One other major issue I would add to your list is when the RFI process is misused as a catch-all for all contractor / designer communications. Meaning, many times submitted RFIs are not actually RFIs! A couple past examples (and many other variations) I've dealt with from the A/E design team perspective:
- "The drawings call for Hilti anchors, but can I use these Dewalt ones instead?" - Not an RFI! This is a Substitution Request and should be submitted and tracked separately as such.
- "Our concrete sub poured the footings this morning before the anchor bolts were in place. What do we do now?" - Not an RFI! These should usually be tagged as a Non-Conformance Issue and tracked separately
Another one that breaks the system is when 10 new RFI's go up one afternoon and an email goes out listing them all as HOT. You can only hit the fire alarm so many times before people start ignoring it.
I've got a lot more thoughts on the topic but I'll stop there. Thanks again for sharing and looking forward to reading the next one!
New subscriber here, great newsletter Kyle!
One other major issue I would add to your list is when the RFI process is misused as a catch-all for all contractor / designer communications. Meaning, many times submitted RFIs are not actually RFIs! A couple past examples (and many other variations) I've dealt with from the A/E design team perspective:
- "The drawings call for Hilti anchors, but can I use these Dewalt ones instead?" - Not an RFI! This is a Substitution Request and should be submitted and tracked separately as such.
- "Our concrete sub poured the footings this morning before the anchor bolts were in place. What do we do now?" - Not an RFI! These should usually be tagged as a Non-Conformance Issue and tracked separately
Another one that breaks the system is when 10 new RFI's go up one afternoon and an email goes out listing them all as HOT. You can only hit the fire alarm so many times before people start ignoring it.
I've got a lot more thoughts on the topic but I'll stop there. Thanks again for sharing and looking forward to reading the next one!
It pays to have a solid RFI process in place doesn't it Kyle? $2-3k to handle each one, that's incredible.
Great newsletter.