The $860,000 Is Real Money

Key Takeaways

• Average RFI cost now $2,000‑$3,000 each
• Projects spend about $860,000 on RFI management
• Typical RFI consumes eight hours and 9.7 days
• Cognitive overload reduces higher‑order decision making

Summary

A Navigant Construction Forum study found average construction projects spend $860,000 on RFIs, covering review time, response cycles, and admin overhead. Updated 2024 estimates put the direct cost of a single RFI at $2,000‑$3,000, up from $1,080 in 2013. Projects see roughly 10‑20 RFIs per $1 million of construction value, meaning a $100 million job can generate over a thousand RFIs. The hidden cost is the cognitive load on staff, causing delays, decision fatigue, and hidden productivity losses.

Pulse Analysis

Requests for information (RFIs) have become a silent cost driver in construction, with recent research indicating an average spend of $860,000 per project on RFI processing. The figure reflects not only the time spent reviewing and answering queries but also the administrative overhead that multiplies across large‑scale builds. Inflation and rising labor rates have pushed the direct cost of a single RFI to $2,000‑$3,000, a threefold increase from the 2013 baseline. With roughly ten to twenty RFIs per $1 million of construction value, a $100 million development can generate well over a thousand RFIs, amplifying both financial and schedule risk.

Beyond the dollar amount, RFIs impose a heavy cognitive load on project teams. Each request typically consumes eight combined hours and lingers for an average of 9.7 days before resolution, forcing staff to juggle routine paperwork alongside complex coordination tasks. This constant interruption depletes mental bandwidth, leading to decision fatigue, narrowed situational awareness, and missed early warnings of cost overruns or schedule slips. The resulting cascade of extra meetings, calls, and rework spreads the hidden expense across countless timesheets, making it difficult for owners to see the true impact on profitability.

The construction sector is beginning to address the RFI dilemma through smarter information management and automation. Integrated platforms that centralize drawings, specifications, and communication can cut response times, reduce duplicate queries, and lower the per‑RFI cost. Early adopters report up to a 30 % reduction in RFI volume and measurable gains in team focus and project velocity. As firms recognize the ROI of reducing cognitive overload, investment in AI‑driven query resolution and standardized data protocols is likely to become a competitive differentiator, ultimately driving down the $860,000 average burden.