Trends/Numbers
      •  IBISWorld reports that revenues in the global architecture 
         services market increased through the entire 2011-16 period.
      •  global architecture industry, revenues rose by 2.9 percent to 
         $213.2 billion in 2016.
      •  American firms accounted for the largest share of 
         international design revenue in 2016 at 30.8 percent. 
      •   In 2016 U.S. cross border exports of Architecture and 
         engineering services totaled $11.7 Billion Dollars, while 
         imports were valued at $7.2 Billion Dollars
                                  Market Growth
      •  Construction output across the globe is expected to grow 85 
         percent by 2030, creating a $15.5trillion market by that date.
      •  Rate of worldwide construction growth, projected at 3.9 
         percent per year to 2030, outpaces that of projected global 
         GDP growth by more than 1 percent.
      •  Nearly all countries across the globe are experiencing 
         increasing urbanization. This global urbanization drives 
         demand for both new buildings and reconstruction of existing 
         building.
      •  Drives an initiative to build “greener,” more sustainable 
         buildings that conserve energy, water and other resources 
         while supporting occupant safety, health and productivity. 
                                     Challenges
      •  In non-FTA markets, tariffs remain a consistent barrier for all 
         seven subsectors.
      •  U.S. industry reports standards and conformity assessment 
         issues (certification, inspection, sampling, testing and 
         accreditation) as the most significant non-tariff barriers to 
         trade for the building products sector. 
      •  U.S. exporters have reported instances in some international 
         markets of counterfeit brand labels on building products as 
         well as false performance claims on product labels.
                   Barriers to Infrastructure Exports to Africa
      •  In Africa, spending on infrastructure falls $30 to $48 billion 
         short of estimates of the spending needed for sustained 
         inclusive economic growth.
      •  Two-thirds of Africans lack access to electricity. A similar 
         proportion lacks access to improved sanitation. 
      •  In Asia, service coverage is far from universal, but there are no 
         reliable estimates of the gap in financing for infrastructure for 
         the region as a whole. 
      •  In India, the estimated gap between investments needed to 
         reach targets for growth and access, and identified financing 
         sources is $26 billion a year.
                                 BUILD Act of 2018
      •  The BUILD Act of 2018 Replaces OPIC With a New Entity With 
         Significantly Increased Resources and Expanded Capabilities.
      •  The BUILD Act overhauls the Overseas Private Investment 
         Corporation (“OPIC”) and combines OPIC with the 
         Development Credit Authority into a newly formed successor 
         entity, the United States International Development Finance 
         Corporation (“IDFC”).
      •  The legislation provides IDFC with the authority to incur a 
         maximum contingent liability of $60 billion—more than twice 
         OPIC’s total authorized exposure limit of $29 billion.