ParrotNotes

Free RFI Template

Fill in the request for information the way agency forms lay it out: number, project, who it is from and to, the subject, discipline, spec section and drawing references, one clear question and your suggested solution, whether it affects cost or schedule, and when you need the answer. The response block is underneath. Keep every RFI on the project in the log, see what is overdue, and print or save a PDF.

A template, not legal or contract advice. Follow the RFI procedure in your contract.

What goes on an RFI

  • Number, project and date

    A running RFI number (RFI-001, RFI-002…), the project name and contract number, and the date sent, so the question and its answer can be found later.

  • From and to

    The requesting party (usually the contractor) and the responding party (the architect, engineer or owner), with a company and a named contact for each.

  • Subject and references

    A short subject, the discipline, the spec section and the drawings or documents the question is about, such as "A-501 detail 4".

  • Question and suggested solution

    One question, written so the reader can answer it without a site visit, and the solution you propose, so the answer can be a simple yes.

  • Cost and schedule impact

    Yes, no or unknown at this time for each, as on the New Jersey DOT form. It flags early that the answer may lead to a change.

  • Response required by, and the response

    The date you need the answer, then the answer itself, who gave it and when, with a line for a signature.

How an RFI moves

A contractor's project manager, a site engineer or a supplier's sales engineer finds a gap or a conflict in the drawings or specs: a dimension that does not close, two documents that disagree, a detail that is missing. Instead of guessing, they send an RFI to the party that owns the design. Public forms ask for the same things: New Jersey DOT's form DC-162 has the RFI number, project and contract, from and to, the plans or specifications concerned, the drawing number, a description, the date the response is needed, and cost and time impact, each marked Yes, No or Unknown at this time.

Give the other side time to answer. Your contract sets the response time; Wisconsin DOT's form DT2502, for example, tells the sender to allow a minimum of 72 hours. The answer is a clarification, not a change: New Jersey's form says the response does not entitle the contractor to more time or a higher price. If the answer does change the work, price it as a change order.

Supplier mode is for the other kind of RFI: a buyer asking suppliers for information before a quote or a tender. In US federal purchasing, FAR 15.201(e) says an RFI is used to get price, delivery, other market information or capabilities for planning, that responses are not offers, and that there is no required format. The same form works; the labels change to buyer, supplier and information requested.

The answer changes the scope or the price? Write it up with the change order template and quote the RFI number.

Near the end of the job, track what is left to fix with the punch list template.

RFI, submittal, change order, RFQ and RFP

RFI
A question about the design or the contract documents, asked and answered in writing: this template. In purchasing, a request for information to suppliers before any quote.
Submittal
Shop drawings, product data or samples the contractor sends for approval before installing. A submittal shows what you plan to use; an RFI asks what was meant.
Change order
A signed change to the scope, price or time. An RFI answer that changes the work leads to a change order; the RFI itself does not change the contract.
RFQ and RFP
A request for quotation asks for a price on a defined need; a request for proposal asks how a supplier would meet it and at what price. An RFI comes before both, to learn what is out there.

Tips for RFIs that get answered

  • One question per RFI

    An RFI with five questions gets four answers. Split them, number them, and each one can be closed on its own.

  • Point to the exact place

    Name the drawing, detail and spec section. "See A-501, detail 4, against spec 08 71 00" saves the architect an hour of searching.

  • Suggest the answer

    If you know what would work, say so. "Can we use the lever set shown on the drawing?" can be answered with a yes the same day.

  • Log it and chase it

    Keep every RFI in the log with the response date. Overdue RFIs are the ones that end up as delay claims, so raise them at the next site meeting.

More for people who run jobs and sell into them: what a submittal is, the construction meeting minutes template, the construction daily report, the sales engineer's job.

Sources

Most RFIs start as a question at the site meeting.

Someone points at a drawing and asks what was meant, and the answer is "send an RFI". Record the site meeting or the call in ParrotNotes and get the transcript, a summary and the action items, so the question is written down the way it was asked and you can copy it straight into the RFI. Free for 100 minutes of recording a month.

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