How to Write an RFI in Construction (With an Example)

By Wyatt Cooper · Published October 10, 2026 · 9 min read

Key takeaways

An RFI asks the design team one question about the contract documents. It doesn't approve a product (a submittal) or change the contract (a change order).
A good RFI names the sheet, detail and spec section, proposes a solution, states the cost and schedule impact, and gives the date the answer is needed.
Under AIA A201–2017, the contractor reports errors, inconsistencies and omissions it finds as a request for information, and the architect answers in writing.
Keep every RFI on one numbered log showing who has it, when it is due and whether it may cost money or time.

To write an RFI, ask one specific question about the contract documents, point to the exact sheet, detail and spec section it concerns, propose an answer if you have one, state the possible cost and schedule impact, and give the date you need the answer and why. Number it in sequence, send it to whoever your contract says answers it (usually the architect), copy the people it affects, and track it on the RFI log until it is closed.

What an RFI is and when to send one

A request for information (RFI) is a written question from the contractor to the design team about the contract documents: the drawings, the specifications and the contract. Send one when the documents conflict, leave something out or can't be built as drawn, before the work reaches that point.

It is also a contract duty. Under the AIA's general conditions, A201–2017, the contractor reports errors, inconsistencies or omissions it finds "as a request for information" (§3.2.2), and the architect answers in writing (§4.2.14). Your contract may change those words, so read yours.

Three other documents look like an RFI and do a different job: a submittal, an architect's supplemental instruction and a change order.

RFI, submittal, architect's supplemental instruction or change order: which one to use
Document	Use it when	Example
RFI	The documents conflict, leave something out or can't be built as shown	The plumbing and foundation plans put a floor drain on top of a footing
Submittal	You show how you will meet the documents: shop drawings, product data, samples	The plumber's floor drain product data, sent for review
Architect's supplemental instruction (ASI; AIA G710)	The architect orders a minor change with no cost or time (A201–2017 §7.4)	The drain moves 6 inches within the room
Change order	Scope, price or time changes; the owner, contractor and architect sign it (A201–2017 §7.2.1)	The owner adds two floor drains to the mechanical room

The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering's project delivery manual puts it plainly: RFIs "should not be used to change the design", and when an answer does, a change order must be issued.

The parts of a good RFI

Agencies publish their own RFI forms, and they ask for the same things. The New Jersey DOT's form DC-162 asks for the reference documents, the date a response is needed, and cost and time impact ("Yes", "No" or "Unknown at this time"). Louisiana DOTD's instruction sheet asks for numbers in sequence from 001, the plan sheets in question and a proposed solution.

The fields of an RFI: what to write, an example, and the usual mistake
Field	What to write	Example	Common mistake
Number	The next number in the project's one sequence, never reused	RFI 007	Numbering per sub, so the job has three RFI 7s
Subject	The element and the problem, in about ten words	Floor drain FD-3 conflicts with footing at grid B/2	"Plumbing question"
Question	One question that can be answered in a sentence	Can FD-3 move 18 inches east, clear of the footing?	Three questions in one RFI
References	Every sheet, detail, grid line and spec section involved	P-101; S-101; detail 3/S-501; section 22 13 19	"See drawings"
Proposed solution	What you would do, so the designer can say yes	Move FD-3 18 inches east; keep the floor slope to the drain	Blank, when the field knows the fix
Cost and schedule impact	None, possible or yes, and why	Cost: none if moved. Schedule: possible, the slab pour waits on the answer	"None", then a change request later
Answer needed by	A date, and the activity it holds up	March 10, for the underground inspection on March 12	"ASAP" on every RFI
Distribution	Who answers, and who is copied	To the architect; copies to the engineers, the plumber and the owner's rep	Sending it straight to an engineer, outside the contract

Two rules sit under the table. Ask one question per RFI, because an RFI closes when its question is answered. And send it from the contractor that holds the contract: a sub's question goes to the GC. Louisiana makes the prime contractor "the only source" of RFIs.

A worked example: RFI 007

Here is a filled-in RFI on a made-up job, the Alder Street Medical Office. Laying out the underground piping, the plumbing foreman finds that the floor drain in mechanical room 108 lands on the footing along grid B. The GC's project manager writes the RFI the same day.

RFI 007 — Floor drain FD-3 conflicts with footing at grid B/2

Project: Alder Street Medical Office (fictional)
Date sent: March 3
From: GC project manager, for the plumbing subcontractor
To: Architect of record
Copies: Structural engineer, MEP engineer, plumbing subcontractor, owner's representative
References: P-101 (plumbing plan, level 1); S-101 (foundation plan); detail 3/S-501 (footing section); spec section 22 13 19
Question: P-101 locates floor drain FD-3 in mechanical room 108, 1'-0" east of grid B. Detail 3/S-501 shows the footing on grid B extending 1'-6" east of the grid, so the drain would sit in the footing. Can FD-3 move 18 inches east, to 2'-6" east of grid B?
Proposed solution: Move FD-3 18 inches east. Keep the floor sloped to the drain as shown on the architectural plan. No change to pipe sizes.
Cost impact: None expected if FD-3 moves as proposed
Schedule impact: Possible: the underground inspection is March 12 and the slab pour March 17
Answer needed by: March 10
Attachments: Marked-up P-101 with the proposed location; photo of the layout at grid B/2

A filled-in RFI on a fictional job. Every name, sheet and date is made up.

