What is Request for Information and how to streamline its process in the construction projects?

What is Request for Information and how to streamline its process in the construction projects?

Overview

Request For Information (RFI) are the notes or queries raised by the architects, designers, structural engineers and MEP engineers in the pre-construction phase of a project that is delivered to the client to determine the input for the accurate modeling in the project that helps to build strong collaboration and coordination among other disciplines.

RFI process is time-consuming and puts a delay in the construction project due to missing elements provided by the client. It needs to be managed effectively and boosts communication between the client and the modelers. RFI processes are a usual, inevitable, and managerial process for the construction industry.

Request for Information is used by agencies, businesses, and government bodies to better understand current market trends and for effective communication between the client and companies.

In primitive times and infact today, the project outsourced by the clients have some missing inputs that make the architects, designers, and engineers cumbersome in completing the project in given time bound with proper detailing of the project and deliver the clients with an accurate model they had expected.

The RFIs, when planned carefully and managed effectively during modeling of the project, can help in achieving qualitative BIM Services project. So let us discover some fruitful tips to improve the RFI process and what exactly it means as per the construction industry.

What do you mean by Request for Information (RFI) in the construction industry?

Request for Information is a form of communication done between the clients and the companies to raise general query over some projects input. It helps in resolving any issue the project might have suffered and needed assistance from the client’s end.

RFI’s needed to be submitted at the early stage of the project and can be used throughout the project by the architects. RFIs is used in the projects when it is required to send input issues as notes and confirm them by getting responses detail or specification over the Structural Fabrication DrawingsConstruction Drawing Services and MEP Shop Drawings of the construction projects.

RFIs are used mostly to clarify design aspects or material selection with documents such as Construction Plans, Specifications, Contract Clauses, and Building Standards.

How the RFI Process is applied in the construction projects?

Request for Information is usually submitted by form while reviewing of drawings or inputs given by the client is done. It is the standard part of the construction process; hence, architects, designers, contractors, engineers, and subcontractors might have their method to submit RFIs.

It is difficult for the stakeholders to track the different methods of request and creates discrepancies amongst disciplines. By using standardized technology can enable stakeholder to get RFI timely. Once the RFI is answered in less response time, it makes the project operates more efficiently.

How to Improve Your Request for Information (RFI) Procedures?

Ideally, there are many ways in which RFIs process can be improved but above all is by using a template that can make the work faster and easier including essential information for the client to response over input issues. Sketches, images, and drawings can be used as visuals that can help the suppliers get a better solution to meet the requirements.

System software can process RFIs in a more organized manner and faster to get better access to the documents for the employees. If you are the recipient of RFI, then you can take the necessary steps to improve the process.

Resolving RFIs and responding to notes quickly will give an edge over competitors and increase the chances of getting a job easily. Therefore, before responding to RFI notes it should be ensured clearly that the details of information and company are a good fit.

In the construction projects, advanced and newbie technologies are used to improve the efficiency of the construction management processes and construction management software, which mainly focus on managing the RFI process involved in the projects. Collaboration process carried out for RFIs must be effective with a software solution. Timely respond, receive, send queries, and close RFI notes online and to share with team members and other project stakeholders is managed by parties involved in the project.

Collaboration process prevents delays, mistakes, and frustration of not completing the project on time and qualitatively. The information through the software must be accessed by a third party organization and on any mobile devices that allow the team to issue new RFI notes from anywhere.

Below are some tips that can effectively manage Request for Information process in the construction projects. RFIs processes reduce the risk incurred in the projects which have multiple parties and disciplines involved in the projects to streamline and improve the RFI procedures

  • Create an RFI template in the software and outline the fields required to categorize and curb the inputs.
  • Look for specific information when needed so that it can get a useful response. If questions are unclear might not get a response as expected.
  • Give the necessary time to the suppliers or subcontracts to get a response to information.
  • If the client asks some information, the team members must respond to it timely as mentioned in the contract.
  • To resolve RFI issues, it is necessary to share a few project documents such as manuals, Specifications, drawings, etc. to the process of RFI.
  • Create RFI log to update the RFIs status continuously. Changes made in the RFI process are recorded with a unique code, date of creation, and response required in the projects.
  • If the RFI notes response meets your requirements, then the RFI status must be closed out.
  • Team members working on the RFI queries must be trained to attach project documents such as designs, drawings, specification, manuals, etc. to their RFIs. Send RFIs to team members to make sure it is received.
  • The response given is adequate or not must be checked. It also helps to determine the responses are vital for the project schedule and budget. If there is any impact noticed, the log will be required to change potential variation and review it with the team.
  • Reduce the number of RFIs note by communicating with all the parties involved in the projects. The team members must be involved and kept in close communication about the RFIs. By effective means of communication with other parties about the project, it can help to reduce the number of RFIs. The team members must be kept involved in resolving queries and communication.
  • Use of software to automate and control RFI procedures with effective measures.

Conclusion

Request for Information process provides high qualitative information to multiple parties and disciplines involved in the construction projects. Effective RFIs would be able to give a response easily and quickly and resolves queries.

RFI process must be carefully planned out to give the best chance of success with it. Issues and problems can be resolved with structured RFI process. Delayed and unresponsive RFIs may damage the harmonious relationship between the client and the contractor and often lead to a breach of the outcome from the project.

Writing RFI notes to the client on issues of the projects helps saves time, costs, and improves quality in the construction process that is well-managed by the software.

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