Respond to an RFI Author

When tracking RFIs, you can send a response to the author of an RFI and close it. Perform the following steps to respond to an RFI author and close the RFI.

To respond to an RFI author

1.     If you are not already there, open the RFIs activity center (shown below) by clicking RFIs from the Project Home activity center or from the Activities list.

2.     Select the RFI you are responding to from either the Open category or the Overdue category.

3.     Click Close > Respond and Close from the Tasks panel to open the Respond to RFI and Close dialog box, as shown here. Project Center automatically fills in the information from the original RFI.

If the RFI has files associated with it, the Select Files to Send dialog box will open first. Select the files you want to send with the RFI response.

4.     Edit the information in the fields in the top half as necessary.

5.     Click the Action drop-down list and select the decision you made regarding the RFI.

6.     Click the Send Via drop-down list and select the method in which you are sending this RFI.

If you choose a drag and drop method, you will be required to add files to the RFI.

7.     Enter the answer and other important information in the Response tab. The history of the RFI is summarized in the Summary section.

8.     Describe the contents of the RFI in the Description of Contents tab. Click Add Item to add a line for each item. Any rows from the original RFI will appear in this tab automatically. Click Populate from > Associated Files to add a row for each file from the Associated Files tab. (If there are no new files, it is disabled.) This information is used to fill in the Contents section of the Transmittal form.

9.     To include any additional files with the RFI, add them by clicking the Associated Files tab, then Add Files. Navigate through the folders until you locate the file, then click Open. Repeat as necessary until you have added all the necessary files.

10.  The Save Record Copy in field (in the Associated Files tab) contains a default location in which a record copy of the RFI will be saved. You can change the location by clicking the icon.

11.  Modify any other information as necessary.

12.  Click Create at the bottom of the dialog box. The RFI is automatically closed and is filed in the All Closed category of the Project RFIs activity center.

The events that occur depend on how the RFI and its transmittal are being transferred, as indicated in the Send Via field above.

Via Info Exchange or a drag and drop method

●        Use the Options tab to edit the settings for the file transfer, including who can access it, and reminder and notification settings. The settings are sticky from transfer to transfer.

●        The Responded and Closed action is added to the RFI's Change Log tab.

●        The file transfer is logged in the All Outgoing log of the Info Exchange activity center.

●        The transmittal is filed in the All Sent log of the Project Transmittals activity center.

Via email

●        Use the Options tab to select how you want to attach the files.

●        An email message opens in Microsoft Outlook containing information about the transfer and the files in a .ZIP file. Edit the message, then send it.

●        The Responded and Closed action is added to the RFI's Change Log tab.

●        The transmittal is filed in the All Sent log of the Project Transmittals activity center.

Via hard copy

●        The Responded and Closed action is added to the RFI's Change Log tab.

●        The transmittal is filed in the All Sent log of the Project Transmittals activity center.

●        The contacts are sent an email message notifying them of the action.