First-pass RFI drafting

The job

The project manager at a US general contractor doing about $5–10M a year — often the owner wearing a PM hat, or one person who also stamps submittals, walks pay apps, and answers the superintendent at 6 p.m. There is no project engineer whose only job is the RFI log. Questions arrive as a photo from the super, a clouded sheet, or a sub’s email. If the first pass is a vague “please clarify,” the architect punts, the crew waits, or a reply that actually changes work gets treated as permission to proceed.

This job is use an agent, not build a model. The PM already has a desk: email, the issued drawings and specs, field notes or photos, and a spreadsheet log (Excel, or whatever log they already keep). The agent sits in the search-and-draft step only. It does not send. It does not become Notice of a Claim. It does not turn an answer into a change order.

Without an agent the work is still the same: open the sheets, open the spec, write one question, attach what you already looked at, log it, send it.

What an RFI is. Official AIA Contract Documents: G716–2004, Request for Information (RFI) is the standard form for an owner, architect, and contractor to request further information from each other during construction. AIA’s purpose note: the RFI is to obtain information the requesting party cannot obtain through research, document review, or other reasonable means. The form asks the sender to list the drawing, specification, or submittal reviewed while looking. Neither the request nor the response authorizes work that increases cost or time. RFIs should be numbered, logged, and tracked. AIA’s G-series catalog still lists G716–2004 as the RFI form.

Official A201–2017 (AIA preview of the keystone general conditions) uses the same words. § 4.2.14: the Architect will review and respond to requests for information about the Contract Documents, in writing, within any time limits agreed upon or otherwise with reasonable promptness; if appropriate, the Architect prepares supplemental Drawings and Specifications. § 4.2.11: the Architect interprets and decides matters concerning performance under, and requirements of, the Contract Documents on written request of Owner or Contractor — same promptness rule. Official AIA pairing of B101 and A201: the architect interprets the documents (clarifying drawings and specs, resolving inconsistencies) and does not control means, methods, or safety.

Kevin O’Beirne, PE, FCSI, writing on CSI’s blog (2025): “request for information,” “request for interpretation,” and “request for clarification” are the usual names; RFI is the common abbreviation. AIA A201 § 4.2.14 and G716 use “request for information.” CSI MasterFormat®—2020 assigns 00 63 13 Requests for Information Form (alternate terms: request for interpretation, request for information) and 01 26 13 Requests for Information, plus 01 26 19 Clarification Notices. CSI’s 2021 forms include Form 13.2.A, Request for Information, and 13.2.B, the log. Official CSI: RFIs, interpretations, and clarification notices are not Contract Documents and do not modify the construction contract. Some specs park the procedure under 01 26 00 Contract Modification Procedures; O’Beirne flags that as the wrong shelf, because an RFI is not a modification.

Search first. Official G716: list what you already reviewed. Official G716 purpose: an RFI for information already in the Contract Documents may result in additional administrative charges. CSI Part 2: before writing, the contractor is typically required to review the Contract Documents, cited standards, supplier instructions, field measurements, and site conditions; an RFI sent without that look can be returned without a formal response. Official A201 § 3.2.2: before starting each portion of the Work, the Contractor shall carefully study and compare the Contract Documents, take field measurements of existing conditions, and observe site conditions affecting it. Those obligations are for coordination and construction, not for discovering errors; however, the Contractor shall promptly report errors, inconsistencies, or omissions discovered or made known as a request for information in such form as the Architect may require. The review is as a contractor, not as a licensed design professional. § 3.2.3: report discovered nonconformity with applicable laws as an RFI the same way. AIA A201 § 1.2.1 (quoted by O’Beirne, Part 3): the Contract Documents are complementary; what is required by one is as binding as if required by all. Do not invent a precedence ranking the contract does not have.

This job is not a change order, not a submittal, and not a claim.

