The greatest hidden cost in construction is not wasted material, labour shortage, or schedule slippages—it is poor documentation. Uncertainty is created by missing dimensions, conflicting drawings, coordination issues, and other unclear aspects of the documentation, forcing the contractor to clarify the issue by filing a Request for Information (RFI).

It is natural that RFIs appear in any construction process. However, if there are too many of them, this is a signal of bad design documentation, which is inconsistent and lacks proper coordination. Every RFI takes time from architects, engineers, contractors, and even the owner. Responses to RFI cause delays in procurement, interrupt construction processes, add to administrative costs, and in many cases provoke change orders, which could have been avoided.

We at Camellia Buildtech believe that the best way to minimize the number of RFIs is not to reply to them quicker—it is to prevent their occurrence. Through proper BIM workflows, multidisciplinary coordination, and strict quality control, we help architecture firms create construction documentation that is clear enough to allow contractors to build with no additional questions.

Why Do RFIs Occur?

An RFI is raised when there is an issue with missing, conflicting, or unclear information within contract documents. The contractor may not understand which drawing is governing, whether two disciplines were coordinated properly, or how to interpret the detail.

Based on our experience of cooperation with architects and contractors in the US, most of the RFIs are raised because of a few common issues:

  • Missing dimensions or incomplete layouts.
  • Conflicts between architectural, structural, and MEP drawings.
  • Inconsistent room names or schedules.
  • Incomplete construction details.
  • Incomplete material or finish information.
  • Poor coordination between reflected ceiling plans and MEP services.
  • Design revisions that were not updated in all drawing sheets.

All of these issues are easily prevented by proper documentation and BIM coordination.

Start Coordination Early

The most frequent mistake in project delivery is considering coordination as the last step before issuing construction documents.

In fact, it should be started already at the Design Development phase. Late coordination often shows hundreds of clashes, which require significant redesign.

At Camellia Buildtech, we federate architectural, structural, and MEP models continuously throughout the whole project. This allows resolving design issues much earlier, long before they appear in the construction documents, reducing RFIs even before the contractor starts his work on-site.

Create Complete Construction Documents

Many projects have technically correct drawings, but there is not enough information for construction.

Construction documents should answer any question that the contractor may ask:

  • How is this wall built?
  • Where does this service terminate?
  • Which finish is applied in this room?
  • How do these materials connect?
  • What is the clearance for maintenance?

The more complete the documentation is, the fewer assumptions should be made by the contractor while performing construction work.

Keep Everything Consistent in All Drawings

Even one design revision may affect floor plans, sections, elevations, schedules, details, and specifications.

If you lack the proper BIM workflows, it is easy to update one drawing, but not others. Inconsistencies are generated by this issue and cause additional RFIs because the contractor no longer knows what information is correct.

Generation of documentation directly from the coordinated BIM model greatly minimizes this risk, as it keeps all drawings consistent.

Do QA/QC Review Before the Contractor Does It

QA/QC should not be performed just before project submission.

In Camellia Buildtech, each drawing package is reviewed during its production in a structured manner. Our documentation teams verify:

  • Dimensions
  • Room names
  • Sheet references
  • Doors and windows schedules
  • Annotations consistency
  • Construction details

Identification of these issues internally allows you to avoid discovering them later on-site.

Ready to Increase Your Capacity for Documentation Production?

Camellia Buildtech helps architecture firms, developers, and contractors across the globe to produce construction documentation effectively and cost-efficiently. With a team of 50+ BIM professionals and solid experience in 8+ countries, we become your dedicated technical partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a construction RFI and why do they matter?

Request for Information (RFI) is a formal request submitted by a contractor due to missing, conflicting, or unclear information in the contract documents, for example, when they don’t know which drawing governs, whether two disciplines have coordinated, or how to interpret a detail. RFIs are common, but too many of them are a signal of bad design documentation. Every RFI takes the time of architects, engineers, contractors, and owners and leads to delays in procurement, interruptions on-site, and avoidable change orders.

2. How can BIM prevent too many RFIs on the project?

BIM minimizes the number of RFIs due to the identification of problems before they are reflected in the construction drawings. Continuous federation of architectural, structural, and MEP models since the Design Development phase allows clashes to be resolved early. Creation of documentation directly from the coordinated BIM model keeps floor plans, sections, elevations, schedules, and details consistent, so contractors will not need to guess which information is correct.

3. What are the most frequent causes of RFIs in construction?

Based on our experience, the majority of RFIs are caused by just a few preventable issues: missing dimensions or incomplete layouts, conflicts between architectural, structural, and MEP drawings, inconsistent room names or schedules, incomplete construction details, missing material or finish information, poor coordination between reflected ceiling plans and MEP services, and design revisions that were not updated in all sheets.

4. When should design coordination start to minimize RFIs?

Coordination should start early—ideally during the Design Development phase and not at the final stage before issuance of construction documents. If coordination begins after documentation is completed, hundreds of clashes requiring redesign are identified. Early and continuous coordination allows resolving issues before they appear in construction drawings, reducing RFIs long before the contractor comes to the site.

5. What makes construction documentation “complete” to prevent RFIs?

Construction documents should answer all practical questions of the contractor: how is this wall built? Where does this service terminate? Which finish is applied in this room? How do these materials connect? What is the clearance for maintenance? The more complete the documentation is, the fewer assumptions the contractor needs to make, and the fewer RFIs they submit.

6. How do QA/QC reviews help to minimize RFIs?

QA/QC review during production, not just before submission, allows identification of issues internally, before the contractor discovers them on-site. Verification of dimensions, room names, sheet references, door and window schedules, annotation consistency, drawing coordination, model parameters, and construction details prevents inconsistencies, which generate unnecessary RFIs.