President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021, marking the single biggest sum for roads, bridges and other surface routes in a generation. Navigating the new opportunities in the sprawling piece of legislation, however, can be a daunting task.
Money from the infrastructure act is starting to trickle to federal agencies and states, and these entities have lists of upcoming projects to bid on, including those funded by the IIJA. To further help contractors identify opportunities for new work, several organizations have released trackers and tools mapping out the IIJA’s programs and deadlines. Here is a roundup of some of the most useful ones for construction pros looking for new work.
1. White House resources
The White House released an infrastructure act guidebook to help potential grantees identify funding opportunities and prepare to receive the money. It also created a resource for rural communities specifically. In addition, state fact sheets help illustrate where the money is going.
Find them here:
2. The Brookings Institution infrastructure hub
Policy think tank Brookings’ detailed federal infrastructure hub breaks down IIJA funding by project type and agency, and allows users to zoom into specific grant programs. It also subdivides programs by formula or competitive status, and notes whether a program is new.
Find it here: Federal infrastructure hub
3. Government Finance Officers Association NOFO tracker
The association has a Notice of Funding Opportunity tracker, complete with info on eligible uses and applicants, grant links and deadlines.
Find it here: Notice of Funding Opportunity tracker
4. National Governors Association resource page
NGA has an IIJA implementation resource page with abundant information about the legislation. Its aim is to help states and territories navigate IIJA programs and to easily access actions and upcoming milestones. Most recently, it released a tracker for formula and competitive grant programs in the IIJA.
Find it here: IIJA implementation resource page
5. American Society of Civil Engineers grant tracker
ASCE has a members-only resource to track open IIJA grants and more. It includes legislative analysis and opportunities to weigh in on implementation, and will soon have a schedule of upcoming funding distribution cycles.
Find it here: IIJA resource center
6. National Association of Counties’ legislative analysis
NACO’s analysis breaks down the infrastructure act’s funding by agency and topic, and details its impact on various programs and laws. The page also contains a helpful list of open funding sources for county governments, as well as a matrix outlining all of the IIJA’s funding opportunities.
Find it here: NACO legislative analysis
7. National Association of State Energy Officials’ resource hub
NASEO’s hub focuses on the energy elements of the infrastructure act, including information related to programs, policy updates and Energy Department RFIs and RFPs.
Find it here: NASEO resource hub
