No, seriously, why do they? It's not like the construction workers don't get paid their wages if they aren't given such projects, and, unless you are buying the resources from overseas, the only cost for the construction materials for the state is wages/salaries of the workers who are involved in the relevant processes.
Am I being swindled?
You can totally make things without paying for anything other than a minimal starting industry. Look up tutorials for cosmonaut mode if you want to go hermit kingdom. (or if you're really insane, sputnik mode where you install mods turning the place into a horse drawn 1917 economy)