Your superintendent finds a dimension that disagrees with the structural detail. You need the designer to answer a specific question, and the crew needs to find that answer beside the affected drawing. RFI software should preserve that path even when reviewers change or another drawing revision arrives. Procore, Autodesk Forma Build, and Fieldwire Business Plus are three options worth evaluating for this job.
Favor Procore when your team already runs project records there; evaluate Forma Build when drawing and document work already happens in Autodesk. Fieldwire Business Plus deserves a look when field teams use Fieldwire and need a formal question-and-answer process. Keep your current tool if it handles the required routing and references: moving an active RFI register adds work. These recommendations use official documentation checked October 16, 2026, not hands-on usability tests.
Keep the construction question separate from procurement
This comparison concerns requests for clarification during construction. A procurement RFI asks prospective suppliers about their capabilities before a purchasing decision; its questionnaires and evaluation process need a different shortlist. A submittal also has a different purpose: it presents items such as proposed materials or shop drawings for review. Confirm which record your project requires before buying a workflow around it.
For construction clarifications, ask who can submit, who must respond, and who accepts the answer. Then check whether a subcontractor can see the drawing reference and permitted response without gaining access to unrelated records. A reply may clarify the design while leaving its commercial effect unresolved. Your contract and authorized project team determine whether a separate change approval is required.
Compare the routing, drawing reference, and final answer
Use the same project roles in each demonstration: superintendent, project engineer, project manager, designer, and subcontractor. Require the question, relevant drawing revision, due date, responsible reviewer, and accepted response to survive the whole process. Ask a person with restricted access to repeat the retrieval step. Administrator access can hide a missing permission that would stop work in the field.
| Decision | Procore | Autodesk Forma Build | Fieldwire Business Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| RFI scope | Project RFIs supports assignees, a manager, and official responses; confirm inclusion in the quote. | Full Build includes project management; Essentials is not the RFI edition. | Business Plus includes RFIs; Basic, Pro, and Business do not. |
| Question and answer routing | Configure the RFI manager and assignees; distinguish replies from the official response. | Managers select an official response after reviewer input, then close and distribute. | Company roles control submission and acceptance; an answer moves the record to Pending before closure. |
| Drawing context | Record the drawing reference and demonstrate the linked drawing in the proposed setup. | Create an RFI from a sheet or attach sheet references. | Add the related plan to the question and verify access with the receiving company. |
All three document structured RFI workflows, so the existence of an RFI button does not decide the purchase. Ask which configuration fits the people who will respond and how those people receive the answer. If your decision includes broader project and financial workflows, the Procore vs Autodesk comparison covers that wider evaluation.
Run the same drawing discrepancy through each tool
Use a hypothetical conflict between architectural sheet A-201 revision C and structural sheet S-102 revision B. Attach a marked-up PDF identifying the opening, ask which dimension governs, and give the reviewer a due date. These are proposed acceptance tests based on documented workflows. They have not been executed as product benchmarks.
In Procore, configure the project roles, create the RFI, enter the drawing reference, and assign the responsible people. Its creation documentation distinguishes the question, replies, and official response. Ask the demonstrator to link the relevant drawing and show the selected answer from the superintendent’s account. The expected output is an identifiable RFI whose answer can be traced to the referenced question and drawing.
In Forma Build, configure the RFI type and roles, then create the question with sheet references. Route it through the manager to reviewers. Autodesk’s documented process lets the manager choose the official response and close and distribute the record. Ask the superintendent to retrieve the answer and attachment from the drawing context. Check the difference between a reviewer’s comment and the issued response.
In Fieldwire Business Plus, enable project management and set company roles before drafting the question with its related plan. The documented RFI workflow moves from Draft to Open when submitted to the assignee, then to Pending when answered. Have the creator accept and close the response or return it for clarification. The expected output is a closed question with its answer and history; test visibility from the receiving company’s account.
