RFI vs Submittal: What Is the Difference?
By Wyatt Cooper · Published · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- An RFI is a question about the contract documents; a submittal is the contractor's proposal of what it will install, sent for review.
- An RFI is sent when a problem turns up; submittals are listed in the specifications and planned from the start of the job.
- Neither one changes the contract by itself: added cost or time goes through a change order.
An RFI (request for information) asks the architect or engineer what the contract documents mean when they conflict, leave something out or can't be built. A submittal is the contractor's shop drawings, product data or samples, sent to show how it will meet them. An RFI gets an answer; a submittal gets a review code.
The difference, side by side
| RFI | Submittal | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A question about the drawings, specs or contract | Shop drawings, product data, samples and similar documents |
| When it's sent | When a conflict, gap or problem is found | On the submittal schedule, from the list in the specs |
| What comes back | A written answer, sometimes with a sketch or revised sheet | A review code: approved, approved as noted, revise and resubmit, rejected |
| A201–2017 | §3.2.2 (contractor reports), §4.2.14 (architect answers) | §3.12 (contractor submits), §4.2.7 (architect reviews) |
| Typical example | The drain on P-101 lands on a footing; can it move? | The cut sheet for the drain the plumber will install |
Under the AIA's general conditions, A201–2017, the contractor reports errors, inconsistencies or omissions "as a request for information" (§3.2.2), while shop drawings, product data and samples "are not Contract Documents" but show how the contractor "proposes to conform" to them (§3.12.4).
Don't use one for the other
The City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering's RFI procedure says it plainly: an RFI "should not be used as a substitute for items requiring a shop drawing submittal", and RFIs "should not be used to change the design". Its shop drawing procedure requires approval of a submittal "prior to fabrication, installation and/or use" of the product. A product approved inside an RFI answer skips that review.
An example on a made-up job shows both. The plumber finds floor drain FD-3 lands on a footing and the GC sends RFI 007: can it move 18 inches east? The architect answers yes. The drain itself still goes through submittal 002, the floor drain product data, which comes back approved before the plumber orders it. One question, one product, two records.
Where to go next
To write a good RFI, see how to write an RFI; for the design team's side, how to respond to an RFI. For submittals, start with what a submittal is. When either one adds cost or time, it becomes a change order.
The bottom line
Ask an RFI when the documents are unclear; send a submittal to show what you will install. Keep each on its own log, so questions and approvals stay where people look for them.
In Conflo, RFIs and submittals are separate tools with their own logs, and an RFI can lead to a change order when its answer adds work.
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.
- Project Delivery Manual, 16.1 Shop Drawings — City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering. Read October 16, 2026.
Questions
Can an RFI approve a product?
It shouldn't. Products that the specifications require to be submitted go through submittal review, and substitutions through their own procedure. An RFI answer can say a product question belongs in a submittal.
Can a submittal review raise an RFI?
Yes. If preparing or reviewing a submittal turns up a conflict in the documents, the contractor sends an RFI for the question and resubmits once it is answered.
Does an RFI or a submittal change the contract price?
Neither does by itself. A contractor that believes an RFI answer or a review comment adds cost or time gives notice under the contract, and the change is made by change order.
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