Statuses & Ball-in-Court

The RFI state machine — every status, what it means, whose turn it is, and how RFIs move between states.

Every RFI runs on one state machine that tracks both its status and its ball-in-court — the single party whose turn it is to act. The register's Status column, its In my court and Overdue views, and the Ball in court column are the fastest read on what needs doing.

RFIs are in beta

The RFI module is in beta — in production and usable, but not yet part of a versioned release of its own.

An open RFI — the routing line spells out whose turn it is and what's expected

The Statuses

StatusMeaningBall-in-Court
DraftStarted but not yet submittedInitiator
SubmittedSubmitted, waiting to be screened (two-step)Coordinator
OpenRouted to a responder, awaiting the answerResponder
AnsweredOfficial response on file, awaiting acceptanceCoordinator
ReturnedSent back for more detail; add it as a clarification and resubmitInitiator
ClosedAccepted and on the record—
VoidCancelled — no longer valid—

How RFIs Move

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The Two-Step Review

Under the default two-step review, a coordinator sits on both sides of the responder:

  1. Screen — when an RFI is submitted, the coordinator either routes it to a responder (→ open) or returns it to the initiator for more detail (→ returned).
  2. Review the answer — when an RFI is answered, the coordinator either accepts & closes it (→ closed) or returns the answer to the responder for rework (→ open).

Single-step skips the coordinator

Under single-step review, a submitted RFI goes straight to Open for the responder you named — no coordinator screening. Once answered, the ball returns to the initiator, and anyone whose role can move RFIs through the workflow accepts and closes it — or the initiator themselves, whatever their role, if Allow initiator to close (single-step) is on. Set this in policies.

Overdue

Submitted, open, and answered RFIs that pass their due date are flagged overdue in red on the register and the detail. Due dates come from the RFI itself, or default to the policy SLA from submission. When the project's Auto-escalate overdue RFIs policy is on (the default), whoever holds the ball, its watchers and everyone on the project whose role can route RFIs (by default the owner, project manager, superintendent and RFI coordinator) also get a notice in the app and by email once it falls overdue.

Reopen & Void

  • Reopen — a closed RFI can be reopened if follow-up is needed, by anyone whose role can move RFIs through the workflow (by default the owner, project manager, superintendent and RFI coordinator); it returns to Open and the reopen is recorded in the RFI's activity. The answer it was closed on is kept under Superseded responses, as is an answer the coordinator returns for rework.
  • Void — an RFI that's no longer valid can be voided at any point before it closes, by its initiator, its coordinator or the project owner — if their role can also move RFIs through the workflow. Voiding cancels it without an answer.
  • Delete draft — a draft has no number and nobody has been notified, so the person who raised it can delete it from the RFI page on the web app. Once submitted, an RFI can only be voided.

Questions

What shows in In my court?

Every RFI whose ball is with you: your drafts and returned RFIs, RFIs you're answering, and answers waiting on the person who routed them. If your role can assign RFIs, it also shows new submitted RFIs waiting to be screened.

Does anyone get a reminder when an RFI goes overdue?

Yes, when the project's Auto-escalate overdue RFIs policy is on, which it is by default. When an RFI passes its due date, whoever holds the ball, its watchers and everyone on the project whose role can route RFIs get a notice in the app and by email. The RFI also turns red and shows in the Overdue view.

My RFI came back Returned. Can I change it before resubmitting?

No, a returned RFI can't be edited. Add the missing detail as a clarification on its page (type it under Clarifications and press Reply), then press Resubmit RFI. The person who returned it is notified.

What happens to the answer if an RFI is reopened?

It's kept. Reopen sends the RFI back to its responder for a new answer, and the earlier answer moves under Superseded responses on the RFI's page. Return answer does the same.