Ask the question. Track it to answered.
An RFI is a formal question about the contract documents. Oversite gives every one a number, a workflow, and a clear owner.
A request for information, or RFI, is a formal question a contractor raises when something in the contract documents needs clarification: an ambiguity in the drawings, a conflict between documents, missing information, or a coordination issue. The CEI team answers it, and the exchange becomes part of the project record.
In Oversite, every RFI is numbered and moves through a tracked request-and-response workflow. The question, the answer, the attachments, and whose turn it is to act all live in one record, so a clarification takes days instead of getting lost in a thread.
RFIs get lost between inboxes.
A question that blocks field work should not be hard to find. On most projects it is.
Buried in email.
The question, the reply, and the three follow-ups live in a thread someone has to dig for. The drawing that started it is an attachment nobody can find.
No clear owner.
Nobody is sure whose turn it is. The contractor thinks the CEI has it. The CEI is waiting on the contractor. The clarification sits for a week.
Nothing to show the auditor.
When a claim or an audit arrives, the RFI history is scattered across inboxes and spreadsheets. Reconstructing who asked what, and when it was answered, takes days.
One number. One workflow. One owner at a time.
Raise the request.
Enter a subject, the question, a reason, and a desired response date. Oversite assigns the RFI number and holds it as a draft until you send it.
Hand it to the right party.
Submitting an RFI sets the Ball in Court, so the log always shows who owes the next move, the contractor or the CEI.
Close it on the record.
The CEI acknowledges, responds, and submits. The contractor reviews and marks it complete. The full exchange stays with the project.
01. Every request in one log.
The RFI log lists every request for a project, or across all your projects, in one table. Filter by status, sort by any column, and read the Ball in Court and Days Open columns to see what is waiting on you and what has gone stale. Export the whole log to PDF or to a spreadsheet when you need it for a report.
02. A workflow that knows whose turn it is.
Each RFI moves through the same clear stages: Create Request, Request Submitted, In Progress, Response Submitted, Request Complete. The contractor submits to the CEI. The CEI acknowledges, drafts, and submits the answer. The contractor reviews and closes it. At each handoff Oversite emails the people who need to act, so a request does not stall because someone did not know it had landed.
03. The answer, with its references attached.
A good RFI points at the exact place in the documents. Attach the drawing or photo, tag it with its specification section and detail number, and link related requests so the history reads in order. When you need a shareable copy, one click exports the question, the response, and the supporting documents as a single PDF.
RFIs, answered.
What is an RFI in construction?
An RFI, or request for information, is a formal question raised when something in the contract documents needs clarification, such as an ambiguity in the drawings, a conflict between documents, missing information, or a coordination issue. It creates a documented question and answer that becomes part of the project record.
How does the RFI workflow work in Oversite?
Each RFI is numbered and moves through five stages: Create Request, Request Submitted, In Progress, Response Submitted, and Request Complete. A contractor submits the request to the CEI, the CEI acknowledges it and submits a response, and the contractor reviews the answer and marks the request complete.
What does Ball in Court mean?
Ball in Court shows whose turn it is to act next, the contractor or the CEI. It appears on every row of the RFI log and is highlighted when a request is waiting on you, so nothing sits because both sides assumed the other had it.
Can the CEI raise an RFI, or only answer one?
The CEI can raise its own RFI to request information from a contractor, not just respond. The common flow is a contractor asking the CEI for clarification, but the request can start from either side.
Does Oversite send email notifications for RFIs?
Yes. Oversite emails the assigned CEI project managers when a contractor submits a request, emails the requester when the CEI submits its response, and emails the CEI project managers again when the request is closed.
Can I export an RFI?
Yes. Open any sent request and download it as a PDF that includes the question, the response, and the supporting documents, with PDF attachments combined into the same file. You can also export the full RFI log to PDF or to a spreadsheet.
See an RFI answered on a real contract.
Book a 30 minute walkthrough with our CEI solutions team.