The draw packet, in the order the lender reads it
A draw comes back for one missing document, and it is almost always the same three. Here is the whole packet so it does not happen on your job.
The ten documents
Current schedule of values, application for payment, conditional lien waiver for this month, unconditional waiver for last month, certificates of insurance for every sub on site, approved change orders, inspection sign-off cards, material and disposal tickets, the retainage record to date, and a cover note naming what is being billed.
The three that cause most rejections
A sub certificate that expired, so the lender will not release funds. A change order never written down, so the amount billed does not match the schedule of values. A waiver missing a signature, found on the day the package is due.
All three are avoidable with a list and a weekly check. None of them are avoidable by working harder on the day.
The sequence that makes it routine
Keep the schedule of values current as scope changes, collect waivers as payments clear rather than at draw time, and check certificate expiry every week. Then the packet assembles itself instead of being reconstructed under deadline.
Take the checklist
The same ten lines are available as a CSV on the templates page. Download it, use it, and if it saves you a draw you will know what we do.
Nothing goes out without your say-so. Money and commitments stop at you by default.
Questions
Can I use this for any lender?
It is written to the common California construction-lending sequence. Specific lenders add requirements; the ten cover the ones that block most packages.
Do you build draw packages?
Yes, against the schedule of values, with the waivers attached.
What if a change order was never approved?
It gets documented before it is billed, not argued about afterwards.