The Future of US Housing

The CTO Marketplace

A NEW ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION

Fixing what’s holding us back!

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.

Adopted from Configuration of Platform Architectures in Construction Doctoral Thesis (Page 3), Jensen, Patrik; Luleå University of Technology, Department of Civil, Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, Structural and Construction Engineering.
A NEW WAY TO DO BUSINESS

What is the CTO Marketplace?

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.

Why Move from ETO to CTO?

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:

Engineer-to-Order (ETO)

Configure-to-Order (CTO)

Faster Project Delivery

Timeline

Years

Months

Permitting & Coordination

Extensive, lengthy, due to custom solutions

Streamlined through standardized designs and pre-approvals

Construction Process

Complex, with high on-site labor requirements

Simplified, modular, and efficient

Improved Design & Supply Chain

Engineering Effort

Extensive custom engineering

Pre-engineered modular components

Design Process

Repeated custom design cycles for each project

Standardized, reusable solutions eliminate redundant cycles

Procurement & Supply Chain

Unpredictable, fragmented, and costly due to custom materials and suppliers

Centralized procurement from pre-vetted suppliers, integrated logistics, digital ordering

Expanded Market

Scalability & Market Opportunities

Limited scalability due to bespoke project constraints

Scalable with standardized, customizable offerings, expanding market opportunities

Cost Efficiency

High costs due to one-off designs, extensive engineering, and customizations

Lower costs through standardized, repeatable solutions with design flexibility

Digital Integration & Automation

Limited, manual processes causing inefficiencies

Fully integrated digital tools (BIM, automation) providing instant pricing, visualizations, and feasibility assessments

General mechanics

How Does The CTO Marketplace Work?

Real Estate Developers subscribe to have exclusive customer access to forming project “bids.”
Customer teams collage project designs by browsing & selecting from alliance catalogs – independently accessing curated catalogs of pods, panelized- and modular-building components… such as kitchens, bathrooms, façade components, or structural kits.
Configuration checks Assure Project Fit – Before member teams lift a finger, project components are configured and quality-controlled within members’ predefined parameters (e.g., orientations, layouts, and mechanical support).
The Marketplace closes the look with member firms to finalize the order, plan Installation, & coordinate delivery – Once configured, Marketplace systems generates precise pricing and delivery timelines for approval. This helps members focus on their core value proposition, offering next-generation building products that are shipped ready-to-assemble.
Marketplace members Assemble & Install – enjoying pre-organized, administration light projects, and relying on standardized interfaces that ensure their on-site assembly is efficient and predictable.
A NEW ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION

If a Firm Joins the Alliance, How Does it Join the Marketplace, Next?

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.

Join

Start the process by filling out the Join Us application form.

Join The Alliance
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