Request for Information (RFI) Log Template

Request for Information (RFI) Log Template

Fast-Fact Summary Box

• Template Type: Project Administration Log
• Governing Framework: CCDC Project Administration Standards
• Target Trade: General Contractors & Consultants
• Primary Operational Risk: Design clarification, response deadlines, cost impact flags, and schedule-delay evidence

Scope Boundaries (Who/What it applies to)

This template applies to General Contractors, Prime Consultants, Architects, Structural Engineers, and Subcontractors operating on commercial, institutional, and civil projects in Ontario. It governs the administrative boundaries of formal requests for information regarding design discrepancies, site conditions, coordination conflicts, and material substitutions. The scope is strictly limited to clarifying existing contract documents and does not authorise extra work or schedule extensions without a subsequent Change Order or Change Directive.

Mandatory Deliverables & Administrative Windows

• Pre-Construction Setup: Establish the master RFI log within the project management software, standardise the numbering system, and designate authorised RFI originators and responders.
• Submission Window: Submit RFIs immediately upon detecting a design conflict or site variance, allowing a standard response window of 5 to 7 business days as dictated by the contract programme.
• Active Tracking: Maintain a live, centralised RFI log detailing the date of initiation, target response date, actual response date, cost impact flag, and schedule impact flag.
• Closeout Reconciliation: Resolve and close all open RFIs prior to the application for Substantial Performance, ensuring all cost-impact flags have been converted into formal Change Orders or Contemplated Change Notices (CCNs).

Ontario Regulatory Compliance Notes

This template operates under the CCDC Project Administration Standards and serves as critical documentation for contract administration under the Ontario Construction Act. RFIs are primary evidence in establishing delay claims, scope changes, and payment entitlement.

• Proper Invoice Integration: Invoices are legally deemed proper unless the owner gives a formal written notice of deficiency within 7 days after receiving the invoice. Missing the 7-day notice window forfeits the right to dispute invoice form or structure and starts the 28-day prompt-payment timeline. RFIs resolving design issues must be processed swiftly to avoid delaying proper invoice submissions.
• Annual Holdback Release: For contracts extending beyond one year, owners must publish a Notice of Annual Release of Holdback (Form 6) on an electronic construction trade news website within 14 days after each contract anniversary. Payment of the accrued basic holdback must occur no earlier than day 60 and no later than day 74 after publication, provided no liens are preserved.
• Holdback Restrictions: The former section 27.1 notice-of-non-payment mechanism for refusing holdback distribution due to deficient or incomplete work is repealed. Holdback use is restricted to formal contract abandonment or termination scenarios and preserved lien risk.
• Adjudication Timeline: Parties have a strict 90-day window after contract completion, abandonment, or termination to initiate interim binding adjudication through ODACC or a qualified private adjudicator to resolve outstanding RFI-related cost or schedule disputes.

Form/Sign-off Requirements

• Initiator Sign-off: The General Contractor's Project Manager must sign and date the RFI submission, certifying that a thorough field and document review was completed prior to submission.
• Consultant Response Sign-off: The Prime Consultant or designated Engineer must sign, date, and stamp the response, explicitly indicating whether the clarification carries a cost or schedule impact.
• Change-Order Acknowledgement: If a cost or schedule impact is flagged, both parties must sign a Contemplated Change Notice (CCN) or Change Directive (CD) within 5 business days of the RFI response.
• Record Retention: The completed RFI log and all associated correspondence must be archived and retained in the project record for a minimum of 7 years post-substantial performance.

Official Verification Sources

• Ontario Construction Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.30
• O. Reg. 304/18 (Procedures and Forms)