RFIs – The Paper War & How to Prevent It

We will look at RFI use and abuse, including real life data from 1,400 projects and a sample RFI General Conditions clause to help control the process and reduce the impact of the RFI “paper war.”  We will discuss the genesis of RFIs, their development in the industry, a frequent common use, and their impact on construction projects.  We will draw from data provided by a global construction software provider and other studies to assess how RFIs and the RFI process impact both small- and large-scale construction projects.

We will address abuse of the RFI process and how RFIs may be misused to increase profitability – a practice institutionalized to some degree in the past few decades.  We will examine a case study involving a wastewater treatment facility laboratory building to illustrate process abuse and discuss legal arguments for cumulative impact due to numerous RFIs.  We will show how owners inadvertently contribute to the abuse of RFIs by failing to adopt practices that may contractually safeguard against potential negative impacts of the RFI process.

We will provide a framework for reducing the impact of RFIs via three principal recommendations:.

Participants will learn:

• time and cost impacts of RFIs
• how the RFI process can be abused and used as the basis of claims
• how to mitigate adverse impact of RFIs via contractual mechanisms
• value of an electronic RFI tracking and monitoring system
• best management practices concerning RFIs and the RFI process

Instructor: James G. Zack, Jr. is Principal of James Zack Consulting, LLC, a construction claims consultancy dedicated to helping Owners and Contractors complete projects in the field, not arbitration or court.   He is a recognized, published expert in mitigation, analysis, and resolution or defense of construction claims and disputes.  In his 49-year career, he has been involved in public and private projects throughout the U.S. and 39 countries, working with Owners and Contractors on 5,000+ claims.

See Flyer for complete details and registration information.