RFIs, change orders and document control
What an RFI asks and what only a signed change can do, the clocks and limits that bind a change, how to write, log and carry a revision through quote, drawing and shop, and the checks that catch a stale or unapproved change.
4 lessons · about 55 min · 11 diagrams · 0 videos
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Lesson 1 · 15 min · 12 slides · 12 questions
RFIs, change orders and document control: principles and terminology
Why construction keeps a written trail, what an RFI asks and what an answer can and cannot do, the documents that really change a contract, why nothing starts on a verbal word, and how the AFS RFI desk is laid out.
You will be able to: Tell an RFI, an RFI response, additional instructions, a Construction Change Directive, a Bulletin and a Change Order apart, say who signs each in the contracts read here, and say which of them can move price or time.
Not startedStart →Lesson 2 · 14 min · 12 slides · 12 questions
RFIs, change orders and document control: materials, standards and design constraints
The documents that make up a contract, the reply, notice and review clocks in three real contracts, why a missing notice costs money, what an approved submittal does not do, and the physical limits any change still has to meet.
You will be able to: Identify the documents that govern a change (contract conditions, specification, code, standard and shop limits), read the clocks and caps they set, and say which belong to the owner, the code and AFS.
Not startedStart →Lesson 3 · 14 min · 12 slides · 11 questions
RFIs, change orders and document control: methods and worked application
What a complete RFI contains and how to number and log it, two worked examples (the hours an RFI consumes and a revised coping against the shop girth limit), notice inside the clock, and how a changed job becomes a new quote and a controlled revision.
You will be able to: Write a complete RFI, log and chase it, decide whether the answer changes cost, time or the shop limits, give notice inside the clock, and carry a revision through quote, drawing and shop without a stale copy.
Not startedStart →Lesson 4 · 12 min · 11 slides · 9 questions
RFIs, change orders and document control: defects, verification and case study
The common failures, a Fort Worth audit of days added on the wrong form, NIST's count of who pays for poorly shared information, an AFS illustration of a revision arriving after approval, and the checklist that catches a stale or unapproved change.
You will be able to: Diagnose a plausible RFI, change or document-control failure, name the corrective option, and document the evidence with a seven-question check before metal is cut.
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Practical task
Build a job packet for a parapet coping whose detail is revised twice. Write one RFI about a coping joint, log it, decide from the supplied answer (top leg widened from 24 in to 37 in, then 40 in) whether it changes the work, price or time, draft the written notice inside a stated clock, and complete the seven-question check. All dimensions are teaching inputs, not an AFS job.
Hand in
- One RFI with a number, a single subject, spec section, sheet and detail references (marked as examples), your own reading, a proposed resolution and a needed-by date.
- An RFI log row with the dates sent and answered and the status after the answer.
- A girth check for the original, the widened and the 40 in top: legs 4 in, closed hems at 1 in of flat sheet each, against the 48 in limit, and the largest top that fits.
- A written notice, in one paragraph, that says what the answer changes, names the clock and its unit, and says no changed work starts until a change document is signed.
- The seven-question check completed for the revised drawing, with any answer of no explained and the person to ask.
Rubric
| Criterion | Meets the standard when |
|---|---|
| The RFI | It has one subject, cites a specification section, sheet and detail, states the contractor's own reading, proposes a resolution and gives a needed-by date; example references are marked as examples. |
| The log | The log row has a number, dates and a status, and the answer is recorded the day it arrives. |
| The girth check | Each girth is the top leg plus both side legs plus both hems (34, 47 and 50 in), the 48 in limit is applied, the largest top is 38 in, and the packet says the fix is the design team's decision. |
| The notice | It names the contract clock and its unit as an example, is dated the day the answer arrives, and states that work waits for a signed change document. |
| The check and the evidence | All seven questions are answered with evidence; any no stops the job; no price, legal advice or invented contract term appears. |