RFI in construction is a document created and provided by one project party to another for clarification of a specific part of a construction project, such as design plans, specifications, contract clauses, and building standards.
When there is a question about a document, the general contractor or subcontractor shall submit an RFI to the person who originally provided the document client, designer, etc. The party receiving the RFI shall submit a reply to the contractor with a reply to its question. While this process seems straightforward, RFIs often become a source of delay, expense, conflict, and even legal claims. Therefore, all participants in construction projects have an interest in understanding how RFI in construction works and how to use them properly.
Construction RFIs come into play at various points of the construction process. During the bidding process, the contractor may submit an RFI in order to gain a fuller understanding of the details of the project and to finalize the quotation. More generally, however, a contractor or subcontractor may request an RFI in construction when the building is underway to ask the designer or engineer to explain the drawing or specification.
An RFI can also be used by the contractor or supplier to document concerns regarding identified materials, to obtain more information on the intended use of the product, or to suggest the change or substitution of components. There are more than a dozen main types of RFIs for construction. These will include the following:. When a specification appears incomplete, contractors often submit this type of RFI in search of the missing information. In most cases, the party seeking information will submit the RFI directly to the party which initially provided the document or correspondence that requires clarification.
For example, a general contractor might submit an RFI to a design team seeking clarification on a submission. In another example, the general contractor might submit an RFI to the client seeking clarification on specifications or communicating concerns on behalf of subcontractors. At this stage in the construction RFI process, the receiving party will evaluate the request and prepare a response it deems appropriate.
Missing the deadline may delay the project substantially if the RFI concerns something crucial. If the response satisfactorily addresses the RFI, the case is considered closed and a record of the resolution is maintained. However, if the response did not address the concern, follow-up correspondence may be required.
According to research by the Navigant Construction Forum , This is not always the result of negligence, however. There are many factors receiving parties consider when deciding whether an RFI requires a response. Here are some of the reasons parties often decide to leave a request unanswered. This process also takes a median of 9. You can probably imagine how quickly this cost would add up on a large project. Responding to unnecessary RFIs would be incredibly inefficient, which is why parties are often so selective.
This is one of the ways in which recipients determine whether an RFI is unnecessary. If the question could be answered by reviewing other project documents carefully, a response would be a waste of time.
Remember those RFI applications we discussed earlier? Well, if a request was improperly categorized, it may simply never reach the intended recipient. If key information, such as the timeframe, is missing, the request may get lost among those that have been created properly. After all, there are reasons protocols exist; without them, work may become very inefficient. You will need to ensure that your RFI procedures are understood and followed by the entire company, and that all conversations and clarifications are backed up with formal RFIs, and that responses are logged for future reference.
Using a well-designed RFI template ensures that it contains all the relevant information for the project. The following are some of the crucial items to be included in your RFI template:.
New technologies provide a great tool to improve the efficiency of construction management processes, and almost all construction management software will include a feature to manage the RFI process. It is important to check that all the relevant information see the above point is included in any potential software solution.
You should also ensure that the collaboration process for RFIs is effective within a potential software solution. Your teams must be able to simply send, receive, respond and close RFI notices online, and to share them with their workmates and other project stakeholders. Effective online collaboration will prevent delays, mistakes, and overall frustration. It would also be very beneficial if parties outside your organization can access project information without having to register on your chosen software system.
It is also important to use a software solution that can be easily accessed on any mobile device, which allows your team to issue new RFI notices from anywhere on the job site. Generally, a construction contract will state that responses to RFIs are to be made within 10 working days of the receipt of the request.
In summary, the following steps will enable you to manage the RFI process successfully for every project:. What is a Construction RFI?
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