWI's submittal guidance for manufacturers and suppliers distinguishes a proposed change from an approved one and calls for changes to be identified separately. That is a useful reference for documenting woodwork changes. The approval route for your project still comes from its agreed procedures.
Ask what has already happened
The factory's response should describe the affected order, rather than give a generic answer about its normal lead time. Ask whether material has been ordered, components have been made, finishing has started or goods have been packed.
Those answers help the team compare options. A modification might apply to units that have not entered production, while completed units need a different decision. Record the quantities in each group. Do not let "some items are finished" become the basis for a package-wide instruction.
If a hold is necessary, the authorised project representative should define its exact scope and obtain acknowledgement. Avoid sending an open-ended request to stop everything when only one component is under review. Equally, a team should not assume that production has stopped merely because someone sent an email.
Use a compact impact and approval tracker
The following structure is an example for adaptation. It is not a completed project record or a substitute for the project's contractual change procedure.
Record | What to enter |
|---|---|
Change reference | A unique identifier and the date raised |
Affected scope | Item codes, room types and quantities |
Current information | Drawing, specification and sample references in use |
Requested revision | The proposed detail and a link to the marked information |
Production position | Supplier-confirmed status and quantities at each stage |
Impact response | Proposed work, price effect and revised dates, including assumptions |
Decision | Accepted, rejected or awaiting named information |
Release evidence | Approver, issue date, recipient acknowledgement and applicable revision |
Keep uncertain entries explicit. "Awaiting factory assessment" is more useful than a blank cost field that someone may read as no additional charge. Give the open item an owner and a response date agreed by the team.
Work through an example before issuing instructions
Consider an illustrative minibar cabinet change. The selected appliance is replaced after the cabinet drawing has been approved. The new appliance has different manufacturer requirements. No assumption should be made that the existing cabinet can simply be adjusted on site.
The procurement lead records the equipment references and the affected cabinet codes. The responsible designer reviews the interface with the appliance supplier. The furniture supplier reports which cabinets are already made and describes the proposed options for the remaining work.
The team then chooses a documented option. Its decision might retain the original equipment, revise the cabinet or accept another reviewed arrangement. The tracker records the chosen scope and the related drawing revision. It also records any price and delivery changes that the authorised parties accept.
At the assessment stage, the example tracker could read as follows. The entries are illustrative and deliberately leave unconfirmed decisions open.
Example entry | Recorded position |
|---|---|
Change C01 | Substitute appliance in minibar cabinet MB01 |
Governing reference | Cabinet drawing revision B; proposed revision C under review |
Affected quantity | MB01 units in the affected room types; final count awaiting schedule check |
Production position | Supplier to confirm quantities made and quantities not yet started |
Cost and delivery | Awaiting assessed options; no price or date change accepted |
Approval | Designer to confirm the interface; authorised buyer to approve the commercial response |
Production release | Revision C not released; any required hold to be issued and acknowledged separately |
The record remains open until the missing responses arrive. Adding the revised drawing to the folder does not close the change.
Close the change in the production information
Approval is followed by an issue and acknowledgement step. Send the accepted documents through the project's agreed route and ask the supplier to confirm the revision it will use. Update the affected item schedule and identify superseded information.
Check whether the change also affects packaging, room labels, installation instructions or an inspection reference. A cabinet revision that never reaches the receiving team may still cause confusion when the delivery arrives.
The procurement process guide places these decisions in the wider order sequence. Keep the detailed change record with the order so the team can explain why delivered items differ from an earlier sample or quotation.
Does a revised drawing authorise an extra charge
Do not make that assumption. Record the supplier's price response and obtain the approval required by the project's agreement. Technical acceptance and commercial acceptance should both be traceable where they are separate decisions.
Can unchanged items continue through production
That depends on the production arrangement and the scope of the change. Ask the supplier to identify any shared components or dependencies. Record which items can proceed and which remain on hold, with approval through the agreed project route.
Bring the current information into the discussion
When discussing a revision with Grandmeca, send the current approved documents, the marked proposal and the affected quantities. Include the delivery milestone and any site constraint behind the request.
Discuss the revised furniture scope before treating a design comment as a confirmed production instruction.
By Grandmeca
