Requests for Information

Overview

An RFI is a request for information that is used in the construction industry to clarify project issues and fill in details such as specifications, plans, drawings, contracts, etc. Creating and sending RFIs is a standard business procedure that enables you to gather information about potential suppliers and make bidding decisions based on that. They can be used along with a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Tender (RFT). Typically, they follow a set format that makes it easy for you to compare one RFI to another. RFIs can be used in these common scenarios:

• A contractor asking the designer/architect/engineer for clarification on a drawing

• A contractor asking the client or stakeholders a question regarding the project

• A subcontractor asking the general contractor questions regarding subcontracted work

The Requests for Information screen allows you to create and track RFIs for your construction projects. Typically, subcontractors create the RFIs and send them to the general contractors, who then forward them to the architects or owners for review. The architect/owner then responds to the RFIs and sends them back to the general contractor, who then returns that to the subcontractor. BQE CORE provides relevant notifications when RFIs are assigned to contacts to help them stay on top of them. Click to watch this video on creating RFIs in CORE.

RFIs are specifically useful for the architectural and engineering companies in the construction industry. This feature is available only if you select Architectural & Engineering industry type when creating your CORE company account.

Field Descriptions

How To

Create RFIs

Edit RFIs

Add Documents

Batch Update RFIs

Show/Hide Columns in Grid

Export RFIs

View Reports

Apply Filters

Mark Screen as Favorite

Field Descriptions

Create RFIs

To create an RFI, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. Click Create New on the top-right.
3. On the Create Request for Information screen, enter the required information. Check Field Descriptions above for details.
   • Project
   • RFI #: say [SUBCONTRACT #]-RFI-0001
   • Creator
   • Description
   • Status

4. Click the Contacts field to display the Select Contacts dialog where you can select the people involved with the RFI. Click Done.

5. Enter the relevant dates. When you have finished, click Save & Done or Save & Add Another.

Edit RFIs

To edit an RFI, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. Select the RFI records on the grid and click Actions > Delete to delete them. You can also delete a single RFI by clicking the row-action menu and selecting Delete.
3. To edit a single RFI record, click  on a row and select View Details.
4. On the Edit Request for Information screen, enter more details or make changes.
   
   
   
   
5. Click Save & Done.

Add Documents

To add a document to an RFI record, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. In the list view, select an RFI record on the grid and click  to select View Details.
3. On the Edit Request for Information > Documents screen, click Add.
   
   
   
   
4. On the Add Documents dialog, select the relevant tab, depending on the type of attachment .

   • Computer: To attach files stored on your computer, enter its Description and drag your file or click to browse to that location.

   • Hyperlink: To attach an external link, enter its Description and then insert the hyperlink.

   • Dropbox: To link files stored in your Dropbox account, enter its Description and then browse for it.

   • Google Drive: To link files stored in your Google Drive account, enter its Description and then browse for it.

   • OneDrive: To link files stored in your Microsoft OneDrive account, enter its Description and then browse for it.

   • Box: To link files stored in your Box account, enter its Description and then browse for it.

   • Resource Library: To link company resources, select the resource from the library. This option is available only with CORE CRM.

5. Click Add.

CORE pre-fills some of the information about the attached documents in the grid. You can send the documents to your clients, employees or other contacts for getting their digital or electronic signatures (eSignature via DocuSign) using the eSign option from the  row-action menu. CORE automatically adds the signed documents to the Documents folder of the entity (record) as separate attachments. It displays the status of the document, whether it has been delivered via DocuSign, viewed by the recipients, declined or completed by the recipients, etc. This column does not show up if you are not connected via the DocuSign integration. You can also check the detailed video on managing documents in CORE.

Batch Update RFIs

Batch update allows you to edit multiple attributes of multiple RFIs at a time and reset the values to none if the field is not required. This process is irreversible.

To update RFIs in a batch mode, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. Select the RFIs on the grid that you want to update and click Actions > Batch Update.

3. On the Batch Update dialog, select the relevant fields and then enter new values for them.

4. Check the disclaimer at the bottom and click Update.

All the selected records are updated with the changes. You can also check the detailed video on batch updating records in CORE.

Show/Hide Columns in Grid

You can configure the fields or columns that appear on the grid in the list view. You can hide or show columns, and sort the order of columns according to your requirements.

To do so, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. In the list view, click More > Show/Hide Columns on the action bar.
3. Select or un-select the column names in the drop-down list, say Date Returned.
4. Next, click the column name you want to sort the data by, say Due Date.
5. Click once for ascending order (A-Z) and twice for descending order (Z-A).

Note: You can resize the column widths on the grid and then reset them, if needed (More > Reset Column Widths).

You can also check the detailed video on navigation and customizing grids in CORE.

Export RFIs

In CORE, you can export RFIs to the Comma Separated Values file format. CORE exports data from all available columns and not just the columns visible in the grid.

To export RFI records to a .CSV file, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. In the list view, click More > Export as CSV.
3. A .csv export file is created and saved on your system at the default download location, say your desktop. Click to open the spreadsheet.

You can also check the detailed video on exporting data in CORE.

View Reports

To view a report, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. In the list view, click More > View Reports.
3. Select a report from the Report List dialog. It opens in the viewer.
4. Preview the report and then choose to export or print it.

You can also check the detailed video on running and managing reports in CORE.

Apply Filters

To view selective data on the grid, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. In the list view, click  on the right.
3. On the Filters panel, select a filter from the drop-down and specify individual records or range.
4. Click Add Filters to specify more filters.
5. When you have finished, click Apply Filter. You can see selective data now.
6. In the list view, you can remove the individual filters by clicking  on each. To disable applied filters temporarily or remove all filters, click  next to the Filters icon and select Disable Filters or Clear All, respectively. 

You can also check the detailed video on applying filters in CORE.

Mark Screen as Favorite

You can mark or flag the most-often used and important screens in CORE as your favorites up to a maximum of ten. These favorite screens then display separately on the side menu under the Favorites list. You can manage all your favorite screens in CORE from User Settings. 

To mark this screen as your favorite, watch this video and follow these steps:

1. Open the Requests for Information screen from the side menu > Projects > Assets.
   
   
   
   
2. In the list view, click  on the top-right.
3. You can access this screen from the side menu under Favorites.

You can also check the detailed video on marking screens as favorite in CORE.