Email an RFI to External Stakeholders

The built-in email feature enables you to communicate with stakeholders outside Linarc in the context of an RFI at any stage, making it easy to gather feedback—even from those not in the project directory. This fosters broader collaboration and ensures smoother approval workflows. You can also use it to share completed RFIs with anyone who needs visibility.

• Forward RFIs for inputs from collaborators outside the project directory, with the option to attach a generated PDF version.
• Capture replies within the same screen and integrate external feedback into the RFI before continuing the workflow.
• Inclusive communication: Include guest users and CC relevant stakeholders to keep everyone informed.

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.

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.

Use the links below to jump to the section you need help with:

• Send an email
• View Replies

Send an email from an RFI screen

• 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 to open it

• 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. 

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

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'
• Tip: Use the 'Ctrl' or 'Shift' key on your keyboard to select more than one user at a time.

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

You can add any supporting attachments for your message. If required, you can generate a PDF file of the RFI covering its context till the current time, including all questions and responses added so far, with the attachments if any. See Generate PDF version of an RFI for more guidance.

• From your device - Select 'Upload,' click 'Browse' and navigate to the file. Alternatively, drag and drop the files into the 'Attachments' dialog. 
• From Linarc's cloud-based project file repository - Select the drive, navigate to the folder, select the file, and click 'OK'
• You can also add more attachments if needed in the similar way.

Note: 
You can attach files of size not more than 20MB. 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 to forward the email.

Once sent, the delivery status is shown against each recipient on the left pane. 

If the email delivery fails for a recipient, hover your cursor over the status icon to see the error message. 

View Replies to an Email

When recipients reply to your emails, Linarc automatically fetches their responses and displays them in the same RFI screen under the 'Email' tab, as a thread to the original email. This removes the need for external email applications and ensures all communication stays in one place. You’ll also receive a notification as soon as a reply arrives, helping you track responses promptly.

To  view the replies

• Click the 'Email' tab of the RFI screen

The left pane shows the list of previously sent emails and the replies sent for that email with the tag 'Reply'. By default, the latest reply or draft email will open.

• Click the email with the 'Reply' tag to open

Note: Sending emails from a closed RFI is not supported.