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AEC Technology Glossary

Construction & Field

What is RFI (Request for Information)?

An RFI is the formal question a contractor sends the design team when drawings are unclear, conflicting, or silent on something the field needs to build. Each RFI is tracked, answered in writing, and becomes part of the project record.

In practice

RFIs are a major friction cost — industry studies put the average processing cost around $1,000 and resolution at 10-15 days. AI drawing review aims to catch the underlying conflicts before construction, and AI admin tools draft and route RFIs automatically.

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