When to use it, a subject line, a body you can paste and fill, what to attach, how to word impact, and what not to say.
When to use: the specified section has a mill availability problem and an equal-or-better substitute is available. This is a request, not a notification.
Subject: RFI [no.] — Substitution request: [specified section] → [proposed section] at [location]
Body:
Specified [section] for [members] shows mill availability of [lead time / no rollings until date] per [supplier]. We request approval to substitute [proposed section], which is [equal or greater] in [depth/weight/Sx/Ix as relevant] and available [lead time]. Cost impact: [none / value]. All other members unchanged. Please confirm acceptability; substitution will not be fabricated without written approval.
Attach: supplier availability documentation; a one-line section-property comparison table. Impact wording: the lead-time delta is the whole argument — state both numbers. Don't say: "equivalent" without showing the properties. The EOR must verify; make verification a 30-second job. Escalation: if no answer inside the rolling-window date, restate the date after which the substitution no longer helps.
Log every one of these. Submission date, needed-by date, response date, what was held, what it cost. That trail is where steel money leaks — and where it’s recovered.
Drafting aid only — not legal advice. Adapt to your contract's notice requirements; your EOR and contract documents govern. Impact/rights wording is a starting point, not a determination.
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