RFI template

Yes. Download it as it is, in Word or PDF, without an account. You only create one when you want Cobl to rewrite it with your own questions and your branding.

RFI stands for request for information. It is a formal document a buyer sends to potential suppliers to gather background information about their capabilities before starting a formal selection process.

An RFI gathers information; an RFP requests a solution. An RFI asks who you are and what you can do, with no pricing commitment. An RFP asks how you would solve a defined problem, at what scope, and usually at what price. The RFI comes first and narrows a long list; the RFP comes second and produces a shortlist.

In construction, an RFI is a formal question a contractor sends to an architect or engineer to clarify unclear, missing, or conflicting information in project documents. It has nothing to do with vendor selection. It exists to resolve ambiguity in drawings and specifications before work proceeds, and to create a written record of the answer.

Typically 1 to 3 weeks. Public sector buyers often allow a month. Shorter windows, under a week, are a signal worth reading: either the process is genuinely urgent, or the buyer already has a preferred supplier and is completing a formality.