RFI Example: Overview – PlanRadar HelpCenter

About RFIs

What is an RFI?

A Request for Information (RFI) is a formal communication used in construction and engineering projects to clarify details, resolve uncertainties, and ensure all stakeholders work with the same information.

Characteristics of an RFI

Formal communication tool – Provides a structured way to clarify project information.
Traceable record – Ensures accountability with a documented question–answer trail.
Role-based workflow – Involves requester, coordinator, and responders with clearly defined responsibilities.
Linked to project documentation – References specific drawings, contracts, or specifications for precision.

Importance of RFIs

Prevents miscommunication between project stakeholders.
Avoids costly mistakes and rework by resolving uncertainties early.
Supports timely decision-making, helping keep the project on schedule.
Provides a legal and contractual record of clarifications and instructions.

Regional Terminology

While the concept of an RFI is widely recognized, it may appear under different names depending on local regulations, industry standards, or contractual frameworks.

Examples: Technical Queries (TQs), Clarification Requests, or Project Queries.

Regardless of the term, the purpose remains the same: to create a formal, traceable request for project information.

Overview and Workflow

PlanRadar lets you manage RFIs flexibly. You can fully customise forms and workflows to match your organisation’s needs. This example RFI explains how to do it in a relatively simple way to get you started and then build upon it.

Roles

Requester: Creates the RFI ticket, fills in the request details and assigns it to the RFI coordinator.
(In this example, the requester is a subcontractor with an in-house user license.)
Coordinator: Reviews requests and responses, manages assignments, and keeps statuses and due dates updated and remindes responders directly if they don't react in time on due date notification emails.
(In this example, the coordinator is a general contractor who owns the PlanRadar account and manages the project.)
Responders: Provide answers by their due dates and return the RFI to the coordinator.
(In this example, answers are requested from two predefined parties: designer and investor.)

Workflow

If the request and responses are clear, the process flows in one direction.

If clarification is needed during the process, add comments and reassign the ticket.
Each step is explained in detail in RFI Example: Workflow in Practice.

Ticket Form Fields

The following table shows all the fields and their field groups, their field types that are selected when creating the form, the roles who edit those fields and a short description about the purpose.

Field name	Field type	Edited by	Purpose
Title	Default	Requester	Short description of the issue
Discipline	List	Requester	Categorise the RFI by discipline/trade
RFI Coordinator	User	Requester	Designated person (known to the requester)
Assignee	Default	All*	Who is responsible for action (ball in court)
Due date	Default	Coordinator	updated when assigned to each responder
Status	Default	Coordinator	'In progress' when responding then 'Closed'
Request details	Group	Requester	Filled when the RFI ticket is created
Description of request	Long text	Requester	Explain issue/questions/suggestions
Document references	Long text	Requester	Refer to a section in a contract for example
Reference files	Long text	Requester	Write the name of the ticket attachment(s)
Cost impact	Checkbox	Requester	Select if the issue has cost impact
Time impact	Checkbox	Requester	Select if the issue has time impact
Safety impact	Checkbox	Requester	Select if the issue has safety impact
Answer fields for designer	Group	Responder 1	Respond to request by first party (designer)
Answered by	User	Responder 1	Select the user who provides the answer
Answer	Long text	Responder 1	Official answer on how to handle the issue
Reference files	Long text	Responder 1	Write the name of the ticket attachment(s)
Answer fields for investor	Group	Responder 2	Respond to request by second party (investor)
Answered by	User	Responder 2	Select the user who provides the answer
Answer	Long text	Responder 2	Official answer on how to handle the issue
Reference files	Long text	Responder 2	Write the name of the ticket attachment(s)

* Update assignee: When requester or responder are done they assign to the RFI coordinator. The coordinator then assigns to the next responder (or requester if required) to pass on the 'ball in court'.

Coloured labels show which role will edit which fields:

Numbering Sequence

The RFI form automatically gets a numbering sequence to quickly identify each official RFI in the project (e.g. RFI-1, RFI-2, RFI-3,...). This ensures each RFI can be referenced in meetings, reports, and project correspondence.

This is an addition to the ticket ID that PlanRadar always assigns to each ticket in a project independent of the used form.

Notification Settings

Ensure that all participants have email notifications enabled. To ensure a fast process, emails should be sent instantly rather than as a daily digest.

Read more in Configure E-Mail Notifications.

Steps to manage RFIs in PlanRadar

The following articles explain each step to set up and process this example RFI:

RFI Example: Setup – Configure the form and set permissions for fields and user roles.
RFI Example: Workflow in Practice – Fill in request details. Gather the answers. Manage the workflow.

Additional Possibilities

Processing RFIs in PlanRadar tickets offers additional possibilities and benefits:

Create and process RFI tickets anywhere with the PlanRadar mobile app.
Read more in Create a Ticket.
Place the RFI ticket on a plan or even on a 360° image of a SiteView run
Read more in Set, Change or Delete the Plan Position of a Ticket and in Add Tickets to 360° Images in the Webapp.
Officially confirm a processed RFI with signatures.
Read more in Sign a Ticket.
The PlanRadar Assistant can help to get documents insights which can speed up the RFI process without compromising privacy.
Read more in Get Documents Insights in the Webapp.
Get insights about your RFIs with statistics.
Read more in Statistics.
Create PDFs or Excel files to summaries and share processed RFIs by creating ticket reports.
Read more in Ticket Reports.
Use PlanRadar Connect or Open APIs for automations like generating PDF reports of RFIs and save them in PlanRadar Documents or other cloud storage services or share them by email.