RFI Response Time in the UK: What's Normal and What to Agree

There is no statutory RFI deadline in the UK. Discover how to agree realistic turnaround targets and build a paper trail that protects your project from delays.

By James Shorter ·

RFI Response Time in the UK: What’s Normal and What to Agree

Builder marking an RFI response deadline

There is no single legal response time for a construction RFI in the UK. Under NEC contracts an RFI is not a formal contract communication, so no “period for reply” applies to it unless you write one in. The practical answer: agree a number of working days before the job starts, put it in writing, and log every RFI with a date so a late answer leaves a record.

This guide covers what the contracts say, what turnaround to set, why answers run late, and how to keep a trail you can rely on if a delay turns into a dispute.

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TL;DR

  • No statutory RFI deadline exists in the UK. Under NEC, RFIs sit outside the contract’s formal process, so there is no automatic sanction for a slow reply.
  • Agree a response time in writing before work starts, and set a shorter one for anything blocking work on site.
  • If an RFI is holding up the programme, raise it formally too (an early warning under NEC) so the delay is recorded.
  • An RFI answer is not an instruction. If it changes scope, you need a formal instruction and a logged variation.
  • Date-stamp every RFI: asked, answered, who by, what it affected.

Table of Contents

What the contracts actually say about RFI response times

Most builders assume a contract sets a clock on RFIs. Usually it does not.

CECA’s guidance on NEC contracts is direct: because an RFI or technical query is not an NEC process, there is no contractual obligation on the Project Manager to reply within the period for reply, and no specific NEC sanction if they do not. The same guidance says the sensible route is to agree a response timeframe in advance, or use the early warning process if the RFI becomes urgent.

That matters because NEC does have hard clocks elsewhere. For example, NEC’s own FAQ confirms that clause 61.4 requires a reply to a compensation event notification within one week, extendable only by agreement on that individual notification. An RFI has no equivalent. If you want a clock, you have to create one.

NEC reply clock compared with RFI

JCT and smaller residential work

Most of our readers work on residential builds, extensions and small commercial fit-outs, often on JCT contracts, a bespoke contract or a simple quote and email. In those set-ups the contract documents generally do not give a fixed RFI turnaround either. We have not found a standard JCT figure to cite, so check your own contract and its schedules. Where it is silent, the response time is whatever you agree with the architect, engineer or client, which is why getting it in writing early is so useful.

Who can raise an RFI

RFIs are not only for the main contractor. A Request for Information or Technical Query can be raised by the client, the design team, the project manager or main contractor, or any subcontractor. That means a sparky or a plumber with a clash on a drawing is entitled to ask, and the answer needs to reach them, not just the site manager.

How long RFIs really take

Public UK figures on RFIs specifically are thin. The nearest hard data we can point to is on a related formal process. A 2024 CECA industry survey found that only 15% of projects managed to respond to compensation event quotations within the two weeks NEC intends, with nearly 40% taking several months. That is about compensation events, not RFIs, so do not read it as an RFI average. It does show how often formal response periods slip even when a contract sets them.

If formal clocks slip that often, an informal RFI with no clock will not do better by itself. In our experience, answers drift when:

  • The question is vague, so the designer has to come back with a question of their own.
  • The RFI is sent by text, WhatsApp or a phone call and never reaches the person who can answer.
  • Nobody knows which activity it blocks, so it has no urgency.
  • The answer sits in someone’s inbox and never gets forwarded to the trade who needs it.

None of these is about the designer being slow. They are admin failures, and admin failures can be fixed.

What response time to set

There is no official benchmark, so this is our working view from site practice, not a rule. Match the turnaround to how soon the work is affected.

Type of RFI Suggested response time Why
Blocking work this week (clash, missing detail, wrong dimension) 1 to 2 working days A crew is waiting or about to be
Affects work in the next 2 to 3 weeks 3 to 5 working days Time to answer without stopping anyone
Long-lead items or later stages 5 to 10 working days Answer is needed before ordering, not before Monday
Clarification with no programme impact By the next progress meeting Keeps the register tidy without pressure

Two points on using this table.

