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What Is an RFI in Construction?

What is an RFI, and when does the field send one?

An RFI, or Request For Information, is a documented question from the field to the architect or owner about a constructability or specification issue that the drawings do not clearly answer.

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What it is

An RFI is a formal, written question from the field to the architect or owner when the drawings, specs, or conditions on site do not clearly say how to build something. Instead of guessing, the field documents the question and waits for a documented answer. The RFI and its response become part of the project record.

Why it matters

RFIs protect the contractor and keep the project moving correctly. A documented question and answer means nobody built off a guess, and if a spec issue later causes a change or delay, the RFI is the paper trail that shows where the ambiguity was and when it was raised. An unanswered or undocumented question is how rework and disputes start.

How it works

  1. Identify the ambiguity
    The field hits a spot where the drawings, specs, or conditions do not clearly say how to proceed.
  2. Document the question
    Write the RFI clearly, with the location, the specific question, and any photos of the condition.
  3. Route it to the architect or owner
    Send the RFI to whoever owns the answer and track when it was sent.
  4. Record the answer and act on it
    Capture the documented response, build to it, and link it to any change order it drives.

Common mistakes

Try
Building off a guess instead of asking
Reality
When the drawings are unclear, guessing and building anyway risks rework at your own cost. The RFI is how you get a documented answer first.
Try
Verbal questions with no record
Reality
A question asked in a hallway and answered by phone leaves no trail. If it later drives a change, there is nothing to point to.
Try
Not tracking the response time
Reality
An RFI that sits unanswered can stall the work. Tracking when it was asked and answered supports any resulting delay claim.
Try
Not linking RFIs to changes
Reality
When an RFI answer changes the scope, the connection to the change order has to be kept, or the change looks unsupported.

How Scaftra handles it

Scaftra captures RFIs as threaded, company and project-scoped records with internal and public visibility, so a field question and its documented answer live on the project. RFIs are part of Scaftra's field-records layer, which is built for RFIs, submittals, and daily logs today; the broader propagation from a field record into schedule and billing is still being wired, so an RFI that drives a change is captured but not yet auto-linked downstream.

Scaftra keeps the field's questions and their answers threaded on the project, so when a spec issue later drives a change, the paper trail is already there.

Frequently asked questions

What is an RFI in construction?
A Request For Information: a documented question from the field to the architect or owner when the drawings or specs do not clearly say how to build something.
Why are RFIs important?
They keep the field from building off a guess and create a paper trail. If a spec ambiguity later causes a change or delay, the RFI shows where and when it was raised.
Does Scaftra track RFIs?
Yes. RFIs are a built, threaded field record with internal and public visibility, scoped to company and project. Auto-linking an RFI to downstream schedule and billing is still being wired.

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