Notice what makes it easy to answer. The RFI hands over the sheets and the dimensions, so nobody has to find the conflict. It can be answered "yes" or "no, put it here". The date is tied to a real inspection. And the engineer is checking a proposed answer, not designing one.

How responses and the RFI log work

1Field or subFinds the problem and tells the GC
2GC project managerWrites, numbers, logs and sends the RFI
3ArchitectAnswers, or routes it to the engineer whose sheets it concerns
4EngineerAnswers the technical question to the architect
5ArchitectReturns the answer in writing
6GC project managerCloses it, sends the answer to the field, gives notice of any cost or time

Who has the RFI, in order, on a typical design-bid-build job

The GC sends the answer to everyone who builds from it: the sub who asked, the trades it touches, the superintendent. An answer is not a change by itself. The New Jersey DOT form says a response "does not entitle the Contractor to any additional Time or increase in Price", and under A201–2017 a contractor who believes an answer adds cost or time makes a claim under Article 15 (§3.2.4). Give your contract's notice on time.

The RFI log lists every RFI on the job: number, subject, who sent it, who has it now (the ball in court), date sent, date needed, date answered, cost and schedule impact, and status. Go through the open ones at every owner-architect-contractor meeting, oldest first. If a delay is disputed later, its dates show who was waiting on whom.

Common mistakes

Asking what the documents already answer. Read the specs and general notes first.
"ASAP" on everything. Tie the date to the activity it holds up.
Using an RFI to get a substitution or a design change approved. Those have their own procedures.
Letting the answer stop at the PM's desk. Send it to the trades and mark the current drawings.
Staying quiet about cost. If the answer might cost money or time, mark it possible and give your contract's notice.

How it works in Conflo

In Conflo's RFI tool, each RFI is a numbered record that the GC, subs, owner and design team share. You write the subject and question, add the location, drawing and spec section, mark the cost and schedule impact, choose who answers, copy who should follow it, set the due date, and send it or save a draft. Files attach to the RFI.

Answers and comments stay on the RFI. The log shows who each one is waiting on, how long it has been open and which are overdue, and the RFI's manager closes it, marking an official answer if there is one. Conflo doesn't decide whether an answer changes the contract: added cost or time goes through a change order.

An overdue RFI in Conflo: a question about a grease interceptor whose size differs between plan sheet P-101 and the spec, the sheet and spec section it references, who it is waiting on and how late it is, a button to create a change order from it, files and the discussion. — An RFI in Conflo: one question, the sheet and spec section it is about, who it is waiting on and how late, and the discussion on the record.

The bottom line

A good RFI is one question, tied to the exact sheet and spec section, with a proposed answer, its cost and schedule impact, and a date that matters. Send it through the contract's chain and keep it on the log until the answer is in the field.

If your RFIs live in email threads and a spreadsheet, put them on one log the whole team can read.

See how RFIs work in Conflo

Sources

Summary: A201–2017, General Conditions of the Contract for Construction — AIA Contract Documents. Read October 17, 2026.
Project Delivery Manual, 16.2 Request for Information — City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering. Read October 16, 2026.
Request for Information, form DC-162 — New Jersey Department of Transportation. Read October 16, 2026.
RFI-Proposals Instruction Sheet — Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. Read October 16, 2026.

Questions

How do you write an RFI in construction?

Ask one specific question about the contract documents, name the exact sheet, detail and spec section, propose a solution, state the possible cost and schedule impact, and give the date you need the answer. Number it in sequence, send it to whoever your contract names, and track it on the RFI log until it is closed.

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

An RFI asks a question about the contract documents; a change order changes the contract's scope, price or time, and the owner, contractor and architect sign it. An RFI answer can lead to a change order when it adds work, but the answer alone doesn't change the contract.

Who answers an RFI?

Under AIA A201–2017, the architect responds to requests for information about the contract documents, often after passing the question to the engineer whose drawings it concerns. Other contracts name an owner's representative or a construction manager. Subcontractors send their questions through the general contractor.

How long should an RFI response take?

As long as your contract allows. A201–2017 says the architect answers within any agreed time limits, or otherwise with reasonable promptness, so check your contract and the Division 01 specifications for a set number of days. Either way, put a needed-by date on every RFI and say what it holds up.

What should an RFI log include?

The RFI number, subject, who sent it, who has it now, the dates it was sent, is needed and was answered, any cost or schedule impact, and its status. Review the open RFIs at each owner-architect-contractor meeting, oldest first, and keep the log after the job.