The Ultimate Guide

to RFI Workflows
How streamlining your RFI workflows
will yield significant results
 Autodesk Construction Cloud Integrations and Partnerships

Table of Contents
6 Introduction

6 What Complicates the RFI Process?

6 Optimizing the RFI Workflow

6 Creating the Initial RFI

7 Investigating and Sharing the Request

8 Reviewing the Final RFI Answer

9 Benchmarking the RFI to Change Order Pipeline

10 Conclusion

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Introduction
The humble request for information (RFI) may seem simple when considered alone.
While gathering information to answer a question or adjust a design may only take
a few minutes to respond to, RFIs add up quickly when you’re dealing with dozens
of them per month. Some RFIs are also far more complicated than others, requiring
a more in-depth investigation and response process that further extends delays.
Research from the Navigant Construction Forum revealed that the average construction
project has nearly 800 RFIs at a cost of over $1,000 apiece.1 Even on multimillion-dollar
projects, those kinds of losses eat into the bottom line.

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 Autodesk Construction Cloud Integrations and Partnerships

What Complicates
the RFI Process?
Of course, it’s not because contractors, engineers and architects enjoy paying
more than they have to. The main problem is that construction RFIs are often
misunderstood, and as a result, mishandled.

First, it’s all too easy for contractors In contrast, RFIs specifically work to
and subcontractors to confuse RFIs clarify points regarding information
with other requests. Keep the following about the construction itself. Whether
requests separate from RFIs: there are questions about the overall
design of the structure or about
Request for Quotation (RFQ): specific parts of the plans, the RFI
This document connects with new is the right way to ask and address
suppliers to competitively compare these issues. Other types of requests
prices for materials or trade work. or questions should be addressed
Request for Proposal (RFP): When separately so they don’t clog up the
more solutions are needed after an RFI workflow.
RFI but before a change order is
selected, the RFP fills in the gaps.
Request for Tender (RFT): This
request involves a detailed tender
request that any interested
supplier can respond to with an
offer for goods or services.

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As structures’ size, wiring project becomes delayed or even
requirements, smart functions, and halts entirely if the RFI is essential
other layers of complexity grow, the enough. By clearly stating why a
chance of excessive RFIs also rises. request is justified to be sent as
Varying levels of familiarity with an RFI specifically, contractors will
cutting-edge technology and design find their messages answered much
techniques don’t help either. Some more quickly and with more useful
unnecessary information requests information attached. A streamlined
are also caused by changes or process for tracking responses to
confusion regarding zoning and RFIs is just as important as the
building code changes. software used for submitting and
answering them.
US contractors report that
over 20 percent of their RFIs to Finally, the construction industry
architects, engineers, and clients tends to favor informal negotiation
go unanswered.2 When it comes to processes and often overlooks
connecting with subcontractors and contract details that could help
other specialists, failure to answer prevent RFIs and change requests
further compounds communication after construction begins. By
issues. While requests for information polishing up RFI workflow,
may feel burdensome when they communication flows smoothly with
come through—or when you have fewer delays, and less interaction
to submit them yourself—they are is needed between the architects,
critical for allowing the project to engineers, contractors, and clients to
move forward in a timely and accurate stay on schedule.
fashion. If they go unanswered, the

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 Autodesk Construction Cloud Integrations and Partnerships

Optimizing the RFI Workflow

RFIs can take many forms and involve a variety of subjects. They’re usually the
first step of informed and effective change orders as well. However, many RFIs are
successfully handled with only a single response and no change orders or other
major impacts on the project. Separating simple answers from more complex
processes that include RFPs and change orders is the first stage in any successful
RFI workflow. By identifying and removing some of the barriers in the standard
workflow, there are opportunities to improve and fine-tune current processes and
create a winning digital strategy for RFIs in 2020.