• Not a change order. Official AIA (Verrastro & Baum): a Change Order is a written instrument prepared by the Architect and signed by Owner, Contractor, and Architect stating agreement on (1) the change in the Work, (2) the adjustment, if any, in the Contract Sum, and (3) the adjustment, if any, in the Contract Time. The form is G701–2017. Official AIA: the change-order process is often initiated by a proposal request, an ASI, a CCD, an RFI, or a request for a change order. A contractor Change Order Request may follow an RFI or ASI if, in the Contractor’s opinion, that instrument modified the scope. Official CCD vs change order: an RFI is listed as a common trigger; G714 directs work before cost or time is agreed; G701 is the signed agreement. Official G716: the reply is not authorization to proceed with work involving additional cost, time, or both.
• Not a minor-change instruction. Official G710–2017, Architect’s Supplemental Instructions: the architect issues additional instructions or interpretations, or orders minor changes. G710 should not be used to change the Contract Sum or Contract Time. Minor changes are authorized under A201 § 7.4. Official A201 summary of the 2017 § 7.4 revision: if the Contractor believes a directed minor change will affect sum or time, the Contractor shall notify the Architect and shall not proceed; proceeding without that notice waives the adjustment. If the Contractor believes a change in sum or time is involved, official G710: use G709 (Proposal Request), G714 (CCD), or G701 (Change Order) instead.
• Not a submittal. Official AIA on types of submittals: A201 § 3.12 covers shop drawings, product data, and samples. Those are not Contract Documents; they show how the contractor proposes to conform. That is a different seat — the sister job is first-pass submittal review. CSI Part 1 sample Division 01 language: do not transmit an RFI when a submittal, a substitution request, a contractually required notice, or ordinary correspondence is the right instrument. A201 § 3.4.2: substitutions (except certain minor changes) need Owner consent after Architect evaluation, by Change Order or CCD — not by RFI.
• Not a claim, and not claim notice. Official A201 § 3.2.4: if the Contractor believes additional cost or time is involved because of clarifications or instructions the Architect issues in response to RFIs under §§ 3.2.2 or 3.2.3, the Contractor shall submit Claims as provided in Article 15. Official A201–2017 summary: claims arising before the end of the corrections period are subject to a 21-day notice period and an initial decision. Notices may go by electronic means, but Notice of Claims may not — certified or registered mail, or courier with proof of delivery, to the designated representative (§ 1.6.2). An agent-drafted RFI is not that notice. Concealed or unknown conditions are a different clock: official A201 § 3.7.4 is prompt notice, and in no event later than 14 days after first observance, before conditions are disturbed — not an RFI that sits in the log.

Answer vs direction that changes cost or time. Official CSI Part 2: RFI responses and clarification notices serve only to clarify reasonably inferable requirements. They should never attempt to modify the contract by directing a change in required scope and quality. When a response identifies the need for a modification, issue the modification (proposal request, field order / ASI, change order) — preferably concurrently — and point at it in the RFI reply. If either party believes a response may affect price or time, comply promptly with the contract’s notice provisions and the rules on changes and claims. Official G716 instructions: the sender may include a recommended solution, including any known effects on cost or schedule; the receiver’s response may note known effects too. That recommendation is not a G701.

Where the procedure lives. CSI MasterFormat is the North American numbering for project manuals. Division 01 is general requirements (procedures). O’Beirne’s published MasterFormat—2020 assignment for RFI procedure is 01 26 13. Your Division 01 / contract wins. AIA A201 itself does not set a calendar-day RFI clock. CSI Part 2 quotes A201 § 4.2.11: “within any time limits agreed upon or otherwise with reasonable promptness.” Official CSI: neither AIA nor EJCDC states a maximum number of days, because the effort is not knowable when the specs are written. A requested reply date on G716 is “in accordance with the contract or by reasonable expectation.” Do not let a model invent a 7-day or 14-day rule the contract does not have.

Why a $5–10M GC still does this. A late or sloppy RFI is a waiting crew, a reply that quietly changes the Work, or a claim clock you never started. Sending an RFI for something already on sheet A-501 is how you burn the architect’s patience and, under some Division 01 language CSI publishes as an example, invite set-offs. There is no PE drafting every question. There is one PM, a photo from the field, and a PDF. That is why the draft after a real search is the job.

