The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is the ultimate upgrade to America’s infrastructure, with a whopping $1.2 trillion at play. Whether it’s used on bridges, roads, or broadband expansion, one thing’s for sure — money is on the table and projects are to be had.
Construction companies, contractors, and almost everyone in the industry are learning how to maximize these funds. In a recent HCSS webinar, Alex Licitri, Chief Estimator at The Ruhlin Company, and Greg Strzalka, Area Manager at Walbec Group, Inc., two heavy hitters in the construction world, shared exactly how they’re seizing the moment with the IIJA.
Here are a few key takeaways from the webinar:
- How technology is leveraged to maximize funding benefits
- Strategies for differentiating your team in a competitive landscape
- Tips for increasing bids & project output despite limited resources
- How challenges were overcome to increase profitability
A Brief Scope and Impact of the IIJA
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law in November 2021 with one big mission: improving America’s infrastructure. The law unlocks a massive $1.2 trillion for transportation and infrastructure, with $550 billion of that dedicated to brand-new investments and programs. That’s a huge payout of funds, and it’s creating plenty of opportunities for companies like The Ruhlin Company and Walbec Group to scale up, expand their projects, and do some serious good for the country.
“...having that transportation funding and know it's coming and know it's sustainable has been able to allow us to make decisions and know where we're growing and know where, you know, our future kinda lies.”
— Greg Strzalka | Area Manager, Walbec Group Inc.
During the webinar, both Alex and Greg emphasized that the IIJA wasn’t so much about receiving federal funding as it was about how businesses position themselves to take advantage of that funding. They explained that the key to success is understanding how the IIJA fits into broader infrastructure trends and then aligning internal resources, strategies, and workforce development plans accordingly.
Want Max Funding? Technology is a MUST!
The industry consensus on maximizing IIJA funds boils down to one word: technology. Given the scale and complexity of IIJA projects, staying organized and efficient isn’t just a good idea—it’s essential.
Ask Alex and Greg!
“[HCSS Pre-Construction] allows us to kinda keep track of what's been awarded so far, what our current bid list is, and our future workload for what we see coming up in the future. It's between that and the automation with HeavyBid with different import templates; it keeps us more efficient and more accurate as we're making our way through the bidding process — with all the work coming out, to be able to put out more estimates in a less amount of time.”
— Alex Licitri | Chief Estimator, The Ruhlin Company
HCSS software helps companies track costs, manage resources, streamline bidding, and keep projects on schedule — all while ensuring they don’t blow through the budget. Additionally, using HCSS Pre-Construction helps keep a historical record of bid results and easily stores bid tabs so you can go back and quickly access those.
“It's taken a lot of the redundancy and side spreadsheets out of our assessing project bids and the whole bidding process. It's kind of become a hub for us to not only for estimators but, you know, support staff that's ordering bonds, request for quotes.”
— Greg Strzalka
Along with improved efficiency and accuracy with real-time data, HCSS technology has helped Alex and Greg stand out during the bidding process. They both used production history from the field to make any future bids more accurate and even monitored where their competitors could be bogged down by workload and went after those projects.
Increased Bid Output with HCSS
With construction software like HCSS, you can speed up the entire bidding process by automating tedious manual tasks, like copying from master templates or importing DOT bid items. Alex and Greg have not only sped up their systems by spending less time on repetitive data entry but also streamlined their entire review process.
“...with these large Department of Transportation (DOT) bids, we're now putting two or three estimators on them along with myself kind of overseeing everything. You know, they'll be crunching numbers, inputting sub contractors. They are verifying DBE percentages, and that has really given us an advantage over our previous kinda legacy bid system.”
— Greg Strzalka
The use of HCSS has allowed them to add a lot of people to work on a single estimate — ensuring collaboration and that bids get out the door quickly.
Keeping a Competitive Advantage for More IIJA Projects
With HCSS, Alex and Greg have been able to up their bidding process, giving them a serious competitive edge. HCSS software provides them with robust reporting and insights that allow their teams to adjust markups in real time based on live data, ensuring their bids are always aligned with current market conditions.
By combining field data with their estimates, Alex and Greg can make smart, data-driven decisions that don’t just impact the bid, but also help manage costs and keep projects on track as they move forward. It’s given them the flexibility to stay on top of things and quickly adjust if anything changes — even after the bid is in. This keeps them responsive and ready to tackle any curveballs that come their way…unlike many of their competitors.
“The little processes that used to take twenty, thirty minutes are gone. That just helps everybody in the long run. It's maximizing what we're doing on a daily basis. You know, everyone's working on, depending on your state, fifty bids, two hundred bids. You know? It could be a lot. And being able to be in the forefront and be more prepared from other people has given us a competitive advantage for sure.”
— Greg Strzalka
Want to See the Full Webinar?
The IIJA is a huge opportunity for construction and infrastructure companies to grow, innovate, and help rebuild the nation’s critical infrastructure. Alex and Greg's insights show how important planning, technology, and teamwork are for making the most of these funds.
If you missed the webinar — we got you! Click HERE to watch the full thing!
