Draft a delay notice without missing the contract clauses

Not legal advice. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your contract controls. Have someone who knows the contract, or a lawyer, review any notice before you send it.

Get a clean, factual first draft of a notice of delay, then make sure it meets your contract's rules.

Tools

A general AI assistant, plus your actual contract.

Steps

1. Find the notice clause in your contract: the deadline, who receives it, how it must be delivered, and what it must contain.
2. Paste that clause, with a factual timeline, into the Schedule delay notice prompt.
3. Compare the draft to the clause line by line.
4. Have someone who knows the contract (or counsel) review it.
5. Send it on time, by the method the contract requires, and keep proof of delivery.

The prompts

Schedule delay notice

Draft a formal notice of delay from a general contractor.
To: [owner/architect]   Project: [name or generic]
Contract notice clause (paste if available): [text]
Delay event: [what happened, when it started]
Cause and responsibility: [e.g., late owner decision, unforeseen condition, weather]
Activities affected / critical path impact: [details]
Estimated delay: [days, or "TBD, will update"]
Mitigation we're taking: [actions]
Tone: professional and factual. Reserve rights to time and cost. State that a detailed impact analysis will follow.

Change order narrative

Write a change order narrative for owner/architect review.
Contract: [GC agreement type, relevant clause if known]
What changed: [description]
Cause: [owner request / design error / unforeseen condition / RFI #]
Supporting docs: [RFI, ASI, bulletin, field photos, dates]
Cost: [amount + brief breakdown]   Schedule impact: [days or none]
Format: Background, Description of Change, Reason/Entitlement, Cost Summary, Schedule Impact, Attachments list. Factual, non-adversarial, easy for a non-builder owner to follow.

Checklist before you send

• Sent within the contract's notice window
• Addressed to the parties the contract names
• Delivered by the required method
• Reserves rights to time and cost
• Says that an impact analysis will follow

Last updated 2026-10-15.