RFIs are necessary. They're also expensive. When responses drag, work stops, crews sit, and schedule floats disappear. A study of 168 Australian and New Zealand projects found the average cost of processing RFIs was roughly US$656,000 per project in Australia, reducing contractor profit margins by about 1%. In New Zealand, the average was lower (US$243,000), largely due to smaller project sizes. An earlier simulation study estimated a typical RFI cycle at around 17 person-hours, with most time spent gathering and cross-referencing information.
The takeaway: RFIs are a major cost center. Shortening turnaround time and reducing unnecessary RFIs directly protects margin and schedule.
What the Data Shows
Staffing levels matter. Projects with three or more users per organization managing RFIs averaged turnaround times under 5 days, compared to more than 14 days for projects with only two people. Timing matters too: education projects typically resolve about 80% of RFIs by the project's halfway point, while commercial projects often process half or more in the second half—creating greater delay risk. Design-build projects show more sensitivity to RFI delays than design-bid-build or CM/GC delivery, with more late RFI responses.
Cloud-based project management platforms and adequate staffing can reduce both response times and associated costs. The question is whether your team is structured and equipped to use them.
Where This Shows Up on a Real Project
You're two weeks from a major concrete pour. The electrical sub has an RFI on conduit embed locations that's been open 12 days. The structural engineer is waiting on a separate RFI before finalizing a detail. Both block the pour. Every day of delay cascades. A process that routes RFIs to the right people, tracks aging, and escalates when they stall would have surfaced this earlier.
Start Here This Week
- Measure current RFI cycle time: from submittal to response. Segment by trade and by phase (early vs. late).
- Identify bottlenecks: Who's slow to respond? Design team, GC, owner? Address the slowest link first.
- Assign at least two people per organization to RFI management so coverage exists during vacations and crunch periods.
- Use your PM platform's RFI module (or equivalent) to track status, aging, and ownership. Run a weekly report.
- Set a target: e.g., 80% of RFIs answered within 5 business days. Track progress.
Risks and Guardrails
- RFI inflation: Some teams use RFIs for everything. Train the field to distinguish true design clarifications from coordination questions that can be resolved in meetings.
- Incomplete RFIs: Poorly written RFIs bounce back and forth. Require a template: clear question, relevant drawing/spec references, proposed answer if applicable.
- Automation limits: Tools can route, track, and remind. They can't answer design questions. Focus automation on visibility and workflow, not content.
- Contract terms: Some contracts specify RFI response timelines. Know yours and enforce them.