No one wants to deal with RFIs during construction, but they are an inevitability. According to a Navigant study, RFIs cost projects $859,680 per hour of review and response time.
To reduce these costs, create an RFI submission and management system at the outset of your project and include specifics about process and timing in your contract.
An RFI, or Request for Information, is a form used to submit questions or seek clarification regarding project scope. RFIs play an essential part of construction projects as they ensure all stakeholders understand what's expected and reduce any future potential issues.
RFIs typically include information such as the date, recipients, type and purpose of information sought as well as when recipients should respond to it. They often also include an estimated timeline in which to respond.
A well-written RFI must clearly state and specify its issue, making it easier for its recipient to provide an answer that makes sense. Context should also be included, including any pertinent additional data which might assist their response - for instance including building plans or photographs can greatly increase chances of receiving accurate responses more efficiently and on schedule, which helps keep projects moving along.
RFIs are an integral component of any construction project, offering stakeholders a chance to gather any additional information that may not have been included in agreements, drawings or specifications for a given scope of work. Furthermore, RFIs serve as an avenue for addressing any issues which arise during construction.
Utilizing RFIs effectively can significantly decrease the number of issues on a project, saving both time and money for all involved. It is vital to adhere to proper procedures for submitting and responding to an RFI, providing clear, concise, accurate information in response.
As part of their RFIs, it can also be helpful to limit each RFI to one question and clearly state its desired outcome in order to reduce confusion and unnecessary language that may reduce effectiveness of an RFI. Furthermore, proposals for resolution should also be included along with setting priority levels accordingly.
Pictures speak a thousand words - this axiom certainly applies to RFIs! By including photos, drawings or even quickly sketched diagrams with your RFI, they can help clear up confusion over its precise nature and speed up responses to it. Furthermore, keeping each RFI to one question at a time and clearly outlining it will prevent unnecessary delays in responding.
Assembling furniture can be analogous to RFIing; incomplete or unclear instructions could lead to misfitted pieces not fitting together correctly or functioning as expected. Therefore, it's essential that RFIs contain all the information needed for answering questions about them - standardize your format of RFIs by keeping each question to one question, provide context such as photos or invoices when necessary and follow these simple steps can ensure your RFIs receive clear responses quickly and successfully.
Once an RFI arrives at your desk, it is your duty to respond within a reasonable timeframe and prevent miscommunication or delays in the project. This will help avoid missteps and further setbacks.
Responses to Request for Informations can be complex. To make sure you provide accurate responses, take time to carefully read through and comprehend each question and understand their intent before responding. You can ask any follow-up questions to clarify any unclear points within their request.
As part of your response, it's also crucial that you offer solutions which make life easier for customers and ensure their issue can be quickly addressed - this will speed up the process and help ensure the project stays on schedule.
Final consideration: it is crucial to use templates to streamline the process and maintain consistent content. With Buildern, creating standardised templates with reusable components can make responding to RFIs faster and simpler while reducing errors such as typos that could cost time and money in responding back later on.
