New book examines how tariffs reshape construction economics
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UIC Clinical Professor Hossein Ataei has published a new book, “Understanding Modern Construction Economics and the Impacts of Tariffs on Construction Projects.”
The book, published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and sponsored by the Risk Management Council of the ASCE Construction Institute (CI), examines how policy-driven trade tariffs have introduced discrete and measurable cost volatility into construction markets.
In the book, Ataei, director of the Construction Engineering and Management Program and director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering, analyzes tariff actions between 2020 and 2025 and their effects on key construction inputs, including, but not limited to, the structural steel, reinforcing steel, electrical components, equipment, and specialty materials, with particular emphasis on how these impacts interact with bid-hold requirements, supplier quotation validity periods, and traditional project delivery and public procurement models.
The authors provide guidance to practitioners in the construction industry on managing the price, schedule, and risks associated with tariffs and the global supply chain issues.
The book provides practical tools for mitigating tariff exposure and promotes informed allocation of tariff-related risk and dispute avoidance in an increasingly volatile construction economics environment for contractors, construction managers, owners, design professionals, and procurement officials seeking to improve risk clarity and reduce the potential for disputes.
The book covers topics including construction procurement processes; construction engineering supply chain; transformation and disruptions in construction supply chain; tariffs, inflation, and international trade economics; and the implementation of adaptive supply chain strategies and best practices.
The book is based on the authors’ expertise, experiences, and research. It is the result of collective work over the past two years, in collaboration with professionals and industry practitioners, the national ASCE committees and board of directors. The authors also received counsel from state Departments of Transportation and many construction and design firm executives.