You're a junior PM staring at a transmittal at 4:45 p.m. — and you can't tell if it's a question or an approval
Construction administration lives and dies on routing the right document to the right desk on the clock. Misfile an RFI as a submittal and it sits in the wrong queue; treat a submittal like a casual question and you skip the formal review that protects you when an install goes sideways. Both move from the contractor to the architect/engineer (A/E). Both come through the same project-management platform, often on the same day, sometimes referencing the same wall. That's why they get conflated — and why a confident, fast call on 'which is this?' is one of the most billable skills a young PM can build. The distinction isn't bureaucratic trivia; it determines who owes a response, what that response legally means, and how the answer clocks against your schedule.
- RFI = a question that needs an answer to clarify intent
- Submittal = information sent for review and approval before fabrication or install
- Both flow contractor → A/E, but they do completely different jobs
An RFI asks a question to clarify intent — and gets an answer back
A Request for Information is exactly that: a formal written question the contractor (or a sub, through the GC) raises when the contract documents are unclear, conflicting, incomplete, or collide with a field condition. 'The structural drawings show a beam where the mechanical drawings route a duct — which governs?' That's an RFI. The contractor initiates it; the A/E researches and issues a written response. An RFI does not authorize a change by itself — it clarifies what was already intended. If the answer reveals that the documents asked for something different (or more) than the contractor priced, that's the trigger for a potential change order, but the RFI is the question, not the change. Good RFIs are specific, cite the relevant sheet or spec section, and propose the contractor's understanding so the A/E can confirm or correct rather than redesign.
- Initiated by: contractor / subcontractor (routed through the GC)
- Answered by: architect, engineer, or the responsible design discipline
- Output: a written clarification — not an approval, not a directive
- Cost/schedule effect: clarifies scope; can expose a hidden change but doesn't create one
A submittal sends information for review and approval — and gets a stamp
A submittal is the contractor demonstrating, before they build or buy, that what they intend to furnish complies with the contract documents. Per the CSI MasterFormat convention, submittal requirements are spelled out in Division 01 (notably the 01 33 00 'Submittal Procedures' family) and in the Part 1 'Submittals' article of each technical spec section. The common types are shop drawings (fabrication-level drawings for steel, millwork, curtain wall, etc.), product data (cut sheets, manufacturer specs), and physical samples (finishes, brick, fabric). The contractor prepares and reviews the submittal first, then the GC reviews and stamps it before forwarding to the A/E. The A/E reviews for general conformance with the design intent — not to take over the contractor's means and methods — and returns it with an action stamp such as Approved, Approved as Noted, Revise and Resubmit, or Rejected. Until a submittal is returned with an acceptable action, that material generally shouldn't be fabricated or installed.
- Initiated by: contractor (often originating with the sub or manufacturer)
- Reviewed by: GC first, then architect/engineer for conformance with design intent
- Output: an action stamp (Approved / Approved as Noted / Revise & Resubmit / Rejected)
- Cost/schedule effect: gates procurement and fabrication; a late or rejected submittal delays the long-lead item it covers
The 'is this an RFI or a submittal?' decision cue
When a document lands on your desk and you're not sure, run it through one question: Is the contractor asking us something, or showing us something? If they need an answer to proceed — a clarification, a direction, a resolution of a conflict — it's an RFI, and the ball is in the A/E's court to respond. If they're presenting what they plan to provide and want it reviewed before committing money or shop time — drawings, data, or a sample — it's a submittal, and the ball is in the A/E's court to review and stamp. Two quick tells that resolve most edge cases: an RFI ends with a question mark and an open issue; a submittal ends with a deliverable that needs a yes/no/with-conditions. And watch the trigger — RFIs are usually born from a gap or conflict in the documents, while submittals are scheduled deliverables that the spec required from day one.
- Asking us a question, needs an answer → RFI
- Showing us a product/drawing/sample, needs approval → Submittal
- Born from a document conflict or field condition → leans RFI
- Required by the spec section before fabrication → leans Submittal
- Edge case: an RFI answer can spawn a revised submittal — they chain, but they're still two distinct documents
Where each one lands in CA-phase routing
Both documents belong to the Construction Administration phase (after CDs are issued and the project is under contract), and both are logged so nothing falls through the cracks. The RFI log and the submittal log are separate ledgers for a reason: they track different obligations and different clocks. Turnaround windows are set by the contract — commonly a defined number of working days in the General Conditions and the project's submittal/RFI procedures — so always cite your specific agreement rather than assuming an industry default. Operationally, the PM's job is to keep both logs current, flag long-lead submittals early (curtain wall, elevators, switchgear, custom millwork can carry weeks of lead time), and make sure RFI answers that change scope get formally captured as proposal requests or change orders instead of living buried in an email thread. The cleanest projects are the ones where the logs tell the whole story without anyone having to reconstruct it.
- Phase: Construction Administration (CA), under contract, CDs issued
- Tracked on separate logs — RFI log and submittal log — each with its own turnaround clock
- Turnaround is contract-defined; cite the General Conditions, don't assume a standard number
- PM priority: surface long-lead submittals and convert scope-changing RFI answers into formal change documentation
| Attribute | RFI (Request for Information) | Submittal |
|---|---|---|
| Core purpose | Ask a question to clarify intent | Send information for review/approval |
| Initiated by | Contractor / sub (via GC) | Contractor (via GC), often from sub or manufacturer |
| Acted on by | Architect / engineer (responsible discipline) | GC first, then architect / engineer |
| What comes back | A written clarification or answer | An action stamp: Approved / As Noted / Revise & Resubmit / Rejected |
| Typical content | A specific question + sheet/spec reference | Shop drawings, product data, samples |
| Governing reference | General Conditions / RFI procedures | Div 01 (01 33 00) + each spec section's Submittals article |
| Schedule effect | Clarifies scope; can expose a hidden change | Gates procurement & fabrication of the covered item |
| Cost effect | Neutral until an answer reveals a change | Neutral if approved; rework/delay cost if rejected |
| Authorizes a change? | No — it's a question, not a directive | No — it confirms conformance, not new scope |
Frequently asked
Can an RFI turn into a submittal?
Not directly, but they chain. An RFI answer that resolves a conflict may require the contractor to revise and resubmit a shop drawing or product data set to match the clarified intent. They remain two separate documents on two separate logs — one closes a question, the other re-enters the review cycle for approval.
Does an RFI or a submittal create a change order?
Neither one does on its own. An RFI is a question and a submittal confirms conformance to existing scope. A change order arises when an answer or review reveals that the work differs from what was contracted — at which point it should be captured formally as a change proposal or change order, not left inside the RFI or submittal thread.
Who reviews a submittal first — the GC or the architect?
The general contractor reviews and stamps the submittal before forwarding it to the architect or engineer. The GC checks coordination, dimensions, and that the right product is being submitted; the A/E then reviews for general conformance with the design intent. Skipping the GC's review is a common cause of submittals getting returned 'Revise and Resubmit.'
What does the architect's stamp on a submittal actually mean?
The A/E reviews for general conformance with the design concept and the information in the contract documents — not to verify quantities, dimensions, or the contractor's means and methods, which remain the contractor's responsibility. The exact language of that limitation is set by the contract; read your General Conditions rather than assuming, because the stamp's meaning is contractually defined.
How fast does an RFI or submittal have to be answered?
By whatever turnaround the contract specifies — typically a set number of working days defined in the General Conditions and the project's submittal/RFI procedures. There's no universal default, so cite your specific agreement. The practical move is logging the receipt date and the due date so the clock is visible to everyone on the team.