A contractor emails, “Can we move this opening?” A junior designer sees a small shift on a plan and thinks the answer should take five minutes. The project architect sees a possible change to structure, fire separation, cost, sequence and the agreement with the client. The difference is not pessimism. It is understanding what kind of question has arrived.
The U.S. NCARB Construction and Evaluation framework includes responding to requests for information, substitution requests and change order requests as distinct parts of construction administration. The exact forms and authority depend on a project’s contract and jurisdiction. A new employee can still learn a universal first step: classify the question before drafting an answer.
An RFI asks for information, but the answer may reveal a change
A request for information usually identifies uncertainty in the contract documents or a condition encountered in construction. It may be a missing dimension, a conflict between a detail and schedule, or a question about intent. Some RFIs can be answered by pointing to an existing document. Others expose a gap that needs design work or a client decision.
Do not assume that because the incoming message is labelled “RFI,” the response is merely clerical. If the answer requires a different material, layout or performance level, the team must consider whether the contract documents, price or schedule change. Conversely, not every RFI is a design error. A site condition, product availability or construction sequence can create a legitimate question even when the original documents were coherent.
Start with the exact question, location, drawing revision, specification section and date. Ask whether the issue has already been answered in a previous RFI, meeting record or approved submittal. Duplicated questions can indicate that an answer was not communicated clearly. Your role is to put the existing record together before a senior architect decides what to issue.
Separate clarification, substitution and scope change
A clarification explains what the current design requires. A substitution asks whether a different product or system may be accepted. A change alters the agreed work or design. The boundary can be contested, so describe the facts rather than trying to decide the commercial outcome alone.
Imagine a specified door is unavailable. The contractor proposes another door with similar appearance. This is not solved by comparing two pictures. Check the required fire rating, accessibility, hardware, acoustic performance, dimensions and interfaces. Who requested the substitute, and what evidence supports equivalence? If the alternative changes the design or cost, the client and contract process may need to be involved. An employee can compile a comparison; the authorised team makes the decision.
Another example: a duct conflicts with a beam where the drawings show both. The immediate question is not “Who made the mistake?” It is what has been built, which models and issues the disciplines coordinated against, whether a safe option exists and how the project will record the chosen response. Blame can wait; the construction programme may not.
Use a triage card before replying
Make a short card with eight fields: item ID; who asked; location; current document references; what is known; what is unknown; likely affected disciplines; and decision owner. Add a ninth field for timing: when will work be concealed, purchased or held up? This helps the senior team prioritise without relying on the urgency in the email subject line alone.
Classify the item provisionally as “document lookup,” “interpretation,” “coordination,” “substitution,” “unforeseen condition,” or “possible change.” These labels are an internal aid, not formal contract categories. A question may move categories as facts emerge. The card should make that movement visible. For a graduate, this is a better exercise than writing a confident answer prematurely.
Ask what consequences the answer may trigger. Does a revised drawing need issue? Must a consultant check a calculation? Does the client need to choose between cost and programme? Is there a permit implication? Who will communicate to the contractor? You do not need to know every contract clause to know these questions cannot be ignored.
Write a draft response that does not invent authority
A useful internal draft can say: “Current sheet A-401 revision D shows the opening at grid C-2. Structural sheet S-203 revision B appears to show a conflicting edge condition. Confirm whether S-203 is the current structural issue and request structural engineer review before an architectural response.” This is not a final instruction. It tells the reviewer exactly where the uncertainty sits.
Avoid “approved” or “proceed” when you are merely passing along an assumption. Avoid solving a technical issue in chat while the formal RFI remains unanswered. The project record must contain the authorised response in the agreed system. If your office uses a template, follow it. The AIA Emerging Professional’s Companion material on construction administration is useful background for the process, but the live contract governs the project.
If a response changes a detail, make a list of every document that must be aligned. A written answer that is inconsistent with the issued drawings can create the next RFI. Check whether the consultant’s response needs to be attached, whether an updated sheet is required and who reviews the combined issue. A decision is not closed simply because an email has been sent.
Track time without letting urgency erase quality
Construction questions can be urgent. They can also sit for weeks because ownership is unclear. The triage card should include the next action and responsible person, not merely a status of “open.” If a question needs an engineer, identify the engineer and the requested return date. If it needs client approval, identify the client decision and options to be presented.
Escalate a question whose answer may affect life safety, compliance, imminent installation or work about to be covered. Do not wait for the regular coordination meeting because the question arrived through an ordinary email. At the same time, do not let a contractor’s deadline automatically force an unreviewed answer. Tell the project lead what the time constraint is so they can decide how to respond.
When the answer comes, close the loop in the action register. Record the formal response reference, any revised drawing, the date issued and whether the site confirmed the instruction was received. If the response led to a proposed cost or schedule adjustment, keep that process separate from the technical explanation as the contract requires.
Learn from one item after it closes
A two-minute test before your next meeting
Take the most recent open construction question and ask: Is the requested information already in a current issued document? If so, provide the exact reference for a reviewer to verify. Does the question expose a conflict between disciplines? If so, identify both drawings and the people who must reconcile them. Does the proposed answer alter what the client bought or the contractor priced? If so, flag a potential change process. Is work about to be hidden or installed? If so, escalate the timing. This test does not replace contract procedure. It gives the project lead a concise brief instead of a forwarded email with “please advise.”
Pick one RFI and trace it from the original question to final outcome. What was unclear? Did the answer exist but was hard to find? Did the site reveal a condition the drawings could not have shown? Did a consultant interface fail? This retrospective is not a courtroom. It is how a young architect learns to write clearer documents and anticipate coordination risks.
Create a private training example with names and client details removed or use a hypothetical issue. Show the question, the documents checked, the people involved and why the final response belonged to a particular authority. A future employer can see your judgement without seeing confidential project material.
The habit to keep: when a construction question arrives, identify the document, consequence and decision owner before offering a solution. That habit protects the project and makes you more useful in the room.
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