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How the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act Could Impact the Building Component Industry

Written by Kenneth Sewell | Wed, Jul 15, 2026

The new housing legislation is designed to increase housing supply across the United States. Here's what it could mean for component manufacturers and why now is the time to prepare for increased demand.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is one of the most significant pieces of housing legislation in recent years. Signed into law with bipartisan support, the bill aims to increase housing supply by reducing regulatory barriers, modernizing housing programs, and encouraging new residential development across the country.

For the building component industry, the legislation represents more than just policy changes. It has the potential to create new opportunities for manufacturers that are prepared to respond to increased demand.

While many of the bill's provisions will take time to be implemented, now is a good time for component manufacturers to evaluate whether their current estimating and bid management processes are ready to scale.

More Housing Means More Opportunity

The primary objective of the legislation is simple: make it easier to build more homes.

If successful, that could result in:

  • More residential construction projects
  • Increased demand for roof trusses, floor trusses, and wall panels
  • More bid requests from builders and contractors
  • Higher expectations for estimating turnaround times
  • Greater competition to win new work

For manufacturers, growth is exciting—but it also puts pressure on existing operations.

Growth Often Reveals Existing Bottlenecks

When bid volume increases, the first reaction is often to hire another estimator.

But hiring alone doesn't solve every challenge.

As work increases, manufacturers often discover bottlenecks that were already slowing them down:

  • Time spent searching for plans and revisions
  • Manual handoffs between departments
  • Limited visibility into where bids stand
  • Delays waiting for approvals
  • Difficulty prioritizing work
  • Too many status update meetings

These issues reduce bid capacity long before an estimator ever begins working on a quote.

The Manufacturers That Benefit Most Will Have Better Workflows

The companies best positioned to capitalize on increased housing demand won't necessarily be those with the largest estimating departments.

They'll be the companies with the most efficient processes.

Successful manufacturers typically have:

  • Standardized bid workflows
  • Clear ownership throughout the estimating process
  • Real-time visibility into every job
  • Faster communication between departments
  • Better reporting and workload management

When work moves efficiently, teams can handle more bids with greater consistency and confidence.

Technology Will Become Even More Important

As demand grows, manufacturers will continue looking for ways to improve efficiency.

AI-powered tools can help accelerate repetitive work like reviewing plans and extracting project information.

But AI alone isn't enough.

Without a structured workflow, faster estimating can simply create bottlenecks further downstream.

The manufacturers that gain the greatest advantage will combine AI with well-defined processes, ensuring every bid moves efficiently from intake to proposal.

Preparing for What's Next

No one knows exactly how much additional housing activity this legislation will generate.

What we do know is that manufacturers who prepare now will be better positioned if demand increases.

That means asking questions like:

  • Can we see where every bid stands?
  • Do we know who owns the next step?
  • Are we spending more time estimating or managing information?
  • Can our current process support additional volume?

Improving workflow today can create the capacity needed to capitalize on tomorrow's opportunities.

Final Thoughts

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act has the potential to create meaningful opportunities for the building component industry. Whether that translates into more business for your company will depend on how well your team can respond to increased demand.

Manufacturers that invest in scalable workflows, better visibility, and modern technology today will be better prepared to handle the opportunities of tomorrow.

As the industry evolves, increasing bid capacity won't just be about estimating faster—it will be about building a process that allows your entire organization to work smarter.

If you'd like to see how leading component manufacturers are modernizing their bid process, we'd love to show you what Cadynce can do.

👉 Get Started: https://www.cadynce.com/get-started