What Is an RFI in Construction? How a Request for Information Works

By Erik Tishenko, Modern Northwest · Published November 4, 2026

An RFI, or request for information, is a written question the contractor sends to the architect or engineer when the drawings or specifications are unclear, conflict with each other, or do not match what is found on site. The design team answers in writing, and that answer becomes part of the project record. Here is what a good RFI contains, how one moves through a job, when it turns into a change order, and when an Oregon building department has to approve it too.

Planning a build-out? Modern Northwest is a commercial general contractor licensed in Oregon (CCB #198582) and registered in Washington (L&I MODERNI888R7). Call (360) 326-2747 or see our commercial construction services.

Why RFIs happen

• Missing information. A detail, dimension or product is not shown.
• Conflicts. The architectural and mechanical sheets show two different things in the same spot, or a drawing and a specification disagree.
• Field conditions. Opening a wall or ceiling in an existing building shows something the drawings did not expect.
• Substitutions. A specified product is not available and the contractor proposes another.

Field conditions matter most when an existing building changes use. When we turned a 23,000 square foot former Rite Aid into an Ace Hardware in Washougal, the new store was built inside a structure designed for something else, and that is the kind of job where the drawings and the building have to be checked against each other as walls and ceilings open up.

RFIs are a normal part of any job. A well-coordinated drawing set produces fewer of them, which is one reason contractor input during preconstruction is worth having.

What a good RFI contains

The Washington State Department of Enterprise Services publishes a standard RFI form for state facility projects. It is a good checklist for any job:

• A number and a subject, so every question can be tracked in one log.
• The date submitted and the date a response is needed, so the schedule impact is visible from day one.
• The question itself, written out clearly.
• Drawing and specification references, so the design team can find the issue fast.
• A suggested resolution from the contractor, subcontractor or supplier, aimed at solving it without changing contract time or cost.
• Two yes-or-no boxes: does this affect contract time, and does it affect the contract sum.

How an RFI moves through a job

1. A trade or the superintendent spots the problem and the general contractor writes it up, adding a suggested fix.
2. The architect or engineer answers in writing, attaching any sketch or revised detail needed.
3. If the answer changes time or cost, the design team issues a change document. On the Washington state form that is a field authorization or a change order proposal, and the architect states whether one will be issued within seven days.
4. The contractor has a deadline to object. On Washington state facility contracts, the contractor has seven calendar days from receiving the answer to give written notice if it affects time or cost.
5. The answer goes on the drawings. RFI responses are one of the deviations the federal closeout specification says must be recorded on the as-built drawings.

RFI vs change order

An RFI asks; a change order changes the deal. Many RFI answers cost nothing: a dimension, a clarification, a choice between two equal options. When an answer does add scope, cost or days, it should not be treated as approval to do extra work on the RFI alone. The change goes through its own signed document, so the owner sees the price before the work happens. That is why the Washington form has the time and cost boxes on both the question and the answer.

When the building department gets involved

Some RFI answers change the drawings the building permit was issued on. Washington County, Oregon has a written policy for exactly this (its full permit process is in our guide to Washington County building permits):

• Approval before work. After the permit is issued, every interpretation, clarification or change to the approved construction documents goes to Building Services as an RFI, and must be approved or found to need no action before that work starts.
• The design professional submits it, stamped and signed, stating it complies with the codes and is coordinated with the other trades.
• What goes in: the project and permit numbers, a summary of the work and the codes that apply, drawings with the revisions highlighted, and calculations or product cut sheets as needed.
• Who decides: the building inspector on site decides whether approval is needed and can approve some items; others go to a plans examiner, who responds within 5 days.
• Once approved, the RFI amends the construction documents.

Other jurisdictions handle permit revisions in their own way, so ask the building department early on any job where field changes are likely.

What owners can do to keep RFIs moving

• Ask for the RFI log. A running list of every open question, its requested date and who owes the answer shows where the job could slow down.
• Get answers in writing. A hallway answer that never makes it into the log is hard to price, hard to defend and easy to forget at closeout.
• Watch the time and cost boxes. Any RFI marked yes on either one is a change order in the making, so ask about it before the work happens.
• Keep the design team on the job. Answers have to come from the architect or engineer who drew it, so make sure their contract covers answering questions during construction.

Frequently asked questions

The bottom line

An RFI is a numbered, written question to the design team, with a requested answer date, drawing references, a suggested fix, and a clear yes or no on time and cost. The answer becomes part of the record and the as-builts. If it changes the price or schedule, it becomes a change order; if it changes the permitted drawings, the building department may need to approve it first.

Modern Northwest has built commercial projects across Portland and Southwest Washington since 2005. More construction terms are in our commercial construction glossary. Tell us about your project.