By Adam Hicks, CooperBuild AI · November 8, 2026

What is an RFI in construction? An RFI, or request for information, is a formal written question a contractor sends to the architect, engineer or owner when the drawings, specifications or site conditions don't give enough information to build the work. The design team answers in writing, and both the question and the answer become part of the permanent project record. An RFI does not, by itself, change the contract price or the schedule. If the answer adds or changes work, that's the start of a change order, not the end of the question.

The RFIs that get answered quickly show the exact location, the conflict in plain view, and a fix the designer can accept or adjust. The ones that sit for weeks usually ask a vague question with no drawing reference, no photo and no proposed solution.

#When should you send an RFI?

Send an RFI when you cannot find the answer in the contract documents after a real search: the agreement, general conditions, drawings, specifications, addenda and any prior RFIs or meeting minutes.

Common triggers include a missing dimension, detail or product; two drawings that disagree, or a drawing that disagrees with a spec; a specified product that is discontinued or whose lead time will miss the schedule; a field condition that doesn't match what the documents assumed; or a trade that cannot prepare a shop drawing or install the work without a decision.

An RFI is the wrong tool when you already know the work is extra. That's a change order request. It's also the wrong tool for a complaint or a question you could answer by reading the spec. If you're not sure whether something is a clarification or a change, write the RFI anyway and say so: you need direction, and the answer may affect cost or time.

#How do you write a construction RFI?

A good RFI is easy to search two years from now and easy for someone who has never visited the site to answer today.

Write a title that names the issue and the location. "Plumbing" or "beam question" is useless in a log. "Confirm waste-line invert at grids B/3, Level 1" or "Steel beam flange conflict with duct, Level 2, grids C to E" can be found later.

Cover three things in the body. First, what the current documents show, with the exact sheet, detail number, grid lines, room and spec section. Second, why that's a problem or what's missing, with photos or a marked-up drawing. Third, the specific question and a proposed solution: "Proposed solution: hold the soffit at 9'-0" AFF in Corridor 118 only, and shift the cable tray to the south wall." A proposed solution often turns a long review into a short "proceed as proposed."

Ask one question per RFI. Three questions in one RFI get answered at the speed of the slowest one, and a partial answer leaves the other two without a clean record.

Set a real date the response is required. Work back from when the crew, the fabricator or the purchasing lead actually needs the answer. Don't write "ASAP" on every RFI. If it is urgent, say why ("steel shop drawings are on hold") and call the reviewer so they see it coming. Check your contract for the stated review period.

Say whether cost or schedule may be affected, even if you don't know the dollar amount yet. Attach the evidence: cloud the conflict on the drawing, include a field photo with something for scale, and add a sketch of the proposed fix when you have one.

Send the RFI to the person who can answer it, usually the architect of record, and copy the trades and consultants the answer might affect. A structural question that could move duct or light fixtures should not go only to the structural engineer.

#What should an RFI log include?

The RFI itself is only half the value. The log is the record you'll use in owner meetings, delay conversations and closeout.

At a minimum, track a unique RFI number and searchable title; the date sent and the date a response is required; drawing and specification references; who owes the answer; status (draft, submitted, answered or closed); the schedule activity the answer affects; whether there is a potential cost or schedule impact; the date answered and a short summary of the official response; and whether the answer led to a change order.

Keep one official record. If your project platform already numbers RFIs, don't also attach a separate form that creates a second issued date. Two records of the same question are how the date asked and the date answered end up disagreeing months later, which is exactly when you need them to match.

Review open RFIs in weekly owner and design meetings, oldest and most overdue first, and separate "we need clarification" from "we need direction because this may change the contract."

#Who writes the RFI, the GC or the subcontractor?

Often both, in sequence. The subcontractor usually sees the conflict first and has the trade knowledge to explain it. The GC has the contract with the owner and the line to the architect, and the GC can see how one trade's question affects the others.

As a sub, give the GC the location, the drawing or spec reference, what doesn't work or isn't clear, the specific question, a proposed fix if you have one, and when you need the answer. That packet is your proof of what you asked and when you were waiting.

As the GC, don't silently rewrite a sub's RFI so thoroughly that the original question disappears. Add coordination context other trades will care about, and submit one clean RFI upstream. Do not change what the trade was actually asking.

#What is the difference between an RFI and a change order?

An RFI asks a question and captures the answer. A change order is a signed agreement that changes the scope, the contract sum, the contract time, or some combination of the three.

They connect more often than people admit. An RFI response, a sketch or a supplemental instruction can tell you to build something that wasn't in the bid. That response is not permission to invoice the extra work. Give written notice, price the cost and time, and follow the construction change order process before you treat it as contract work.

A submittal is different from both. A submittal is product data, shop drawings or samples showing that what you intend to furnish matches the specifications. Use an RFI when the documents aren't clear enough to prepare that submittal or to install the work.

Field conditions that show up on a construction daily report — photos, locations and a plain description of what you found — make the RFI stronger and give you a dated record if the answer later turns into a change.

#What are the most common RFI mistakes?

• Skipping the document search. Asking a question that's already answered on the drawings wastes review time and trains the design team to deprioritize your log.
• Vague titles and missing references. If someone can't find the RFI or the sheet it refers to, you don't have a usable record.
• Bundling unrelated questions. Partial answers create disputes about what was and wasn't decided.
• No proposed solution. Open-ended "what do you want us to do?" RFIs sit longer than RFIs that offer a constructible option.
• No photos or markups. Words alone rarely show a field conflict.
• Marking everything urgent. When every RFI says ASAP, none of them are.
• Leaving the only copy in email or a group text. If it isn't numbered and logged, follow-up becomes a scavenger hunt.
• Treating the answer as a change order. The answer may change how you build. It does not, by itself, change what you can bill.

#Where CooperBuild AI fits

Most late or lost RFIs aren't a writing problem. The question started in the field, bounced through texts and email, and never became a single numbered record with a need-by date.

CooperBuild AI keeps the job, project chat, daily reports, billing and built-in accounting (general ledger, payables and receivables) in one workspace, and it connects to QuickBooks Online if that's where your books live. When someone flags a drawing conflict in the job chat, it can be picked up as an action item instead of disappearing in a thread. If the answer adds scope, you can price and bill the change in the same place as the estimate.

If RFIs and field questions are living in inboxes, start a 14-day free trial, no credit card needed, and run the next one on a live job.

This article is general information, not legal advice. RFI procedures, response times and notice rules depend on your contract and your project.

#FAQ

#What is an RFI in construction?

An RFI (request for information) is a formal written question a contractor sends to the design team or owner when the drawings, specifications or site conditions don't give enough information to build the work. The written answer becomes part of the project record.

#What does RFI stand for in construction?

RFI stands for request for information.

#Who writes an RFI, the GC or the subcontractor?

Often both, in sequence. The subcontractor usually drafts the technical question about their scope. The GC reviews it for coordination with other trades and submits it to the architect or engineer, because the sub typically has no contract with the design team.

#Does an RFI change the contract price or schedule?

No. An RFI documents a question and an answer. If the answer adds or changes work, you still need a signed change order (or a written directive) before the contract sum or time changes.

#What should you include in a construction RFI?

A searchable title with the location, the drawing and spec references, what the documents currently show, why that's a problem, one clear question, a proposed solution, attachments (marked drawings and photos), a realistic response date, and whether cost or schedule may be affected.