Email an RFI to External Stakeholders

The built-in email feature enables you to forward RFIs to stakeholders or collaborators outside of Linarc at any stage for their review and input. This is useful to route an RFI to individuals who are not listed in the project directory to evaluate the item and contribute to its approval workflow. Upon receiving their feedback, you can update the item accordingly and proceed with its original approval workflow. The feature is also useful for sharing completed RFIs with any desired individuals.

Background:
The internal workflow setup in Linarc allows you to circulate an RFI to stakeholders already listed in the project directory. This enables respondents to access and act on the RFI directly from their Linarc consoles, streamlining communication and decision-making within the platform.

Additionally, the construction team can involve external stakeholders, such as vendors and specialty contractors, who are not yet registered in Linarc. Since these external parties cannot be added to the project directory until they complete their registration, the email feature allows you to request their input, approval, or endorsement of an RFI, ensuring their participation in the process when needed.

• The module can generate a PDF version of the RFI at any stage of the process, incorporating all questions, responses, and attachments up to the current point.
• You can also configure a custom splash page for the PDF file
• The internal email feature enables you to compose and send emails with the RFI PDF attached, streamlining communication.
• You can include guest users as recipients and CC other relevant stakeholders to ensure everyone stays informed.
• Linarc sends the email with your email address as the 'From' address
• Any reply sent by the guest user and other respondents will be received at your email address.

Prerequisite: The external users to whom you want to send the RFI must have been added as guest users to the project from the project setup module. See Add Guest Users to a Project to learn more.

The process involves two steps:

• Step 1 - Generate and download the PDF file
• Step 2 - Send the email with the PDF file attachment

Step 1 - Generate and download the PDF file

Note on Cover Page: 
The system supports adding a custom splash page to the PDF generated for the RFI. You can create a personalized cover page as a one-page PDF file named 'cover_page.pdf.' This file can be attached to any section of the RFI - whether a description, question, answer, or review response - at any stage of the workflow, ensuring your RFI is presented with a professional, branded cover.

To create and download the PDF version

• Open the RFI if not already done. To do so:
  • Open the project management console
  • Click the app launcher icon  in the top-right and select 'Documents'
  • Click 'RFI' on the top, then choose 'Boards'
  • Click on the RFI card
• Click the 'PDF' button

The 'Downloads' pane displays a list of any previously generated PDF files for the RFI, providing quick access to past versions for reference or review. 

• Click 'Generate'

The system compiles the PDF version of the RFI, including all questions/responses and attachments included till the current point in time. The process takes around 30 seconds. 

• Reopen the 'Downloads' pane by clicking the 'PDF' button.

The recently created PDF file is shown at the top of the list, if there are multiple items.

• Click  to open the file on a new browser tab.
• Click  to download it.

• Download and save the file on your device

Step 2 - Send the email with the PDF file attachment

• Click the 'Email' tab of the RFI screen

The left pane shows the list of previously sent emails with their status for the RFI, if any.

• Click 'Compose' in the left pane to start drafting your email

From - Prepopulated with your email address. Any replies given by the recipient will be received at this email address only.

To - Select the guest user to whom you want to send the RFI.

Reminder: 
Before sending the RFI, ensure that the recipients have already been added as guest users to the project. If they haven't, you can easily add them by navigating to the 'Project' > 'My Team' > 'Guests' screen. See Add Guest Users to a Project to learn more.

• Click inside the 'To' field

• Select the recipient(s) by clicking their serial number, then click 'OK'

CC - Enter the email address of the individuals to whom the copies of this mail are sent

Subject - Prepopulated with the RFI number and the subject. You can edit this field if required. 

Message: 

• Enter your message in the text box.
• Use the tools on the top to format your text and add emojis, insert hyperlinks, tables, etc.

Attachments:

• Click on the top right

• Click 'Browse' and navigate to the pdf file of the RFI stored on your device
  • Alternatively, drag and drop the pdf file into the 'Attachments' dialog
• You can also add more attachments if needed.

Note: 
You can attach files of size not more than 50MB. If the PDF file of the RFI or the other attachments exceeds this size, save the file on cloud storage and add the link to the email message.

• Click 'Send' on the top right