First, state the date the answer is needed by on the RFI itself, tied to the activity it blocks. “Please reply ASAP” gives the designer nothing to prioritise against.

Second, match the contract. If your contract says the architect has ten working days to respond to queries, a two-day target on the RFI is a request, not an entitlement. Say so, and use the programme impact to justify the request.

What response time to set — overview diagram

Write the RFI so it gets answered once

The fastest way to cut response time is to make the question easy to answer. Include:

  1. A reference and date. One numbering system for the whole job.
  2. The exact question. One question per RFI. If you have three, send three.
  3. The drawing or spec reference. Drawing number, revision, location or grid line.
  4. A photo or marked-up sketch. Site photos remove half the back and forth.
  5. Your proposed solution. Many answers come back as “proceed as proposed”, so give them something to approve.
  6. The impact if unanswered. Which task, which trade, what start date.
  7. The date you need the answer by.

We have a UK construction RFI template that follows this structure. If you are unsure whether your query is an RFI or a submittal, our RFI vs submittal guide sets out the difference.

Check you are quoting the right drawing

A surprising number of RFIs exist because someone is working from an old revision. Before you raise one, confirm the drawing is current. Our piece on drawing version control for UK builders explains how to stop superseded drawings reaching site, which removes a whole category of queries.

When the answer is late: build the paper trail

Waiting politely is the most common response to a slow RFI, and the weakest. CECA’s guidance warns that parties often lean on mutual trust and cooperation for RFI responses, which can be dangerous when things go wrong. If an RFI is critical, support it with an early warning or other formal notification so the delay is recorded and sits inside the contract’s dispute process.

Under an NEC contract, that looks like this:

  1. Raise the RFI with a required-by date.
  2. If the date passes with no answer, chase in writing and name the activity affected.
  3. If the delay will hit the programme or cost, issue an early warning and record it.
  4. Keep the chaser, the early warning and any reply together against the RFI.

Without that chain, you may find months later that a delay cannot be claimed for because nobody wrote it down at the time. CECA also publishes a bulletin on lack of response, time bars and deemed acceptances in NEC contracts, which is worth reading if you work under NEC and want to see where silence has consequences.

On non-NEC jobs the mechanism differs, but the habit is the same: written request, written chaser, written record of impact. If you think a delay will cost you money or time, speak to a contracts specialist or your solicitor about the notice requirements in your own contract.

An RFI answer is not a variation

This causes more disputes than slow replies. An RFI response clarifies something. It does not automatically change the contract.

CECA’s guidance is that you should not treat an RFI response as a change instruction: if the answer alters scope, a separate Project Manager’s Instruction must be issued under NEC. The same principle applies on other contracts, where you need a written instruction before you price and carry out extra work.

On site, the pattern goes like this. You raise an RFI about a steel that does not fit. The engineer replies with a revised detail. You build it. Later the client says it was in the original price. Nothing links the revised detail to a variation, because the RFI was never turned into one.

The fix is simple:

  • When an RFI answer changes the work, log a variation straight away and link it to the RFI.
  • Get the instruction in writing from the person who has authority to give it.
  • Record the cost and time effect before the work starts, not after.

Perspective: why RFI delays are really a record-keeping problem

We built BRCKS because we saw the same pattern on every job. The question was asked. Someone replied. Nobody could find it three weeks later.

On most small and mid-sized UK jobs, RFIs do not go through a portal. They go through WhatsApp, phone calls, site meetings and email. The designer may well have answered in two days. But the answer sat in a thread with 400 other messages, the trade never saw it, and the job lost a week.

So we think response time is only half the number. The other half is find and act time: how long it takes from the answer being given to the right person knowing about it and the decision being on record. A two-day reply that nobody finds is slower than a five-day reply that lands in the right place.

That is why we are cautious about chasing a faster designer as the first fix. Start by making sure that every RFI has a date, an owner, a required-by date and a linked answer, and that the answer reaches the trade. Then measure. Most teams find the delays are in their own handover, not in the design office.