Use

This is a use workflow. You do not train a model. You do not ask it to invent a missing dimension, a spec paragraph, or a change-order number. You give it the issued sheets and the field note, you get a draft question, you send only what you would sign.

1. Search the issued documents yourself (or make the agent show its work). Open the drawing set, the spec section, and addenda actually contracted. If the answer is on the sheet or in Part 2 of the section, do not send an RFI. Official G716 exists for information you could not find by research. Write a log note (“answered on A-501 / spec 08 71 00 2.3”) and tell the super. CSI: information clearly indicated in the Contract Documents, in a cited industry standard, or reasonably inferable is not an RFI.
2. Identify one question. One conflict, one missing dimension, one clash between sheet and spec. Official G716 instructions: fully describe the question in concise terms, with references to related documents or physical descriptions. Bundling three trades into one RFI is how the architect answers the easy part and sits on the rest.
3. Open the attachments you actually used. Clouded sheet, spec PDF, photo with a tape or a mark, the sub’s sketch. Note sheet number, detail, grid, spec section and paragraph. Official G716: Reference/Attachments is the drawing, the specifications, or the material researched.
4. Feed the agent only those files. Issued sheet(s) + spec section (plus the addendum that revised it) + field note/photo + your RFI template (G716 if the contract names it, CSI 13.2.A if it names that, or the Word/email form you already use). Prompt shape: draft one RFI; quote sheet numbers and spec paragraphs from the upload; list what was searched and not found; write one question that ends in a question mark; offer a sender’s recommendation only if the files support it, and label any cost/time effect as unknown unless shown; do not invent a dimension, a paragraph, or a product; do not call this a change order, a substitution, a submittal, or Notice of a Claim; if the answer appears in the upload, return “do not send — already in the documents” with the citation instead of a fake question.
5. Human edit before the architect sees it. Open every cited sheet and paragraph. Strike invented detail numbers. Confirm the photo is this job. Write the recommended solution yourself if you have one; G716 allows it, including known cost or schedule effects, but that is your field judgment. Check that you are not asking the architect to pick means and methods or to approve a substitution in the RFI stream.
6. Send. Name, date, RFI number. The question is not an RFI until a person who owns the job sends it. Official CSI: RFIs should be in writing, not oral. Official A201 § 4.2.4: communications by and with Subcontractors and suppliers shall be through the Contractor. Do not let a sub email the architect a raw draft.
7. Log the way you already do. Update the Excel (or existing) log: number, date out, requested reply date from the contract, drawing/spec references, date in, whether the reply is information only or points at a G710 / G709 / G714 / G701. Email or upload only the edited RFI. Do not stand up a new vendor for this job.

Expected shape of the gain: less time turning a 6 p.m. photo into a question the architect can answer without a phone call. That is not “the model cleared the wall.” There is no published, independent hours-saved or accuracy number for a $5–10M GC first-pass RFI draft that this page will invent. Time a week of your questions (draft + your edit vs writing cold) before you change anything you pay for.

Build

A general-purpose model that can read PDFs and photos can draft an RFI from an issued sheet plus a field note. Whether the answer was already on the drawing, whether a reply changes cost or time, and whether this is really a substitution or a claim, need a person. Do not treat the draft as sent, and do not build from the raw recommendation.

A workable v1: a prompt template that returns one RFI — number/date placeholders, what was searched (sheet / spec paragraph quoted from the upload), the single question, attachments list, optional sender’s recommendation, a flag (information only / possible cost or time / already in the documents / wrong instrument), and a “do not send” footer. Keep the transcript with the RFI file. Require “not in the uploaded files” instead of filling a gap.

Do not build a custom classifier this quarter. Do not fine-tune. The issued set and this field note are the only corpus that matters.

Deploy

1. Pick five recently sent RFIs you still stand behind — two that were real conflicts, one that a careful search would have killed, one that came back as an ASI / clarification, one that turned into a change-order discussion.
2. Run the agent on the same sheets + spec + field note (no later replies in the upload). Time upload, draft, and your edit.
3. Diff the draft against what you actually sent. Record invented sheet or paragraph numbers, questions whose answers were already in the upload, drafts that asked for a substitution or a means-and-methods call, and drafts that treated a cost/time issue as “just information.”
4. Decide using a rule set in advance: no draft leaves the trailer unedited; every cited sheet or paragraph must exist in the upload; if the model invents a detail number on a clean conflict, or fails to say “already on the sheet” for the search-kill case, it is not ready.

