Editing Request for information (section)

==In the construction industry==
An RFI is used in the construction industry when a project's construction documentation lacks information that is required to proceed with any given scope of work. It is raised by the [[general contractor]] that has been answered by the client, or [[architect]], and distributed to all stakeholders, is generally accepted as a change to the scope of work unless further approval is required for costs associated with the change.

An RFI is common and accepted practice for a subcontractor or supplier to state his/her concern related to the omission or misapplication of a product, and seek further clarification of the building owner's intended use or their official acceptance of the specified product. It is also acceptable for the subcontractor to use an RFI to call attention to an inferior product that may not meet the building owner's needs, and use his/her expertise to recommend the better/correct product.

RFIs were for some years tracked using spreadsheets, but during the early 21st century many companies started using various construction management applications, including document management platforms, to handle RFI processes<ref name="QIC-RFI">{{cite web |title=The importance of RFI's |date=6 October 2015 |url=http://www.qualityinconstruction.com/the-importance-of-RFI's/ |website=Quality in Construction |access-date=19 December 2016}}</ref> and help construction professionals save time, reduce costs, and improve quality.

Today, it is common for RFI management software to automatically track every activity related to RFIs and alert all personnel when there are status changes to help increase productivity and avoid construction delays.<ref name="HCSS-RFI">{{cite web |title=Construction RFI Software |date=15 December 2021 |url=https://www.hcss.com/products/construction-rfi-software/ |website=HCSS |access-date=2 June 2022}}</ref>