Forward for architects
The architect-of-record's most expensive hour is the one spent answering a field RFI that has its answer in the specs already. Forward routes the obvious-from-the-document RFIs to a texting bot first; only the ones that genuinely need design intent come back to the AOR.
The RFI inbox you're getting buried under
On a mid-size commercial project, the AOR sees 30-80 RFIs. At 60-90 minutes each in research + drafting + review, that's weeks of architect time billed against fee. The hardest part: a meaningful fraction are lookup RFIs — questions whose answer is already in the spec, in the drawings, or in a prior RFI response. They needed someone to find it, not someone to design it.
How Forward triages your inbound
On projects where the GC has connected Forward to the project, field-foreman questions hit the texting layer first. Forward attempts the answer using its tool catalog (spec search, RFI history, drawing log, code references). If the bot can answer with confidence + citation, the foreman gets the answer over text in seconds — no RFI generated.
If the question genuinely needs design intent, Forward drafts the RFI for PM review. The PM forwards (with the trail attached) to the AOR. You get fewer RFIs, and the ones you get are higher-quality + better-contextualized.
Why this matters for architect fee
Most AORs absorb the lookup-RFI load as part of the construction administration phase. Fee for that phase is fixed; over-runs come out of margin. Forward routes ~30-50% of those lookup-class RFIs away from your team, recovering hours per week on every active project where the GC enables it.
Forward never makes a design call
The system prompt is explicit: Forward never makes structural / life-safety / design-intent calls. If a field question crosses that line — “is this beam sized right”, “can I substitute this fixture”, “is this clearance code-compliant for the use group” — the bot refuses and routes to the AOR.
Your stamp + judgment stays on every consequential decision. Forward removes the lookup-tax surrounding it.
What you'd see as the AOR
On a connected project, you can request read-only Forward access at app.getforward.xyz to:
- Search the project's RFI history by spec section / sheet / keyword.
- Pull the latest revision of any drawing the GC has loaded.
- See the bot's auto-answered question log (the RFIs that didn't get filed because Forward handled them).
- Audit what was cited as your firm's prior response.
How to try it
Drop your email above and mention you're at an architecture firm. We'll scope a pilot with one of your active GCs (the GC needs to wire Procore + Forward; takes ~30 minutes).
Or text +1 (682) 300-6750 with a question you'd typically get asked on a project.
Try Forward right now
Drop your email above for early access — or skip the form and text +1 (682) 300-6750 from your phone. The live demo answers anything you can ask a project manager in plain English — no signup needed.