Approved by the Public Policy and Practice Committee on May 7, 2025
Adopted by the Board of Directions on July 10, 2025

Policy

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) supports careful consideration by decision-makers regarding the impacts that laws and regulations have on the acquisition of infrastructure materials and products. Predictability in the supply chain for infrastructure development, construction, and maintenance is critical to maintain a functionally sound, resilient, and economically responsible infrastructure.

Issue

Government policies directly impact the cost and availability of the products and materials needed for economic development and the maintenance of the nation’s infrastructure. America’s infrastructure is the foundation on which our national economy, global competitiveness, and quality of life depends. Every American household or business immediately feels the impact of just one inefficiency or failure in our built environment. Laws and regulations can have unintended consequences that impact the ability to develop and maintain the nation’s infrastructure. 

Infrastructure plays a crucial role in the nation’s economy through the efficiency and reliability of supply chains, impacting everything from material transportation to digital communication. It includes physical assets like ports, highways, and warehouses, as well as digital systems like transportation management systems. The quality and availability of this infrastructure directly affects the nation’s economy.

Rationale 

ASCE’s 2025 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure gave the nation’s infrastructure a C, the highest grade in the 27 years of the report card’s existence. While leaving much room for improvement, predictability in infrastructure materials and products is essential to continue improvement of infrastructure. This improved grade can be attributed to increased investment by governments at all levels and the private sector. Rules and regulations can have a dramatic impact on this growth and hurt the progress that has been made. 

Uncertainty caused by regulations can:

  • Increase costs of materials and products across the entire supply chain, as manufacturers, distributors, and construction companies all face higher costs.
  • Increase costs and cause shortages that lead to delays and disruptions in the availability of materials, impacting project timelines and budgets.
  • Increase costs and negatively impact economic growth.

This policy has worldwide application
ASCE Policy Statement 577
First Approved 2025