RFIs in Construction: How to Get Answers Without Losing Weeks

Requests for Information are the unglamorous workhorse of construction project management. Nobody gets excited about RFIs. Nobody puts them on their CV. But on a typical fit-out project, you might issue 50 to 100 of them, and the speed at which they get answered directly affects whether your programme holds together or falls apart.

I've tracked RFI response times across dozens of projects over the years. The pattern is depressingly consistent: the average response time is about 10 working days. The contract typically requires 5 to 7. And the 20% of RFIs that drag beyond three weeks are almost always on the critical path.

Why RFIs Get Ignored

Before we talk about how to write better RFIs, it's worth understanding why they sit unanswered.

They're vague. "Please confirm requirements for the reception area" isn't an RFI — it's a conversation starter. The architect reads it, doesn't know exactly what you need, parks it for later, and later never comes.

They're sent to the wrong person. An RFI about a structural detail sent to the interior designer. An M&E coordination query sent to the architect instead of the services engineer. Wrong recipient means it bounces around for a week before it reaches someone who can actually answer it.

There are too many of them. If you're issuing five RFIs a day, the design team's eyes glaze over. Volume breeds apathy. The important ones get buried alongside the ones that could have been answered by reading the specification properly.

There's no consequence for late response. On many projects, nobody tracks RFI response times. There's no escalation path, no reporting to the client, no contractual mechanism being invoked. So the design team responds when it suits them.

Writing RFIs That Get Answered

Be specific about what you need. Not "please advise on the wall finish to corridor 3." Instead: "Drawing A-201 Rev C specifies vinyl wallcovering to corridor 3 (east wing, ground floor). Specification section 3.14 calls for Type B paint finish to the same area. Please confirm which finish is required and issue a revised drawing if applicable. This information is required by 15 March to maintain the decoration programme."

That RFI tells the architect exactly what the conflict is, where it is, what documents are involved, and when you need the answer. It takes thirty seconds to read and can be answered in a single sentence.

Include drawing and specification references. Always. Every RFI should reference the specific drawing number, revision, specification clause, or other document that prompted the question. This saves the recipient from having to search for context and makes the response traceable.

One question per RFI. Tempting as it is to batch three questions into one RFI (especially if they relate to the same area), this almost always slows things down. The recipient can answer two of the three questions but needs to consult someone else for the third — so the whole RFI sits unanswered while they chase the last point. Separate questions, separate RFIs, faster responses.

State the impact of late response. Not as a threat — as a fact. "This information is required by 22 March. If not received by this date, the ceiling installation to level 2 will be delayed, with a consequential impact on the overall programme." This gives the design team the context they need to prioritise.

Attach a marked-up drawing or photo. A red circle on a drawing showing exactly where the conflict is will always get a faster response than a paragraph of text describing the location. Visual communication is faster than written communication, and construction professionals think in drawings.

Managing the Register

Writing good RFIs is half the battle. Tracking them is the other half.

Every project should have an RFI register that records: the RFI number, date issued, description, who it's addressed to, the required response date, the actual response date, and the status. This register should be reviewed weekly, and overdue items should be escalated.

The weekly escalation is critical. At every progress meeting, the outstanding RFIs should be on the agenda. "We have 14 open RFIs, 6 of which are overdue. RFI-034 has been outstanding for 23 days and is now affecting the M&E first fix programme." Putting it on the record, in front of the client, creates accountability.

If the response comes back and it's not actually an answer — "further information to follow" or "refer to latest revision" without specifying which revision — don't close the RFI. Respond, clarify, and keep it open. A non-answer isn't a response.

The Cost of Slow Responses

Late RFI responses are one of the most common causes of delay on construction projects. Every day an RFI sits unanswered is potentially a day your team can't proceed with that element of work. On a critical path activity, a two-week delay to a single RFI response can push the entire project completion date.

Worse, slow responses force your site team into guessing. They proceed with what they think is right, because they can't afford to stand the labour down. Three weeks later, the RFI response comes back confirming a different approach, and now you're ripping out work and doing it twice.

Track the cost of late RFI responses on your projects. I promise the number will surprise you. On one project I managed — a £3.5m office fit-out — we calculated that delayed design information (most of it RFI-related) cost the project over £180,000 in abortive work, programme delays, and disruption. That's 5% of the contract sum, straight off the bottom line.

Verbal Instructions

A related problem: the verbal instruction disguised as an RFI response. The architect visits site, looks at the issue, and tells your site manager "just do it this way." That's an instruction, not a response. If it changes the works, it's a variation. And if it isn't recorded, it doesn't exist.

Train your site team: if the architect gives a verbal direction on site, note it in the site diary, confirm it in an email that same day, and if it changes the scope, issue a variation notification. Don't let a verbal conversation replace the formal RFI process.

The System Matters

RFI management is one of those tasks that separates well-run projects from chaotic ones. It's not complicated — it's just discipline. Issue clear questions, track the responses, escalate when they're late, and document everything.

In Construction AI, the project management module includes a full RFI register with automated tracking, response monitoring, and links to drawings and specifications. But the principles work just as well with a spreadsheet and a regular review discipline. The tool matters less than the habit.

What does matter is that someone on your team owns the RFI process. If nobody's chasing responses, nobody's escalating overdue items, and nobody's reporting on turnaround times — your RFIs will sit in inboxes gathering dust while your programme drifts.