Finish each demonstration by uploading a later drawing revision and asking where the old reference remains. Record the behavior instead of assuming that a link preserves revision history. If the answer changes the work, send it through the required commercial review. The construction purchase order software comparison addresses the separate purchasing record.
Price five participants for the same twelve months
For an illustrative US-dollar subscription comparison, assume five total licensed participants on one project for twelve months, paid annually. There are no additional guests in this scenario. Exclude taxes, migration, training, integrations, and custom services from the subscription arithmetic, then request those items separately. This is a defined example, not an average project budget.
Fieldwire lists Business Plus at $89 per user per month billed annually: five × $89 × twelve = $5,340 per year. Its free tier lacks RFIs. Autodesk lists Forma Build at $1,400 per user annually: five × $1,400 = $7,000 per year. Use full Build for this comparison, because the cheaper Essentials edition excludes the project-management scope needed here. Prices were checked October 16, 2026.
Procore prices annual contracts by products and annual construction volume, with unlimited users apart from its stated Field Productivity exception. Five participants alone cannot produce a quote; the total remains unknown until scope and volume are supplied. Request minimum commitments, additional-volume terms, and implementation charges. The Procore pricing article covers how to read that proposal.
Where Permute fits around RFI reporting
Permute sells connected business data, custom applications, and governed analysis. We can help scope reporting that combines permitted RFI exports with project and accounting records. Match project identifiers before combining records, and keep unmatched entries visible instead of assigning them to a likely job.
We can apply your declared definition of an overdue response or unresolved cost exposure across those inputs. A project leader can review the resulting records with source evidence and current access controls. Keep an answered question separate from an approved change so the report does not imply financial authorization that never occurred.
Explore a report from permitted project exports
Start with an RFI register and the project records you are authorized to analyze.
Keep design decisions in the approved project workflow
We do not replace the designer’s judgment or the project team’s authorization process. This article does not promise a native connection, automatic RFI response, or write-back to any reviewed product. Confirm available access, supported operations, and approval responsibilities before scoping an application.
Test the register before moving an active project
Export open and closed RFIs with their identifiers, dates, participants, answers, and attachments. Check whether drawing links still resolve outside the original application. Rebuild company roles, routing, notifications, and templates in the destination, then reconnect any reporting integrations. A spreadsheet of titles and statuses is not enough to reconstruct the correspondence.
Test an unanswered question, a returned response, and a closed RFI with an attachment. Compare source and destination counts, open each attachment, and ask a restricted user to find the accepted answer. Agree who answers questions during cutover. Keeping the old project accessible while starting new projects in the selected tool may avoid disrupting unfinished reviews.
Choose the workflow your reviewers can complete
Select RFI software after the people involved can complete the drawing discrepancy test with their intended permissions. Existing project software may already provide the routing you need. Compare the required edition and full participant cost, then check the migration record before switching. Preserve the distinction between an accepted clarification and authorization for changed work.
Review the reporting handoffs around your RFIs
Bring an RFI export and a project cost report to discuss how their records should connect.
Questions about choosing construction RFI software
What if the owner requires a different RFI system?
Establish which system holds the contractual record before choosing an internal tool. Assign responsibility for copying or exporting required information, and test whether the receiving party can access the attachments. A preferred internal application does not remove the owner’s submission requirements.
Should an emailed answer count as a closed RFI?
Follow the agreed project process for accepting and distributing responses. Preserve the sender, date, attachment, and original question when recording an email answer. Confirm that the authorized person has accepted it before marking the record closed.
How should a team evaluate access with poor site connectivity?
Repeat the retrieval test on the devices used onsite with the connection interrupted. Check which drawing, answer, and attachments remain available, then verify what happens when service returns. Treat any unavailable step as an operating constraint rather than assuming web access proves offline access.
What should happen when two trades ask the same question?
Keep enough information to trace both submissions, and identify which accepted response each trade should follow. Have the project manager decide whether to link the records, return one, or issue further clarification. Do not discard a submission merely because its title resembles an earlier RFI.