Creating the Initial RFI

RFI creation can occur because the general contractor or trade contractor needs
information from the client or engineering team. However, they also arise from
informal questions asked by the client. If you’ve received a call or email with a
question in it, you’ll need to craft the RFI as the contractor to formally address it
and include the appropriate team members. Answering questions that deserve
a recorded RFI with an equally informal response can result in negotiation and
legal issues down the line. Stick to formal RFI procedures for all requests that
alter the project or that could result in change orders.

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Investigating and
Sharing the Request
Once the request is received or written, it’s time to share it to everyone involved in the
response. With even simple questions about the design of a building often involving
a dozen different parties or more, it’s essential to have a software solution for this
stage of RFI workflow. Trying to share RFIs across a wide range of formats can extend
the delay in answering the question by days or even weeks. In addition to sharing,
it’s important to assess the team’s readiness to respond. If an RFI is waiting on a
response from a trade contractor or engineer, it’s essential to track where the answer
is delayed so requests for updates are directed to the right parties.

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 Autodesk Construction Cloud Integrations and Partnerships

Reviewing the
Final RFI Answer
It’s not appropriate to send off an RFI as soon as the collaborators all respond. A
finished response will integrate all the answers from various involved parties in a
cohesive and easy-to-understand format. Setting up a series of templates for RFI
responses will ensure that every answer properly addresses the original question.
Make sure every manager and project stockholder has necessary permissions to
review the final answer so the RFI can be closed without further questions.

Breaking down the stages of an RFI Trying to convert documents into

workflow can highlight the best pain dozens of different formats can also
points for addressing with the right add a lot of time to each RFI and
construction technology. For example, its answer. A complete all-in-one
creating accurate RFIs can take hours solution is the best way to address
of skilled labor from managers stuck these problems and prevent them
working with limited technology like from interfering with prompt and
Excel spreadsheets and basic word efficient RFI workflows.
processing equipment.

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Benchmarking the RFI to
Change Order Pipeline
Of course, you can’t simply start making changes to company RFI procedures
and hope for the best. Only benchmarking can tell a company where their
RFI workflow is struggling and how to address the issues. To start measuring
your return on investment for new RFI processes and technology, establish
benchmarks on how the team will define success. Set both qualitative (subjective)
and quantifiable (objective) benchmarks to determine what type of return is
being measured. Benchmarks are different for each company depending on their
goals, but some common ones for RFIs include:

• Number of RFIs received Once a company has set some costs such as one-time license
and how many are answered benchmarks and tracked them for costs and recurring purchases. Next,
versus being ignored a few months, it’s time to pinpoint calculate your indirect costs such as
• Average response time to bottlenecks and errors. Then identify set up costs and training. Although
each RFI and requests divided potential solutions. Before applying some solutions might cost less at
by source, such as in-team any particular solution, work out the the start, the implementation costs
or from the project owner total implementation cost. Comparing could add up if a great deal of training
the real costs of implementation is needed. By comparing the cost of
• The number of stockholders against the potential benefits and each solution to its potential return
involved in each RFI and
savings will help determine which on investment, many solutions will be
the justifications behind
solution is the right one for your easy to rule out from the start.
including each of them
company. First, consider your direct

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 Autodesk Construction Cloud Integrations and Partnerships

Conclusion
Improving RFI workflows is also essential for proper handling of change orders.
While not all RFIs generate a change order, many do affect the project and
result in an engineering request or a modification to the drawings. Without an
effective RFI process, it’s all too likely that change requests will also suffer from
unnecessary delays and errors. The compounding nature of mistakes in the
construction field means that a poor change order arising from a flawed RFI will
have a bigger impact on the bottom line than just an RFI issue alone. Prevent
small problems from cascading and becoming big issues by committing to a
construction technology solution that streamlines and simplifies workflows.
Much of a construction project’s work is completed before a single nail or board
is used on the job site. Make sure to optimize the pre-construction phase with the
help of Autodesk Construction Cloud™.

References
[1] Reducing the Cost and Time Impact of RFIs.
Gootee, Ralph, March 2015

[2] Construction RFI: Here’s Everything You Need to Know.

PlanGrid, December 2017

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