RFI text sits apart from contract files and prior resolutions. Before submission, someone has to cross-check the question against the drawings and specifications to assess whether the answer creates downstream risk.
That manual review adds time to every RFI. Navigant/CMAA found that each RFI costs approximately $1,080 and 8 hours to review and respond to. The same research also found that 13.2% of RFIs ask questions the contract documents already answer. When schedule-critical RFIs sit beside trivial clarifications, delays start before anyone triages them.