What if the way your firm handles RFIs and submittals is actually sabotaging your projects? While you're busy putting out fires, your competitors are preventing them altogether.

Many architecture firms are still using 1990s workflows for 2025 problems. They treat RFIs and submittals as necessary evils—administrative burdens to endure rather than strategic opportunities to leverage. But the firms winning the biggest projects and maintaining the highest margins have quietly revolutionized this process.

It's time to stop managing RFIs and submittals the way we've always done it. The future of construction administration demands a fundamental rethinking of these critical workflows.

Why traditional approaches fall short

Many firms handle the RFI and submittal review process in ways that create unnecessary friction and missed opportunities. 

Here's why traditional approaches are failing:

1. Disconnected workflows

RFIs are processed through one workflow and submittals go through another, and teams rarely connect the dots between the two. Here's what that looks like: Your mechanical contractor submits five RFIs about HVAC specifications, and you answer them individually. Two weeks later, the HVAC submittals arrive and go through the same process. The intelligence from those RFIs—the warning signs about what could be problematic—gets lost because no one connected the dots.

2. Outdated manual tools

Email threads, spreadsheet tracking, and fragmented platforms create more than just inefficiency; they increase risk. When submittal status lives in one person's spreadsheet, what happens when that person is unavailable? When RFI responses get buried in email, how do you ensure nothing falls through the cracks?

3. No learning loop

These manual, disjointed approaches prevent firms from learning and improving. Every project repeats the same mistakes, asks the same questions and ultimately faces the same delays because there's no system to capture and apply insights from one project to the next.

The strategic shift: From reactive to proactive

Leading architecture firms have fundamentally changed how they think about architect RFI management and submittal reviews. Instead of reacting to each document as it arrives, they're using these workflows as early warning systems for project health.

Step 1: Track and recognize the patterns

After a few projects, patterns begin to emerge: Certain building systems consistently generate more RFIs, specific types of submittals regularly require revisions, and the construction administration phase presents predictable bottlenecks.

But smart firms don't just notice patterns—they actively track them by asking:

• Which building systems generate the most RFIs across our portfolio?

• What percentage of submittals get approved on the first review?

• How do RFI volumes correlate with submittal rejection rates?

• Which project phases create the most back-and-forth?

This data transforms construction administration: Instead of treating each RFI and submittal as an isolated task, firms see them as data points that reveal where their processes can be improved.

Step 2: Close the intelligence loop

Pattern recognition only matters if you act on it. Forward-thinking firms track these patterns and take action:

• If structural connections always generate RFIs, they add proactive clarifications to their drawings.

• If mechanical submittals frequently fail first review, they schedule earlier coordination meetings.

• If certain consultants consistently create review bottlenecks, they build in extra buffer time.

When firms identify recurring issues and address them systematically in their documentation and workflows, they see measurable improvements in project delivery speed and reduced back-and-forth communication.

The framework for better RFI and submittal management

1. Integrate your workflows

Stop treating RFIs and submittals as separate processes. When you answer an RFI, that information should automatically inform your submittal review criteria. When you notice multiple RFIs on a specific topic, it should trigger proactive submittal scrutiny in that area.

Action: Create submittal schedules that account for expected RFI volumes and timelines. If you know certain systems typically generate questions, plan accordingly.

2. Connect your tools

Disconnected platforms force teams to manually forward documents, update multiple systems, and hunt for the latest information. Modern construction administration requires integrated tools where information flows automatically.

When contractors and architects work in connected systems, RFIs and submittals move seamlessly between platforms. Changes sync in real-time. Status updates happen automatically. No one wastes time on manual data entry or version control.

Some firms using integrated platforms report processing submittals 75% faster simply by eliminating manual steps like downloading files, routing via email, collecting responses, and compiling feedback.

Action: Evaluate whether your current tools support integration. Do RFIs from contractor platforms automatically appear in your review queue? Can submittal responses sync without manual effort?

