The True Cost of RFIs
Requests for Information (RFIs) are far more expensive than most teams realize. Direct costs include: PROJECT MANAGER TIME - 2-8 hours to research, draft, submit, track, and review each RFI response. At loaded labor rates, that's $150-600 per RFI. ARCHITECT/ENGINEER REVIEW - Design team review and response, billed at $150-300/hour. CONTRACTOR MARKUP - Contractors often mark up RFI-related work at higher rates. SCHEDULE IMPACT - Each RFI delays affected work by days or weeks while awaiting response. AGC studies show the average RFI takes 10.4 days to resolve. On-site crews may be redirected, causing efficiency losses. On projects with thousands of RFIs, these costs add up to millions of dollars and months of delay.
Root Causes of Excessive RFIs
Understanding why RFIs occur helps prevent them: SPECIFICATION CONFLICTS - When different specification sections or drawings contain conflicting requirements, contractors must ask for clarification. AMBIGUOUS LANGUAGE - Phrases like 'as directed' or 'to be determined' force contractors to seek guidance during construction. INCOMPLETE DOCUMENTS - Missing details, incomplete schedules, or uncoordinated drawings create information gaps. UNFORESEEN CONDITIONS - Site conditions that differ from documents require clarification. COORDINATION ISSUES - Conflicts between trades (e.g., mechanical vs. electrical routing) not resolved during design. SCOPE CREEP PROTECTION - Contractors use RFIs to document owner changes that should be change orders.
Prevention During Design
Design-phase strategies to reduce RFIs: COORDINATION REVIEWS - Regular coordination meetings between design disciplines. BIM coordination identifies conflicts before construction. CLASH DETECTION - Use 3D modeling and clash detection software to identify and resolve physical conflicts. CONSTRUCTABILITY REVIEW - Have experienced contractors review documents for constructability issues. CLEAR SPECIFICATIONS - Write clear, unambiguous specifications. Avoid 'or equal' language without clear substitution criteria. COMPLETE DOCUMENTS - Issue 100% complete documents rather than 'design-build' elements that require field decisions. STANDARD DETAILS - Use proven standard details rather than project-specific solutions for common conditions.
Prevention During Bidding
Bidding-phase strategies reduce construction RFIs: THOROUGH Q&A PERIOD - Allow adequate time for bid questions and issue comprehensive addenda. MANDATORY PRE-BID MEETINGS - Discuss scope, site conditions, and common questions. SPECIFICATION ANALYSIS - Use AI tools like SpecLens to identify specification conflicts before awarding contracts. SCOPE CLARIFICATIONS - Clarify ambiguous scope before bid submission, not after contract award. SITE INVESTIGATION - Allow bidders adequate time to investigate site conditions. CONTRACTOR QUALIFICATION - Select experienced contractors who understand document interpretation.
RFI Management Best Practices
When RFIs are necessary, manage them efficiently: RESPONSE TIME STANDARDS - Establish contractual response time requirements (e.g., 7-10 days). Track and hold parties accountable. RFI TRACKING SYSTEMS - Use digital RFI management systems for logging, routing, and tracking. CLUSTERING - Group related questions to reduce overall RFI count and improve response efficiency. EARLY WARNING - Encourage contractors to identify RFI-worthy issues as early as possible. DECISION MAKERS - Ensure the right people review RFIs promptly. Avoid bottlenecks. DOCUMENTATION - Maintain complete records for dispute resolution and lessons learned.
Measuring and Improving
Track RFI metrics to improve over time: RFI COUNT - Benchmark against similar projects. High counts indicate document or communication issues. RESPONSE TIME - Track average response time and outliers. Identify bottlenecks. CATEGORY ANALYSIS - Categorize RFIs by root cause (coordination, clarification, change, etc.) to identify patterns. COST TRACKING - Track RFI-related costs including labor, delays, and resulting change orders. LESSONS LEARNED - After project completion, analyze RFI data to improve future designs and processes. DESIGN TEAM FEEDBACK - Share RFI analysis with designers to improve future document quality.