The Future of US Housing
The CTO Marketplace
The CTOHA & Center for Offsite Construction (CfOC) are working to solve a clear problem: the construction industry has long been dominated by Engineer-to-Order (ETO) processes—custom designs, long lead times, and complex project coordination.
While ETO allows for tailored solutions, it also drives inefficiencies, cost overruns, and unpredictable project timelines.
The CTO Marketplace is a game-changer: a streamlined, technology-driven ecosystem where firms can configure housing solutions from a pre-engineered kit of parts rather than starting from scratch.


The Configure-to-Order (CTO) Marketplace is a platform where developers, architects, and contractors can select, configure, and order prefabricated building components that are pre-designed to fit together… seamlessly.
ETO delivery methods require costly competition. Each project requires extensive design and engineering from the ground up, then competitive bids, and administrative defense from change orders.
The CTO Marketplace provides member firms a fresh way to collaborate. The Marketplaces provides all members unheard-of standardization, and a platform for flexible modules to be configured to meet project needs without sacrificing design intent or efficiency.
For firms operating under an ETO model, shifting to a CTO marketplace may feel like a fundamental change. But internally they have been preparing for this opportunity for decades — building internal CAD and BIM libraries, templating project documents., setting standard forms of agreement. The Alliance’s marketplace creates a forum to convert firms’ libraries into customer-facing catalogs, for firm internal templates to convert into product order forms, and for firms’ standard forms of agreement to convert into simple terms of service.
There are more significant advantages to list, featuring efficiency, scalability, and profitability. Here’s a framework that other firms are using to consider joining:
Configure-to-Order (CTO)
Faster Project Delivery
Timeline
Months
Permitting & Coordination
Streamlined through standardized designs and pre-approvals
Construction Process
Simplified, modular, and efficient
Improved Design & Supply Chain
Engineering Effort
Pre-engineered modular components
Design Process
Standardized, reusable solutions eliminate redundant cycles
Procurement & Supply Chain
Centralized procurement from pre-vetted suppliers, integrated logistics, digital ordering
Expanded Market
Scalability & Market Opportunities
Scalable with standardized, customizable offerings, expanding market opportunities
Cost Efficiency
Lower costs through standardized, repeatable solutions with design flexibility
Digital Integration & Automation
Fully integrated digital tools (BIM, automation) providing instant pricing, visualizations, and feasibility assessments
The future of construction is modular, configurable, and digitally enabled. The CTO Marketplace isn’t just another procurement platform—it’s an economic shift that redefines how housing is designed, ordered, delivered, and assembled. Member firms join by commuting to two pathways:
- Build a Product Platform using the CfOC-ICC Interface Standard.
- Meet marketplace customers with completed engineering to support CTO products from the firm’s catalog.