Use your project manual, not a vendor demo spec. Keep the workflow only if the sent RFI is still something you would put your name on.

Manage

What “good” looks like

• A named human edits and sends every RFI. Raw model text is never emailed to the architect, owner, or sub.
• The upload includes the issued sheet and spec actually contracted (plus addenda). Memory of MasterSpec is not a search.
• One question per RFI. The log (Excel or the app you already pay for) records number, dates, references, and whether the reply stayed information or moved to G710 / G709 / G714 / G701.
• An answer is not a change order. If the reply (or your recommendation) would change Work, sum, or time, the PM starts the change / claim path the contract names. Official G716: neither request nor response authorizes extra cost or time.
• Substitutions stay in the substitution procedure. Submittals stay in the submittal stream. Notice of a Claim stays certified mail / courier under A201 § 1.6.2.
• If you already have an RFI-log app, the agent drafts into that. This page does not sell a new one.

Who owns the seat

The PM / owner-PM owns the contractor’s RFI. On a $5–10M GC that is one person and the laptop they already use. The superintendent owns the field fact (photo, measurement, what stopped the crew). The architect owns the interpretation under A201 §§ 4.2.11–4.2.14. An agent does not become the Contractor’s request under § 3.2.2 or the Architect’s response under § 4.2.14.

When to skip the agent (what not to automate)

• The answer is on the drawing or in the spec you have not opened. Search first. Official G716 is for what research did not yield.
• You did not attach the issued sheet and spec. Do not ask a model to remember the set.
• A substitution, or-equal, or product swap. A201 § 3.4.2 and CSI: wrong instrument.
• A submittal package (shop drawing, product data, sample). Different job.
• Means, methods, sequences, or safety. Official A201 § 3.3.1 / § 4.2.2: the Contractor’s. CSI sample language: return RFIs that are about means and methods or safety without response.
• Concealed or unknown conditions that need the § 3.7.4 14-day notice, human remains / wetlands under § 3.7.5, or anything that is about to become Notice of a Claim. Format a chronology from the files if you want; do not let a model “send the claim.” Official A201: Claim notice is not electronic.
• A reply you already believe changes cost or time. Write the notice / change-order request yourself. Do not let the RFI pretend it authorized the extra work.
• Life-safety, structural, or code calls you cannot verify without the listed standard in front of you. Open the standard. Then write.
• Delegated design or sealed calculations. Wrong seat.
• The log is already a five-minute habit and writing is not the bottleneck. Leave it.

How to stand it up this quarter

Use the model you already have access to. Drop in last week’s clouded sheet, the spec section, the field photo, and your RFI headings (description, references, recommendation). Edit, click every citation, send or kill. Repeat on a live question. Keep the workflow only if the sent RFI is still something you would put your name on. Do not buy an RFI-management product to complete this job.

Citations

Tools are citations, not new brand pages. Do not invent vendor homepages. This page does not create a Procore, Autodesk, PlanGrid, or other RFI-log vendor listing.