We also think builders under-record. A phone call that settled a detail is worth two lines in the project record. It costs a minute and can save a disputed variation later.

— James

Keeping RFIs on one record with BRCKS

BRCKS is built for UK builders and trades who already run jobs through WhatsApp. Your team keeps messaging as normal, including through WhatsApp with a dedicated business number, and BRCKS files messages, photos and decisions against the right project. RFIs are tracked with audit trails, so you can see when each was raised, who answered and what was said. Variations are logged in a structured way, so an RFI answer that changes scope can be tied to the variation it caused.

You can also search project history in plain English, for example “what did the engineer say about the lintel”, rather than scrolling back through chats. Subcontractors and clients are invited free.

BRCKS costs £40 per seat per month, billed annually, and you can try it free for 14 days. If you would like to see it on a real job first, book a demo. For small firms weighing up options, our page on project management software for UK small builders explains how it fits.

A practical RFI routine for a small UK job

You do not need a big system to improve response times. This routine works on a two-person extension or a ten-house site.

Before the job starts

  • Agree who answers which type of query: architect, structural engineer, M&E designer, client.
  • Agree the response times from the table above, in writing. An email confirming it is enough.
  • Agree where RFIs are raised and answered, so they do not scatter across five channels.

During the job

  • Raise every query that needs a design decision as an RFI, with a number and a date.
  • Add a photo and a proposed solution.
  • Review open RFIs once a week and sort them by the start date of the work they block. This is the list for your progress meeting.
  • Chase in writing the day an answer is due.

When an answer arrives

  • Send it to the trade who needs it, not just the person who asked.
  • Check whether it changes scope. If so, log a variation and get the instruction in writing.
  • Update the drawing set if a revision was issued.
  • Close the RFI with the date answered.

At the end

Keep the register. It becomes part of the handover record and the first thing to hand over if there is a dispute. Our guide to reducing project miscommunication on site covers the wider habits that stop queries piling up.

If you also keep a daily record of site conditions, a site diary app helps you show what was happening on the day an answer was due and what it cost you not to have it.

Measure your own response time

Industry averages are of limited use. Your own numbers tell you where your jobs lose time. Track, for every RFI:

  • Date raised and date answered.
  • Working days taken.
  • Who answered.
  • Activity affected and whether it was delayed.
  • Whether it led to a variation.

After five or six RFIs a pattern appears. One designer might consistently take three weeks against an agreed five days. A certain type of query may always come from the same missing detail. You can then raise it at a progress meeting with evidence, rather than frustration.

FAQ

How long should an RFI response take in the UK?

There is no UK-wide legal answer. Under NEC contracts an RFI is not a formal process, so no contractual period for reply applies unless the parties agree one. As a working target, we suggest one to two working days for queries blocking work this week and three to five for the rest, agreed in writing.

What happens if an RFI is not answered in time?

Under NEC there is no automatic sanction for a late RFI reply. What protects you is the record: a written chaser and, where the delay affects the programme, an early warning. On other contracts, check the notice provisions and take advice if cost or time is at stake.

Is an RFI the same as a variation?

No. An RFI asks a question. A variation, or change order, changes the scope, time or price of the work. If an RFI answer changes what you build, you need a separate written instruction and a logged variation.

Who can raise an RFI on a UK project?

Anyone on the project team. That includes the client, the design team, the main contractor and subcontractors. In practice, the person who spots the problem on site should raise it, with a photo, and the main contractor should make sure it is logged.

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How BRCKS Can Help

Establishing clear expectations for RFI turnaround times is vital for keeping UK construction projects on programme and avoiding costly delays. By centralising communication and automating tracking, BRCKS ensures that every query is actioned promptly and nothing falls through the cracks. Our platform provides the transparency needed to hold all parties accountable, ultimately fostering a more collaborative site environment. We invite you to see how BRCKS can streamline your project management by booking a demo or starting a free trial today. Learn more at BRCKS and explore our full feature set.


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