Construction RFI Response

An RFI is a clock. Site is either waiting or proceeding on an assumption, and both are expensive. The answer that works is short, points at the document that governs, and says plainly whether this is a clarification or a change — because the argument that follows is almost always about that distinction, and it is far cheaper to settle in the response than in the final account.

What This Skill Produces

• A direct answer — the actual resolution, in the first line
• The governing reference — the drawing, specification clause, or schedule that supports it
• Cost and programme implication — stated explicitly, including when there is none
• Instruction status — whether this is a clarification of existing information or a variation requiring a formal instruction
• The distribution list — who else is affected and must receive it
• The register entry — the fields that keep the RFI log usable and the response auditable

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• The RFI — the question as asked, its number, date received, and the response date required
• What is actually being asked — sometimes different from what was written; clarify before answering
• The governing documents — the drawings, specification, and schedules that bear on the question
• The status on site — whether work is stopped, proceeding, or about to be covered up
• Who else is affected — other trades, the client, and any consultant whose design is touched

Framework: Answer First, Reference Second, Implication Third

1. Answer in the first line. Site reads the first sentence and acts. Context belongs underneath it.
2. Point at the governing document. A drawing number and revision, or a specification clause. An answer with no reference generates the next RFI.
3. Say whether this is a change. Clarification of existing information, or a variation? This single field is where most final-account disputes originate, and it costs nothing to state now.
4. State the cost and time implication even when it is nil. 'No cost or programme implication' is a valuable sentence, and its absence is read as an admission.
5. Answer what was actually asked. If the question is ambiguous, resolve the ambiguity by phone and record the clarification — do not answer a question you invented.
6. Distribute to everyone affected. An answer that reaches only the asker creates a second RFI from another trade.
7. Watch the clock. If you cannot answer in full by the required date, issue a holding response with a date — silence is what causes the delay claim.

Output Format

RFI response: [number] · [project] · [date]

Question asked: [restated in one line, as understood] · Received: [date] · Response required by: [date]

Answer: [the direct resolution, in the first sentence]

Reference: [drawing no. and revision / specification clause / schedule item that governs]

Supporting detail: [only what is needed to act — sketch reference, dimension, sequence]

Status: ☐ Clarification of existing contract information ☐ Change — formal instruction required Cost implication: [none / estimated [amount] / to be confirmed by [date]] Programme implication: [none / [n] days / to be assessed]

If a change: instruction reference [number] · issued by [who] · [date]

Distribution: [contractor · other affected trades · client · consultants]

Register: RFI [no.] · raised [date] · answered [date] · days open [n] · status [closed / holding] · linked instruction [ref]

A response framework only. Whether a matter constitutes a variation, and the notice and valuation consequences that follow, are governed by the specific contract and its terms — check the contract, and take advice where the sums or the delay exposure are significant.

Quality Checks

• The answer is the first line, not the conclusion of a paragraph
• A specific drawing revision or specification clause is cited
• Clarification versus change is stated explicitly
• Cost and programme implications are stated even when nil
• The question answered is the question asked, with any ambiguity resolved and recorded
• Everyone affected is on the distribution, not just the originator
• A holding response was issued if the full answer will miss the required date

Anti-Patterns

• Burying the answer under context. Site acts on the first sentence and gets it wrong.
• Answering without a reference. Generates the follow-up RFI immediately.
• Staying silent on whether it is a change. The most expensive omission available in this document.
• Omitting 'no cost implication'. Its absence is later read as agreement that there was one.
• Answering an ambiguous question as understood. Resolve it first; a wrong answer gets built.
• Missing the response date without a holding reply. This is what turns an RFI into a delay claim.
• Distributing to the asker only. The next trade raises the same question next week.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Respond to this RFI about the cladding junction"
• "The contractor is asking about a detail that is not on the drawings"
• "How do I answer an RFI that is really a variation?"
• "Write an RFI response with the cost implication"
• "Our RFIs keep coming back — what are we doing wrong?"