How to Write an RFI That Gets a Fast, Useful Answer

A Request for Information is a question about the drawings or specs. Most are answered, eventually. The ones that take three weeks usually have the same cause: the question was unclear, so the reviewer had to ask a question back before answering.

A good RFI is one the reviewer can answer without picking up the phone. Here is how to write that kind.

Before you write it: is it really an RFI?

• An RFI is a question. "The plans show a 200-amp panel here and the schedule says 225. Which governs?"
• A submittal is a proposal. "We plan to install this product, please confirm it meets the spec." If that is what you are doing, see RFI vs. submittal.
• A change order changes the contract. If the answer is going to add cost, it may also need a change order. Say so in the RFI.

What a good RFI contains

1. A short subject line that says what it is about: "Panel LP-2 size, Sheet E-201 vs. Schedule E-601."
2. The exact reference: sheet numbers, detail numbers, spec section and paragraph. A reviewer should not have to hunt.
3. The question, in one or two sentences, with the conflict or gap spelled out. Ask something that can be answered with a decision.
4. What you propose, if you have a view. "We plan to price and install the 225-amp panel unless directed otherwise." This lets the reviewer answer with a yes.
5. An attachment: a cropped screenshot or a marked-up sheet that shows the problem at a glance.
6. A response date, and why it matters. "Work in this area starts May 12. We need an answer by May 5 to avoid a delay."

A before and after

Before: "Please clarify the panel."

After: "RFI 014: Panel LP-2, Sheet E-201 shows a 200A main; Panel Schedule E-601 shows 225A. Which governs? We propose installing 225A unless directed otherwise. Rough-in starts May 12; a response by May 5 keeps us on schedule. Marked-up sheet attached."

The second one takes thirty seconds to write and may save two weeks.

Keep the paper trail

• Number every RFI and log the date sent, the date due, and the date answered.
• Keep the answer with the question. Answers become part of the job record and are often the evidence if a cost dispute comes up later.
• Send it to whoever your contract names, not whoever answers fastest. Your contract may say how RFIs are submitted and how long a reply should take. Check it.
• Follow up at the due date. A short reminder is normal and expected.

When the answer costs money or time

Some RFI answers change the work. If the answer adds cost or days, say so promptly and in writing, and ask for the change in writing too. A late claim for extra time or money is much harder to win than one raised the day the answer arrived. Your contract may set deadlines for giving notice, so check it. For time and money questions on your own contract, ask your attorney.

Keeping it all together

RFIs, submittals, and change orders are easiest to manage when they live with the job, not in an inbox. In PoPs Suite they run through PoPs APM, inside PoPs Project Tracker, alongside the job's budget and schedule. The RFI log, the dates, and the answers stay on the same record.

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Related reading: RFI vs. submittal · Change order, defined · How to price a change order