Quick Summary
- 60-70% of RFIs are preventable with thorough pre-construction review
- Average RFI costs $1,200-$4,500 in direct costs plus delays
- Review plans BEFORE bidding to identify risk and scope gaps
- Smart contractors use AI review as competitive advantage
Every RFI represents a plan review failure—something that should have been clear in the documents but wasn't. As a contractor, you're on the front lines of these failures. The design team moves on to the next project while you're stuck managing clarifications, waiting for responses, and dealing with field delays. Here's how to break that cycle.
The RFI Problem: By the Numbers
Let's be honest about what RFIs actually cost:
On a $30M project, that's potentially 240-450 RFIs. Even if you're at the low end, you're looking at 400+ hours of RFI management and nearly $500K in direct costs—before accounting for schedule impacts.
The Real Problem
RFIs aren't just paperwork—they're productivity killers. Every RFI requires your team to stop, document, wait, and then restart. That stop-start cycle destroys efficiency. And when RFI responses conflict with field conditions, you're back to square one.
The Strategy: Review Before You Bid
Here's what smart contractors are doing differently: they're reviewing plans thoroughly before they bid, not after they win.
Why Review During Bidding?
- Price risk accurately: Every coordination issue you identify is contingency you can price or exclude
- Ask questions early: Clarifications during bidding are expected; clarifications during construction look like excuses
- Identify scope gaps: Know what's not included and either price it or exclude it explicitly
- Win smarter: Understanding the real risks lets you bid competitively on good projects and protect yourself on risky ones
Competitive Advantage
When you're the only bidder who really understands the documents, you can price appropriately while competitors under-bid and then fight for change orders. You win the margin battle before the project even starts.
What to Look For in Pre-Bid Review
Coordination Red Flags
These are the issues that become expensive RFIs:
- Dimensional conflicts: Where disciplines show different dimensions for the same element
- MEP routing issues: Ductwork and piping that won't fit in the available space
- Structural penetrations: MEP penetrations through beams/walls that aren't detailed
- Grade/elevation discrepancies: Where site, architectural, and structural elevations don't align
- Fire separation gaps: Penetrations through rated assemblies without firestopping details
Specification vs. Drawing Conflicts
These create change order disputes:
- Drawing calls out one product, spec requires another
- Performance requirements that no available product meets
- Conflicting installation methods between drawings and specs
- Missing specification sections for drawn elements
Scope Boundary Issues
These cause disputes between trades:
- Unclear responsibility for interfacing work
- Missing sequencing requirements
- Undefined protection/cleanup responsibilities
- Gaps between trade scopes
Constructability Concerns
These become field problems:
- Inaccessible installation locations
- Unrealistic tolerances
- Sequencing conflicts
- Missing access for maintenance
How AI Review Fits the Contractor Workflow
AI-powered plan review is particularly valuable for contractors because of timing and economics:
During Bid Phase
Workflow
- 1Receive bid documents → Upload to AI review (same day)
- 2AI analyzes full document set → Receive findings in 1-2 days
- 3Review AI findings → Identify risks, scope gaps, coordination issues
- 4Submit RFIs during bidding → Get clarifications before pricing
- 5Price remaining risks → Include contingency or exclusions as appropriate
During Buyout/Pre-Construction
Workflow
- 1Award received → Run comprehensive AI review of "for construction" documents
- 2Share findings with subs → Let them identify trade-specific concerns
- 3Consolidate all issues → Submit comprehensive RFI package before mobilization
- 4Get responses → Start construction with clarity, not questions
ROI Calculation for Contractors
Sample ROI: $30M Project
ROI: 2,670% — And this doesn't include the value of reduced schedule risk and improved subcontractor productivity.
Real Examples: What AI Catches
Issue #1: Elevation Conflict
Finding: Structural drawings show top of slab at elevation 100.50'. Architectural finish floor is shown at 100.00'. Civil finished floor elevation is 100.25'. Three different elevations for the same floor.
If caught in field: Ramp slopes wrong, thresholds don't work, drainage doesn't flow. Est. cost: $45,000+
Issue #2: Duct vs. Beam Conflict
Finding: 24" x 18" supply duct shown routing through W18x35 beam at grid line C-4. No penetration detail. Structural notes prohibit beam penetrations.
If caught in field: Duct rerouting, ceiling redesign, coordination with fire protection. Est. cost: $15,000+
Issue #3: Spec Conflict
Finding: Drawings call out "VCT flooring per finish schedule." Spec section 096519 specifies "luxury vinyl tile (LVT)." VCT and LVT have different subfloor requirements and costs.
If not clarified: Dispute over whether change order is warranted when owner expects LVT. Est. dispute value: $8,000-$25,000 depending on area
Helping Your Subcontractors
AI review isn't just valuable for GCs—share findings with your subcontractors:
- Better sub bids: When subs understand the real coordination challenges, they price more accurately
- Fewer sub RFIs: Subs who understand issues upfront ask fewer questions during construction
- Improved relationships: Subs appreciate when you help them succeed rather than just passing problems downstream
- Shared accountability: When everyone knows the risks, everyone shares responsibility for managing them
Getting Started
For Your Next Bid
- Upload bid documents: As soon as you receive them, upload to AI review
- Review findings: Focus on coordination issues and scope gaps
- Submit clarification RFIs: Ask about issues during the bid period
- Price appropriately: Include contingency for unresolved risks or exclude them explicitly
- Win smarter: You now understand the project better than competitors who didn't review as thoroughly
For Current Projects
- Run AI review on current document set: Identify issues before they become field problems
- Submit consolidated RFI package: Get clarifications before they impact schedule
- Share with project team: Align everyone on known issues and resolution path
Stop Inheriting Design Team Mistakes
Every RFI you prevent is profit you keep. Every coordination issue you catch before the field is a schedule you protect. See what AI review would find on your next project.
Conclusion
RFIs aren't inevitable—they're symptoms of incomplete plan review. By reviewing documents thoroughly before bidding and during pre-construction, you can eliminate 60%+ of RFIs before they happen.
AI-powered review makes this practical. Fast turnaround means you can review during bid periods. Comprehensive analysis means you catch issues that manual review misses. And the ROI is undeniable—every prevented RFI is money in your pocket and time back on your schedule.
Stop inheriting design team mistakes. Start every project with clarity, not questions.