RFIs, change orders and document control · Lesson 4 of 4

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.

12 min · 11 slides · 9 questions

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Slide 1 of 11

Six ways it goes wrong

Each failure below is taught from a source in this module:

RFIs unnumbered, batched or about several subjects (Navigant).
The answer never reaches the drawings (Navigant).
Work starts on a verbal answer (University of Michigan).
Notice arrives late (California courts contract).
Time is changed on the wrong form (Fort Worth).
Approval is mistaken for a check (UFGS 01 33 00).

Sources

Impact & Control of RFIs on Construction Projects (A Research Perspective), April 2013 - Navigant Construction Forum (hosted by CMAA)
Standard General Conditions applicable to projects where the Owner has retained a Contractor (form date 1 Nov 2016, rev. 2/24) - University of Michigan Facilities and Operations, Architecture Engineering and Construction
Attachment F, General Conditions of the Agreement for Construction (Document 00 70 00), San Joaquin juvenile justice center, 2013 - Judicial Council of California (Administrative Office of the Courts)
Construction Change Orders audit, Project #2020.019 (4 March 2022) - City of Fort Worth Department of Internal Audit
UFGS 01 33 00 Submittal Procedures (August 2026) - USACE, NAVFAC and AFCEC, published through the Whole Building Design Guide

Glossary

Superseded: A drawing or quote that a newer numbered version has replaced. It is withdrawn from use but stays on file so the history can be read.
Record documents: At the University of Michigan, the copy of the contract documents marked to record all changes made during construction, with the approved shop drawings and other submittals.
Allowance request: In Fort Worth's audit, a Construction Allowance request: a form that, according to City Attorney's Office staff as reported in the audit, erroneously included a field that allowed users to add time to a contract.
Interoperability cost: NIST's term for the extra cost of poorly exchanged electronic information, such as manual re-entry of data, measured in 2002 dollars.