RFIs were meant to solve problems. Instead, they’ve become one of the biggest sources of friction in construction.

In this episode of The Constructive Criticism Podcast, we unpack The Great RFI War — how Requests for Information slowly turned from a coordination tool into a defensive move, a paper trail, and sometimes an outright weapon on job sites.

We get real about:

• Why RFI counts have exploded on modern construction projects
• How incomplete drawings and risk-shifting contracts fuel unnecessary RFIs
• The difference between a legitimate RFI and one that shouldn’t exist
• How RFIs quietly impact schedules, budgets, and team trust
• Where contractors, architects, and owners are all contributing to the problem

This isn’t a contractor-versus-architect episode. It’s a straight talk conversation about how misuse of RFIs slows projects down, burns relationships, and creates avoidable conflict across the industry.

If you work in commercial construction — contractor, architect, owner, or PM — and you’ve ever written, answered, or argued over an RFI, this episode will hit close to home.