# RFI writing checklist

**Project:** ______________________  
**RFI #:** ______________________  
**Subject:** ______________________  
**Date needed by:** ______________________  
**Written by:** ______________________  
**Assigned to:** ______________________  

## Before you write it

- [ ] Searched the drawings, specifications, addenda, ASIs and bulletins for the answer
- [ ] Checked earlier RFIs and approved submittals for the same question
- [ ] Confirmed it is a question, not a submittal, a means-and-methods decision or a change request
- [ ] Talked to the trade that raised it and understood exactly what they need to proceed

## The question

- [ ] One question per RFI
- [ ] Subject names the element and the location (e.g. “Corridor fire damper detail, L2 grid C”)
- [ ] References the sheet, detail and specification section involved
- [ ] States the conflict or gap in a sentence: what the documents say and why it doesn’t work
- [ ] Proposes a solution the designer can accept or reject
- [ ] Asks for a specific answer: a dimension, a product, a yes or no, a detail
- [ ] Marked-up sheet or photo attached

## Routing

- [ ] Assigned to the person who can answer it, with the right people on distribution
- [ ] Due date set from when the field needs the answer, inside the contract response time
- [ ] Cost and schedule impact marked: yes, no or to be determined
- [ ] Logged with a number so it can be tracked and referenced in meetings

## When the answer comes back

- [ ] The answer actually answers the question; if not, follow up the same day
- [ ] Official response distributed to the field and affected trades
- [ ] Drawings or field sets marked with the RFI number
- [ ] Change event opened if the answer adds cost or time
- [ ] RFI closed, with the closed date recorded

## How to use it

1. Use the first section to decide whether you need an RFI at all. A question already answered in an addendum or a previous RFI is a day lost.
2. Write the subject last: element plus location. It is what everyone sees in the log and in meeting minutes.
3. Put your proposed solution in. A designer can approve a proposal faster than they can design from scratch.
4. Set the due date from the schedule, not by habit. If the work is three weeks out, say so; if it is tomorrow, call as well as send.
5. Review open RFIs by ball in court every week, in the meeting, so nothing waits silently.

Template by os.construction: https://os.construction/resources/templates/rfi-checklist. Sample rows are illustrative; your contract and specifications govern.