Practical guide for early contractor integration into the design using Value Engineering to reduce RFI’s during construction. (#1472)

Authors

Quispe Marca, Jacob Brandon

Quinto Cuellar, Aldair Ruben

Barraza Eléspuru, Giuliana

Abstract

The growing demand for multifamily housing projects highlights the importance of ensuring greater competitiveness in their execution. Requests for information (RFI) are one of the main causes of delays and cost overruns, as they reflect initial design deficiencies and coordination problems. This research proposes a practical guide for the early integration of contractors in the design phase, with a Value Engineering (VE) approach, to reduce the emission of RFI's in construction. The methodology includes: (A) analysis of RFI's in three projects to identify causes and impact; (B) development of the guide; (C) general process of the practical guide; (D) validation with contractors in two projects; and (E) final evaluation through expert surveys. The results show that the application of the guide reduces RFIs by more than 50% in construction, improves coordination between designers and contractors, and optimizes design. Its effectiveness has been validated using Aiken's V coefficient, with positive results for the VE approach. Early contractor integration promotes more collaborative, time- and cost-efficient projects and minimizes coordination problems in the design phase