An RFI log is the list of every question, unknown and assumption an estimator ran into while pricing a job, with the answer the bid was built on. Apex attaches it to every bid, so an owner can see exactly what the number includes, what it assumes and where it could move before signing anything.
Why most change orders start at the bid
Most change orders are not surprises on site. They are assumptions made quietly during estimating: a deck assumed sound, a quantity taken off drawings that do not match the building, a working-hours restriction nobody asked about. When those assumptions are buried in a lump sum, the owner finds out about them as a change order. When they are written down, the owner can answer them before the contract is signed, or at least decide which risks to carry.
The estimator walks the property first
We do not price from photos or a scope sheet alone. An Apex estimator walks the property before the number is written: measuring, confirming access and staging, looking at the conditions the drawings do not show, and noting what can only be known once work starts. Anything the walk cannot settle goes into the RFI log rather than into a contingency you cannot see.
What the RFI log contains
- Every assumption. Quantities, existing conditions, access, working hours, phasing and anything else the price depends on.
- Every open question. Items that need an answer from the owner, the engineer or the property team, and what we priced in the meantime.
- The answer, once it arrives. The log is kept current through award, so the final contract reflects the answers rather than the original guesses.
Line items, not a lump sum
The bid itself is broken into line items that follow the way the work is built: mobilization and protection, each scope of work, and the general conditions and fee shown separately. That makes it possible to compare our number against another contractor’s line by line, and to see immediately where two bids are pricing different things.
Unit prices for the unknowns
Some conditions cannot be known until the work is opened up: rotted sheathing under a roof, damaged framing behind a balcony, wet insulation. Instead of hiding these in an allowance, the bid carries agreed unit prices for them (per square foot, per sheet, per location). If the condition is found, it is paid at the rate you already approved. If it is not, you do not pay for it. Unit prices are agreed before anything changes, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
Alternates and exclusions, stated plainly
Owner-elected upgrades are priced as alternates, separate from the base scope, so you can take them or leave them without re-bidding. Exclusions are listed in writing. If a common item such as permits, utility disconnects or interior protection is not in the number, the bid says so.
How to level bids from several contractors
- Same scope, same spec. Confirm each bid names the same systems, materials and warranty.
- Ask every bidder our RFI questions. The log is a ready-made list of what each contractor should have answered.
- Compare unit prices, not only totals. A low total with no unit prices usually means the unknowns will come back as change orders.
- Read the exclusions. The cheapest bid is often the one that leaves the most out.
For a standard scope with the site walk done, a conforming bid and the RFI log typically come back in five to ten business days. Larger capital programs take longer, and we give you the date up front.
