RFI vs. Change Order: When Does an Answer Cost Money?
The difference between a request for information and a change order, the pivot point where a clarification becomes a cost, and why "answered" is not "closed."
They answer two different questions
A Request for Information (RFI) asks "what did you mean?" A Change Order (CO) asks "who pays for the difference?" Confusing the two is how contractors give money away: they treat a cost-and-time impact as if it were a simple clarification, and then the deadline to claim it quietly passes.
What an RFI is for
An RFI is a formal question about the contract documents — a conflict between drawings, a missing dimension, an ambiguous spec. It is a request for clarification, and the answer becomes part of the project record. A well-written RFI states the question, the documents in conflict, your suggested resolution, and the date a response is needed to avoid delay.
When an RFI turns into money
Here is the pivot point: if the answer directs work that differs from the contract — added scope, a different material, resequencing, or a delay — that answer has a cost or schedule impact, and the clarification is no longer free. The response should trigger a change-order request, and often a written notice that you intend to seek additional time or money.
An RFI answer that says "build it this way" is not the same as agreeing to build it for free. Flag the cost or time impact in writing before you proceed.
"Answered" is not the same as "closed"
A dangerous habit is closing an RFI the moment the architect responds. If the response carries an impact, closing it can be read as accepting the direction without reserving your right to a change. Keep the RFI open until the downstream change order or claim is captured. Many contracts also start a short clock — a few days to a couple of weeks — from the moment you knew of the impact to give written notice.
The clean workflow
- Ask the RFI clearly, with the documents in conflict and a needed-by date.
- When the answer lands, decide: pure clarification, or cost/time impact?
- If there's an impact, give written notice inside the contract's notice window and open a change-order request.
- Don't close the RFI until the change is executed or the claim is filed.
- Price the change — labor, material, markup, and time — and get it executed before you build it. Billing a CO before it's executed is a top reason pay apps bounce.