How to Write an RFI: Key Tips for Young Engineers
Crafting an RFI (Request for Information) is an essential part of the life of a Civil Construction Engineer. If a Design Engineer could do some calcs, a draftsman draws it up, and the contractor build it without any issues… Well, there wouldn’t be the need for half of us (Especially Construction Engineers).
As Construction Engineers, we are the glue that pulls together the legal, accounting, safety, environmental, contractual, quality and technical elements to deliver what is essentially a drawing, into a reality.
The starting point and most important thing to remember, is that it is not practical or even possible to expect the design (that is usually completed in a few months) to be accurate enough to account for all the unknowns encountered over a multi-year project. So don’t be that Engineer that complains about the sh*t design that doesn’t account for some small inconsistency. It would not be feasible or economical for a design to do this.
That’s where the Construction Engineer comes in. We take the design and work with our experienced field crew and Subcontractors to determine how we will build the design to the specification within time and budget. Inevitably, we will come across something impractical, undesirable, inefficient, or even impossible. Sometime there may even be the absence of any information at all. This is normal, and essential that we catch it as early as possible.
Discovering RFIs
Find them Early: Avoid delays by looking well ahead with your supervisor to discover any issues that may require an RFI
Know your Scope: Study your drawings, your spec, and your contract scope. This is the information that will contextualise whatever information you come across.
More than one perspective: Your Surveyors, Subbies, and Supervisors have allot more experience in their field than an Engineer of any level. Rely on a surveyor for their in depth knowledge on geometrics (they will have encountered it before). We hire Subbies for their expertise, use them. Supervisors will ultimately be responsible for building it. Ensure you have a partnership with them in how it will be built.
Writing RFIs
Firstly, you must remember the audience of the RFI. Often times it will be the client and/or the designer. These parties may not share the same sense of urgency as you do in resolving the issue raised. Furthermore, Designers during construction support are often paid by the hour. So the client will want to limit the number of things that will go to the designers to manage costs. So anything you can do to make responding to an RFI less onerous the better. Always
Write in a way to make the reviewers life easier
Attach any drawing you reference,
Highlight, circle or cloud what you are referring to,
Screenshot and include in the body of the RFI,
Don’t leave the reviewer to have to find information. present it.
Propose a solution
Pointing out the problem is only half the battle. Leaving no proposed solution or options for a solution will leave the client or designer to do all the work, often without as in depth a knowledge as the Contractor. Therefore, it can result in longer turnaround and less influence over a solution that suits the contractor’s needs to meet time and budget constraints.
Always propose a solution, options, or a criteria for a successful solution to aid a faster turnaround and a solution that is in your interests.
Check the proposed solution with the Supervisors
All too often, an Engineer will raise and close RFIs without sufficient consultation with those who are building it. The field staff must be involved or at least consulted during key RFIs, for the following reasons;
The field staff will provide knowledge and experience of pros and cons of proposed solutions. Often what makes sense on paper can’t be built for a reason you haven’t considered.
The field staff will be the ones who build it. Enhance team buy-in to changes through effective consultation and collaboration. this will also aid communication as discussed below.
Consider the commercial implications
Are you entitled to a variation or an EOT?
What are the commercial implications?
Does the client need to direct this under the contract?
If a response to an RFI considered a direction under the contract?
This there a time delay or saving we need to allow for in the program?
Is there a cost saving or overrun that we need to allow for in the forecast?
Understand the commercial implications before you hit send!
Communicate
A well-crafted and strategised RFI completed in the office but not communicated to the team, updated on the drawings, or revised in the spec will, more often than not, lead to the wrong revision being built.
Document control and communication between Engineers and Supervisors remains one of the simplest and more valuable elements of our jobs.