3. Automate the routine

Every hour spent tracking down emails or updating spreadsheets is an hour not spent on designing or building client relationships. Automation frees your team to focus on high-value activities.

Modern platforms automatically:

• Route submittals to appropriate reviewers based on discipline

• Send reminders before deadlines

• Compile feedback from multiple consultants

• Generate status reports without requiring manual data entry

• Flag potential bottlenecks before they cause delays

Action: Beginning with the most time-consuming or error-prone activities, identify which administrative tasks in your current process could be automated. 

4. Measure what matters

Traditional metrics—"Did we respond on time?"—miss the bigger picture.

Leading firms track:

• Response quality: Do our RFI responses generate follow-up questions?

• First-time approval rates: What percentage of submittals pass on the first review?

• Pattern trends: Are we seeing fewer RFIs on similar building typologies over time?

• Review efficiency: Where do bottlenecks consistently occur?

• Project velocity: How do improved processes impact overall timelines?

Action: Start tracking one new metric beyond basic completion rates. First-time approval rates for submittals are a good place to start—these reveal both documentation quality and review effectiveness.

5. Capture and apply learnings

The most valuable outcome of better RFI and submittal management isn't just faster processing, it's institutional learning that improves every future project.

Create systems to capture:

• Common RFI topics and proven responses

• Submittal review checklists informed by past issues

• Patterns that predict where problems will emerge

• Best practices from successful projects

Your first project with a new building system might generate 50 RFIs. The second generates only 30 because you've improved documentation. By the fifth project, you're down to 15 because you've systematically addressed recurring questions.

Action: After your next project, conduct a 30-minute review specifically examining RFI and submittal patterns. What is repeated? What surprised you? What would you change for next time?

Making the shift: A practical roadmap

Week 1: Assess your current state

Pull your last 10 RFIs and submittals and analyze them honestly:

• How many RFIs could have been prevented with clearer documentation?

• What percentage of submittals were approved on first review?

• Where did delays occur—contractor prep, routing, review, or feedback compilation?

• How much team time went to administration versus actual review?

Calculate the real cost: hours on manual tasks, project delays from bottlenecks, and opportunities lost while buried in administration.

Week 2–3: Redesign and implement

Map workflows that connect RFIs and submittals strategically. Evaluate technology that enables integration and automation—not just tools that digitize your current manual process.

Look for platforms that:

• Connect with contractor tools for seamless data flow.

• Automate routine tasks like routing and notifications.

• Provide analytics on patterns and bottlenecks.

• Support consultant collaboration without email chaos.

Week 4: Measure and refine

Track new metrics and monitor how changes impact speed, quality, and team satisfaction. Gather feedback and adjust based on what you learn.

The goal isn't perfection on day one—it's continuous improvement informed by data.

The competitive reality

The construction RFI process and submittal review process aren't just administrative details—they're strategic choices that shape your firm's competitiveness and reputation.

Contractors notice when architects respond to RFIs quickly and clearly. Owners pay attention when submittal reviews don't delay projects. Consultants appreciate working with firms that have streamlined, professional processes. This reputation becomes a differentiator when competing for new work.

While some firms continue managing RFIs and submittals through email and spreadsheets, others are transforming these workflows into competitive advantages. They're using data to improve project outcomes, automating routine tasks so teams can focus on design and delivering projects faster and building stronger client relationships.

The technology already exists. The frameworks are proven. The question is whether your firm will adopt these approaches now or wait until they become industry standard—and then you're playing catch-up.

Moving forward

Better RFI and submittal review processes don't require a complete firm overhaul. They require strategic thinking about how these workflows connect, willingness to challenge outdated approaches, and commitment to continuous improvement.

The future of construction administration isn't about working harder, it's about working smarter through integration, automation, and strategic use of data.

Ready to see how modern construction administration tools can transform your RFI and submittal workflows? 

Book a demo with Part3 to see how leading firms are transforming scattered RFI and submittal workflows into streamlined systems minus the chaos.