Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Total submittal/RFI cost impact
$86,250
Admin processing labor cost
$21,450
Estimated field delay cost
$64,800
Total processing hours
330
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How to use this
- 1Enter projected rfi count.
- 2Enter hours per rfi (write + track) (hrs).
- 3Enter projected submittal count.
- 4Enter hours per submittal (hrs).
- 5Enter blended admin labor rate ($/hr).
- 6Enter % of rfis causing field delay (%).
- 7Enter crew idle cost per delay day ($/day).
- 8Read your total submittal/rfi cost impact on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
RFIs (requests for information) and submittals are treated as free administrative overhead in most estimates, but the reality is each one consumes real project engineer and superintendent hours, and a slow response cycle can idle a crew waiting on an answer before proceeding. This calculator estimates the total labor cost of processing a projected volume of RFIs and submittals across the job based on average hours per item and your blended admin labor rate, then separately estimates the cost of schedule delay if a percentage of RFIs sit in the design team's response queue long enough to stall work — a real cost on design-build or fast-track jobs where the design isn't fully baked when construction starts. Use this during preconstruction to size project engineering staffing correctly instead of assuming it's absorbed for free inside general conditions.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Projected RFI count: 120
- Hours per RFI (write + track): 1.5 hrs
- Projected submittal count: 60
- Hours per submittal: 2.5 hrs
- Blended admin labor rate: 65 $/hr
- % of RFIs causing field delay: 10 %
- Crew idle cost per delay day: 1800 $/day
Results
- Total submittal/RFI cost impact: $86,250.00
- Admin processing labor cost: $21,450.00
- Estimated field delay cost: $64,800.00
- Total processing hours: 330
What each field means
Inputs
- Projected RFI count
- The projected rfi count used in the calculation. Starts at 120 so you have a working example on load.
- Hours per RFI (write + track) (hrs)
- The hours per rfi (write + track) used in the calculation, measured in hrs. Starts at 1.5 hrs so you have a working example on load.
- Projected submittal count
- The projected submittal count used in the calculation. Starts at 60 so you have a working example on load.
- Hours per submittal (hrs)
- The hours per submittal used in the calculation, measured in hrs. Starts at 2.5 hrs so you have a working example on load.
- Blended admin labor rate ($/hr)
- The blended admin labor rate used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 65 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
- % of RFIs causing field delay (%)
- The % of rfis causing field delay used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 10 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
- Crew idle cost per delay day ($/day)
- The crew idle cost per delay day used in the calculation, measured in $/day. Starts at 1800 $/day so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Total submittal/RFI cost impact
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Admin processing labor cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated field delay cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total processing hours
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why assume 3 days of delay per delayed RFI by default?
That's a rough industry midpoint for how long a crew realistically waits on a design team response once an RFI actually stalls work — some resolve same-day, others take weeks on complex design coordination issues. Adjust this assumption based on your specific design team's track record and contract-required response times (many contracts specify 7, 10, or 14 calendar days for RFI response).
How many RFIs is normal for a project of a given size?
A rough industry benchmark is 1 RFI per $15,000-$30,000 of contract value on moderately complex commercial work, higher on design-build or fast-track jobs with incomplete documents at construction start, lower on well-detailed, previously-built repeat designs. If your projected count is far below that range for a complex job, you're probably underestimating administrative burden.
Should submittal review time include the sub's shop drawing preparation time?
No — this calculator only covers the GC/CM side administrative cost of logging, routing, tracking, and reviewing submittals, not the subcontractor's or supplier's internal shop drawing production time, which is already embedded in their contract price and schedule commitments.
Does a higher RFI volume always indicate a problem?
Not necessarily — complex mechanical, electrical, or specialty work legitimately generates more coordination questions, and asking clarifying questions early is far cheaper than a field mistake from guessing. The red flag is RFI volume driven by incomplete or conflicting design documents rather than legitimate field coordination, which shows up as a spike in RFIs asking the design team to resolve their own drawing conflicts.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Submittal & RFI Cost Impact Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/submittal-rfi-cost-impact
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/submittal-rfi-cost-impact" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Submittal & RFI Cost Impact Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Submittal & RFI Cost Impact Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/submittal-rfi-cost-impact) (2026).