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How to write an RFI in construction
When to send a request for information, what to put in it, and an example that gets a clear answer fast.
An RFI (request for information) is a formal written question from the field to the design team or owner when the drawings or specifications are unclear, conflict with each other or do not match what you find on site. A good RFI gets a clear answer fast. A vague one comes back with "please clarify" a week later, while the crew waits.
When to send an RFI
- Conflicts: the architectural and structural sheets show different dimensions, or a duct runs through a beam.
- Missing information: a detail, a finish, a mounting height or a product is not shown anywhere.
- Field conditions: what you uncover does not match the drawings (an existing pipe, a different wall, rot).
- Substitutions or alternatives: a specified product is unavailable and you want to propose another.
- Verbal directions: someone told you on site to change something; the RFI puts the question and the answer in writing.
Before you send it, check the latest revision, the specifications and earlier RFI answers. Many RFIs are already answered in a sheet nobody opened.
What every RFI should include
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Number and date | A running number for the project (RFI #015), date sent and the date you need the answer by. |
| Subject | A short title someone can find later: "Level 2 kitchen outlet location, unit 203". |
| References | Sheet numbers with revision, detail numbers, spec sections, grid lines and room numbers. |
| Question | One clear question. If you have three questions, send three RFIs. |
| Proposed solution | What you suggest, so the designer can simply approve it or correct it. |
| Impact | Whether work is on hold, which trades are affected, and any likely cost or schedule effect. |
| Attachments | Marked-up sheets and dated photos of the condition. |
| Response | Space for the answer, who answered and the date. |
Example RFI
Subject: Header height conflict at corridor door 2.07
References: A-201 rev 3 (door schedule), S-102 rev 2 (beam B-4), grid C/4
Question: A-201 shows door 2.07 as 7'-0" high with an 8" header. S-102 shows beam B-4 bottom at 7'-4" above finished floor at the same location, which leaves 4" for the header. Which governs?
Proposed solution: Use a 6'-8" door with the 8" header and keep beam B-4 as drawn. Please confirm.
Impact: Framing at grid C/4 on hold; 2 framers moved to other work. No cost impact if confirmed by Nov 13.
Attachments: A-201 and S-102 marked up at grid C/4; 2 photos of the framed opening.
Tips that get faster answers
- Ask, do not complain. Facts and a question, not who made the mistake.
- Show where. A clouded sheet and a photo pinned to the location answer half the question before anyone reads the text.
- Propose an answer. "Confirm or correct" is faster to reply to than an open question.
- Give a real need-by date tied to the schedule, and say what happens if it is late.
- Send it through the agreed channel in the contract, to the right person, and keep a copy.
Keep an RFI log
Track every RFI in one list: number, subject, date sent, date needed, date answered, status and whether it led to a change. Review the open ones at every weekly meeting. If an answer changes the scope, cost or time, follow it with a change order request instead of just building it.
Mention the RFI number in the daily report the day you send it and the day it is answered. See how to write a construction daily report and how to mark up drawings in the field.
This guide is general practice, not legal advice. Your contract sets the RFI process, response times and notice requirements; follow it first.
Do it on your iPhone or iPadParsReport puts plan markups, photos pinned to the sheets, daily reports and job costs in one app, and sends a clean PDF before you leave the site. No account; your reports and photos stay on your device.
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