RFIs and Submittals: A Construction Guide for Owners

RFIs and submittals help the project team resolve questions and review proposed products or fabrication information during construction. A clear process keeps the question, response, current documents, and any related change connected. For an owner, the first step is understanding what each record is intended to accomplish.

Confirm the communication route, review responsibilities, response arrangements, and change authority in your project agreements. The examples below describe a practical tracking approach; the actual contract documents establish the procedure for your project.

Know which record you need

A Request for Information, or RFI, asks for clarification. A submittal presents information such as shop drawings, product data, or samples for the required review. A change record addresses a proposed or authorized adjustment through the project’s change procedure.

Record	Main purpose	Owner’s check
RFI	Clarify a drawing, specification, or project condition.	Is there a clear question, response, and follow-up?
Submittal	Present proposed product or fabrication information.	What review is required, and what action remains?
Change record	Record an adjustment using the agreed change procedure.	Who must authorize it, and what cost or time is involved?

The AIA Contract Documents construction administration guide explains how RFIs, submittals, schedules, and changes fit into construction administration. Keep the distinctions clear when reviewing project correspondence.

Write an RFI that can be answered

Identify the location and the specific drawing, detail, specification, or observed condition involved. Explain the uncertainty and ask for the decision or clarification needed. Attach a marked-up drawing or photograph when it helps identify the issue, and label any proposed solution as a proposal for review.

• Assign a unique reference number and a short, descriptive subject.
• State the question clearly and include the relevant document revisions.
• Identify the affected work and the date the information is needed, with the reason for that date.
• Name the sender, intended responder, and people who need the response.
• Record any suspected cost or schedule effect as an item to evaluate.

Use the construction drawings guide to locate the relevant references. The Construction Drawing Checklist can help organize owner review questions before they are routed through the formal project process.

Example: a door location needs clarification

For a fictional project, plan A101 shows a closet access door in the east partition, while elevation 2/A401 shows fixed storage in that location. A useful RFI would identify both references, mark the affected area, and ask the design team to confirm the intended access location and issue coordinated information if needed.

The contractor should explain which activity needs the answer and when. After receiving the response, the team can determine whether it clarifies the existing requirements or calls for a separate change action. Keep the response and any revised drawing linked to the original question.

Prepare submittals before they are needed on site

Agree on the required submittal list and schedule early. Include preparation, contractor coordination, design review, possible corrections, purchasing, fabrication, and delivery. The AIA construction administration guide emphasizes connecting submittal review periods with construction activities.

Ask which items need an owner selection, which need technical review, and which are submitted for information. Connect decision dates to the Project Scheduling guide. An urgent installation date does not make an incomplete package ready for review.

Under the AIA A201 framework discussed in AIA’s contractor submittal-review explanation, the contractor reviews and coordinates submittals before forwarding them. Confirm the equivalent responsibilities in your agreements, including field information, coordination with adjacent work, and clearly identified departures from the specified requirements.

Read the review action and comments together

Use the review statuses defined for your project and read the comments attached to the returned package. Confirm whether the action allows the next step, requires corrections or resubmission, or leaves an owner decision outstanding. Keep the latest revision and its review record together.

AIA’s primer on the submittal process discusses the responsibilities and limits of review. A design review does not transfer all contractor responsibilities to the reviewer, and acceptance of a component does not establish approval of every related assembly. Review the scope and any proposed deviations explicitly under the project procedure.

For finishes, keep owner sample selections connected to the relevant package using the Interior Construction and Finish Selections guide. Identify what the owner selected and what remains subject to technical coordination.

Keep clarification and change approval connected

If a response or proposed product appears to affect scope, cost, or time, ask the responsible team members to evaluate it and identify the required authorization. Do not treat a routine review status or an owner’s color choice as automatic approval of an additional charge or revised completion date.

Use the Change Order Log to track the related proposal, decision, and approval status. Cross-reference the RFI or submittal number so the technical record and the commercial decision can be followed together.

Track the next action, not only the response date

A useful register shows the reference number, subject, location, sender, reviewer, submission date, required response date, actual response, revision, current status, and next action. Include a link to the documents and any related change record. Assign an owner and date to each outstanding action.

At project meetings, review items affecting upcoming work and identify what is needed to resolve them. Distinguish “response received” from “issue resolved” and “work complete.” An answer may still require a revised drawing, a resubmittal, a selection, or a change decision.

Distribute current information and retain the record

AIA’s working-drawing quality guidance emphasizes issuing revised drawings to affected parties. Agree who updates the current document set and distributes the response to the trades that need it. Clearly identify superseded information while retaining the history.

Before closing an item, confirm that required follow-up is recorded and assigned. Carry unresolved handover actions into the Project Closeout Checklist and keep relevant reviewed documents with the final project records. Return to Project Management for related guidance and working tools.