Contracts

# Construction contract template — because handshakes don’t hold up

Scope, price, schedule, and how changes get approved — in writing, signed, one page ahead of every dispute you won’t have. Fill it on screen and print it free.

[Open the contract template](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=construction-contract-worksheet#form-library)
[Browse all 126 forms](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools#form-library)

## Free to fill and print

Every form opens in Blue Crane's Form Maker: fill the fields on
screen, print, done — no account. Free PDFs carry the form's
guidance text and a small Blue Crane footer; the one-time Form
Maker Pass ($9 for 30 days, $69 for a year) strips all Blue Crane
text for clean, client-ready prints and auto-fills your company
details on all 126 forms.

**Worksheets and records, not filings.** Where an
official filing exists, this prepares the information and keeps
your copy — the filing is done with the regulator.

## What a construction contract needs to cover

The disputes that kill small contractors are almost always about one of these — write them down:

- Scope of work — what is included, and explicitly what is not

- Price and the payment schedule, including deposits and draws

- Start date and target completion

- How changes are approved — written change orders, never verbal

- Who signs, and when

## The clause that pays for itself

The change-order process. Verbal scope changes are the single most common way trades work for free. The contract names the process; the [change order form](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=change-order#form-library) executes it — priced, signed, before the work happens.

## Province matters

Lien rights, holdback obligations, and prompt-payment consequences attach to construction contracts differently in each province. This template covers the working agreement; have the final wording reviewed for your province before signing anything substantial — and pair it with the right [proper invoice](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=proper-invoice#form-library) where prompt-payment rules apply.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is a verbal construction contract enforceable?

Verbal agreements can be binding, but proving what was agreed is the hard part — and construction disputes are exactly where that failure is most expensive. A signed one-page agreement beats a perfect memory every time.

### Do I need a lawyer for every job?

For routine residential work, a clear written agreement with scope, price, payment schedule, and a change-order process covers the ground most disputes fight over. For large contracts, commercial work, or anything with unusual risk, have counsel review the wording — the template gives them something concrete to start from.

### What about deposits?

Put the deposit amount and its terms in the payment schedule, in writing. Deposit rules and consumer-protection requirements vary by province and job type — check what applies to your work.

### Does this create lien rights or start prompt-payment clocks?

No — those come from provincial legislation, not from this template. Where prompt payment applies (Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan), the proper invoice is what starts the clock; use the province’s proper invoice worksheet alongside the contract.

## The paperwork is the easy part now.

The Blue Crane App keeps documents, certs, crew sign-offs, and costs per job site — the Form Maker is the free front door.

[Try the App free — 30 days](https://app.bluecraneworks.ca/?intent=trial)
[Open the contract template](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=construction-contract-worksheet#form-library)

[Change order](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=change-order#form-library)
[Quote / estimate](https://bluecraneworks.ca/tools?form=quote-estimate#form-library)
[Contractor invoice template](https://bluecraneworks.ca/contractor-invoice-template.html)
[Lien waiver template](https://bluecraneworks.ca/lien-waiver-release-template.html)

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Source: https://bluecraneworks.ca/construction-contract-template