Reviewing Submittals, Mockups, and RFI’s

Reviewing submittals and especially mock-ups, it's your last line of defense, basically, to protect the design intent of the project. So you really need to make sure that you thoroughly review submittals, that they are the correct product, and that they meet all of the specifications that are made. An RFI is a request for information. It's basically a question that the contractor has, more or less.

It either will come from a field condition, something that's popped up that you didn't know about. Or there may be a discrepancy from your documentation. So there may be a discrepancy between the mechanical drawings and what you showed on the RCPs, which are the reflected ceiling plans. An RFI that we have received before in the past is the coordination between RCPs with your consultant. So the reflected ceiling plans, the RCPs, are some of the most difficult drawings to coordinate.

Oftentimes, unfortunately maybe a light fixture or a diffuser, something like that, they won't match, the mechanical or electrical won't match the architectural RCPs. So in that case, if that happens, the contractor would need to write an RFI asking which one is correct. That also proves the importance of coordinated drawings in the construction process.

If your drawings aren't coordinated, you're going to have a very difficult time in construction.

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