• AIA G716–2004 — official AIA RFI form. Search first; list what you reviewed; neither request nor response authorizes extra cost or time; number, log, track. Instructions: requested reply date per contract or reasonable expectation; sender’s recommendation may note known cost/schedule effects. Catalog: G716 in the G-series.
• AIA A201–2017 — keystone general conditions. Official preview: § 3.2 contractor study and RFI report of errors; § 3.2.4 extra cost/time from an RFI reply goes to Article 15 Claims; § 4.2.11 interpretations; § 4.2.12 no partiality, good-faith interpretations; § 4.2.13 aesthetic effect; § 4.2.14 RFIs, reasonable promptness, supplemental drawings if appropriate; § 1.1.1 Modifications are amendments, Change Orders, CCDs, and minor-change orders — not RFIs; § 1.6.2 Claim notice not electronic. Architect as interpreter: B101 + A201.
• AIA change-order fundamentals — RFI is a possible initiator, not the executed instrument. G701–2017 is the signed agreement on Work, sum, and time. CCD vs change order: G714 before agreement; G701 after; informal direction is a constructive-change pattern. G710–2017 / instructions: ASI / minor change, A201 § 7.4, not a change in sum or time.
• AIA types of submittals — shop drawings, product data, samples; not Contract Documents. Sister job: first-pass submittal review.
• CSI interpretations Part 1 and Part 2 (O’Beirne, 2025). MasterFormat—2020: 01 26 13 Requests for Information; 00 63 13 form. RFIs are not Contract Documents. Search first; write, don’t call; do not use an RFI for a submittal, substitution, or required notice; A201 does not set an RFI day-count. Part 3: A201 § 1.2.1 complementary documents; AIA/EJCDC do not publish a comprehensive order-of-precedence clause. CSI Forms: 13.2.A / 13.2.B. MasterFormat 2026: current numbering standard; Division 01 remains General Requirements.
• ConsensusDocs 204 — constructor RFI to owner or design professional in that family. Citation only; not a reason to switch families or stand up a new tool.
• Excel, email, PDF — log, receive, read. If they already have an RFI-log app, the agent drafts into that. No new vendor page on this site.

Watch-outs

• Invented sheet and spec citations. Models write fluent “Detail 7/A-501 and Section 08 71 00 2.3.B require…” lines that are not in the PDF you uploaded. Same failure mode as legal citation hallucination: Dahl, Magesh, Suzgun & Ho, Large Legal Fictions, 16 J. Legal Analysis 64 (2024) (arXiv:2401.01301, doi:10.1093/jla/laae003) — public LLMs, asked verifiable questions about federal cases, hallucinated often and often could not tell. Those percentages are legal-case questions, not RFI accuracy; do not import them as a construction performance rate. Do import the habit: every sheet, detail, and paragraph number in the draft is unverified until you open the set. Blank is honest; a confident fake detail is not.
• Asking what is already on the drawing. Official G716 is for what research did not yield. A model that never searched the upload will still produce a polite question. Kill it. CSI: information clearly indicated, or reasonably inferable, is not an RFI.
• RFI as change order theater. Official G716: the reply is not authorization for extra cost or time. Official AIA: the executed instrument is G701 (or G714 then G701). A201 § 3.2.4 sends extra cost/time from an RFI reply to Article 15. Do not let a draft “recommend proceed and track costs on the next pay app.”
• Wrong instrument. Substitution, submittal, means-and-methods, safety, and Claim notice are not RFIs. CSI Part 1 says return those. A201 § 3.4.2 and § 3.12 are other seats. Claim notice is not a chat (§ 1.6.2).
• Invented response clocks. A201 says time limits agreed upon, or reasonable promptness. CSI: AIA does not publish a maximum day count. Your Division 01 wins. Do not let the model write “please respond in 48 hours” unless the contract says so.
• Oral now, paper later. CSI: RFIs and clarifications should never be oral. A trailer conversation is not the record. The agent does not fix a question you never wrote down.
• Unsigned AI to the architect. Fluent, late, and wrong is worse than a short human question. A201 § 3.2.2 is a report by the Contractor. An agent-drafted email is not that report. Do not let the model send.
• Do not replace the PM. The agent drafts the question after a search. The PM still owns the search, the send, the log, and the call when a reply is actually a change.

Verdict

Yes — a $5–10M US GC should run this job this quarter if RFIs already start as field photos and PDFs, the bottleneck is turning a note into one cited question, and a person will still search the set, edit, and send. Use an agent to draft a Request for Information from the issued drawings, specs, and field notes; the PM edits and sends. Skip this quarter if you expected the model to find what you never opened, to send Claim notice, to approve a substitution, or to treat an RFI reply as extra work; if you were about to email raw draft RFIs to the architect; or if you were about to buy an RFI-log product you do not already have. Do not publish this page as a vendor listing.