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RFI template (request for information)
A one-page request for information for construction jobs. A contractor uses it to ask the architect or engineer a question about the drawings or specifications, note any cost or schedule impact, and leave room for the written answer.
- Type your details or print blank
- Print or PDF, Letter or A4
- Free, no sign-up
On this page
What prints
The title RFI is at the top right, above RFI no., Date sent and Response needed by. Your business block is at the top left. Only the RFI number and your business details come from the settings; the date lines print empty for you to write.
Below the header are fields in three rows: Project and Project no.; To (architect or engineer) and From; then Spec section, Drawing or detail and Location. A Subject line follows, then ruled boxes for Question and Suggested solution (optional).
Next are two sets of check boxes, Cost impact and Schedule impact, each with Yes, No and Not known. The lower box is Response, and the page closes with two signature lines: Response by and Received by.
The settings
- Your business (name, address, phone). Four lines; the same block appears on related forms.
- RFI no. Up to 24 characters, such as 001.
- Project name. Up to 60 characters; it prints on the Project line.
That is all there is to set. The question and every other field are written by hand or typed into a PDF copy.
Writing a useful RFI
Ask one question per sheet. Cite the sheet number or detail, the spec section and where on the site the issue is, so the designer finds the right drawing at once. Put what you think should happen in the suggested solution box; designers often answer faster when they only need to confirm. Check the cost and schedule boxes honestly, because a "Yes" can lead to a change order.
Worked example: a beam depth
A framing foreman is on project 24-017, a two-story addition. The RFI number is 012. To is the project architect. Spec section: 06 10 00, Rough Carpentry. Drawing: S-201, detail 4. Location: second floor, grid line C.
Subject: "Beam depth conflicts with duct". Question: "Detail 4 shows a 3-1/2 by 14 in. LVL header at grid C. The mechanical drawing routes a 12 in. duct through the same bay at that height. Which governs?" Suggested solution: "Drop the duct below the beam, or approve a 3-1/2 by 11-7/8 in. LVL if the engineer confirms capacity." Cost impact: Not known. Schedule impact: Yes. The architect writes the answer in the Response box and signs.
Keeping the log
Number RFIs in order and keep the answered sheets with the job file. Federal construction rules require contracts to be built from documents that are clear to both sides; a written question and answer is how small jobs get that clarity. No legal advice is given here; the page is only a form.