View as Webpage

Get Certified | Become a Corporate Member | News | Events

Join the MBE INPUT COMMITTEE

September 2026

Incentives, Grants & Opportunities

SEPTEMBER - WINDOW 2026 WINDOW

NSF SBIR/STTR Phase I — Non-Dilutive R&D Capital, Project Pitch Now for the November 4 Window

The National Science Foundation's SBIR/STTR program funds early-stage research and development at small businesses with awards of up to $305,000 for Phase I, over 6–18 months, as non-dilutive capital—the government takes no equity. It is open across nearly all technology areas rather than a fixed list, and eligibility turns on company size (a US small business under 500 employees), which places it within reach of technically differentiated MBEs in advanced manufacturing, medtech, energy, and software. The mechanics make September–October the action window: a firm must first submit a short Project Pitch and be invited before it can file a full proposal.

Deadline: Full-proposal deadline November 4, 2026 — but the Project Pitch that gates it should be submitted in the September–October window to leave time for the invitation.

Amount: Up to $305,000 (Phase I), non-dilutive.

Eligibility: US small business concern, majority US-owned, fewer than 500 employees; technically innovative project.

Learn More (NSF SBIR/STTR): seedfund.nsf.gov

Classification & source: Fact (program terms and November 4, 2026 deadline per NSF solicitation NSF 26-510). National Science Foundation (nsf.gov / seedfund.nsf.gov). Inference: the Project-Pitch timing recommendation is author analysis.

Puerto Rico’s Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) Capital Semilla / Impulso PyMEs — Local Capital for Puerto Rico SMEs

Puerto Rico’s Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC) operates a standing seed-capital incentive for small and medium enterprises, structured to fund tools, inventory, machinery, and new equipment tied directly to the business. The eligibility definition is the part worth circulating to the membership: a PyME is a business averaging $3,000,000 or less in sales over the three prior tax years and employing 25 or fewer full-time equivalents. A substantial share of PRMSDC-certified firms fall inside that definition.

Deadline: Rolling, subject to fund availability — not a fixed cycle

Amount: Tiered by business age (newly created vs. established). Published ceilings have varied across DDEC releases; confirm the current ceiling directly with DDEC before advising members.

PR Eligibility: Puerto Rico–based SMEs only. New-creation applicants must complete DDEC training courses as a condition of the award.

Learn More: DDEC — Ayudas e Incentivos

Program detail: Refuerzo Económico 

Classification & source: Eligibility definition and program existence, per DDEC official pages. Pending (current award ceiling — DDEC releases show differing figures; verify before publication to members).

Focused on the September–October 2026 window.

A New Federal AI Rule Now Reaches Any Contractor That Uses AI — and Rewards the Ones Ready for It

On March 6, 2026 the GSA published GSAR 552.239-7001, "Basic Safeguarding of Artificial Intelligence Systems," a mandatory clause that is now rolling into GSA Schedule (Multiple Award Schedule) contracts through successive solicitation refreshes. Its reach is the part most firms miss: the clause applies not only to companies selling AI to the government but to any contractor that uses AI tools while performing the work—analytics platforms, cybersecurity software, even coding assistants. Among its terms, contractors must generally use AI systems developed and produced in the United States ("American AI"), grant the government broad rights to AI outputs, and meet bias and truthfulness standards. MAS holders have a defined window which is roughly 60 days from the applicable refresh to accept the clause or lose schedule access.

Read defensively this is a compliance burden; read strategically it is an opening. Federal contract language is the leading indicator for corporate procurement, which means the AI-governance questions federal buyers now put in writing will land in supplier questionnaires from large corporations next. An MBE that gets ahead of it wins on readiness: inventory which AI tools you use and where, confirm whether the underlying models are US-developed, and keep a one-page internal AI-use policy stating where AI is permitted, what must be disclosed, and who signs off on client-facing output. Firms that can attest to that today can accept these clauses without scrambling—and can answer a buyer's AI-governance diligence as a differentiator rather than a scramble. The cost of preparing is a page and an afternoon; the cost of not being ready is a disqualified bid.

U.S. General Services Administration GSAR 552.239-7001 published March 6, 2026; MAS incorporation via solicitation refresh.

Pharma — Section 232 Drug Tariffs Took Effect July 31: A Tailwind for Island Manufacturing, a Cost for Importers

On July 31, 2026 the federal government imposed Section 232 tariffs of 100% on patented (brand-name) pharmaceuticals and biologics listed in the FDA's Orange and Purple Books, plus their active pharmaceutical ingredients and key starting materials. Generic drugs and biosimilars, U.S.-origin products, and orphan drugs are exempt; companies with approved onshoring plans face a higher 120% rate until 2030, and a handful of firms with MFN pricing agreements are held at 0% into 2029. The stated purpose is to pull branded-drug production back onshore.

For Puerto Rico this is unusually consequential, because the island is one of the largest U.S. pharmaceutical-manufacturing bases and U.S.-origin product is exempt. Firms that manufacture, fill-finish, or supply into island-based branded production stand to benefit as multinationals weigh reshoring to a domestic jurisdiction that avoids the tariff. The other side of the ledger: any MBE that imports branded APIs or finished branded product for local distribution should model the added landed cost now and, where possible, requalify to exempt U.S.-origin or generic sources.

Tariff proclamation effective July 31, 2026; rates and exemptions as published). U.S. Department of Commerce Section 232 action.

Retail — With De Minimis Gone, Every Imported Parcel Now Carries Duty

The $800 de minimis exemption which for years let low-value imported parcels enter the U.S. duty-free was suspended for shipments from all countries effective August 29, 2025, and remains eliminated through 2026. Every imported package, however small, now clears customs with duties owed, on top of the elevated 2026 tariff schedule. For import-reliant retailers and e-commerce sellers, this is a direct hit to landed cost and margin that the headline inflation rate does not capture.

The operating response is concrete: recompute landed cost per SKU including the now-unavoidable duty, decide deliberately whether to absorb it or reprice, and re-examine sourcing—domestic or nearshore suppliers that were uneconomic under de minimis may now win on total cost. Firms that still price off pre-2025 landed-cost assumptions are quietly selling at thinner margins than their books show.

Classification & source: Fact (de minimis suspension effective August 29, 2025, in force through 2026). Executive Order and U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidance; CNBC, 2025. Inference: the landed-cost and sourcing recommendations are author analysis.

Professional Services — Puerto Rico's Act 38 of 2026 Sets a Year-End Deadline That Will Drive Q4 Demand

Act 38 of 2026 amended the Act 60 incentive framework. For new individual-investor applicants the headline capital-gains rate rises from 0% to 4% effective January 1, 2027, but applications submitted on or before December 31, 2026 lock in the 0% rate and it is the submission date, not decree approval or relocation, that controls. The Act also extends the incentive program's sunset from 2035 to December 31, 2055, and adds a requirement that post-2026 applicants show they were not Puerto Rico residents in the six years before moving. The Export Services, manufacturing, and tourism business incentives and the 4% corporate rate on qualifying export income remain unchanged.

For PR-based professional-services firms specifically CPAs, tax attorneys, relocation advisers, wealth and compliance consultants this creates a hard, dated demand spike: every prospective investor who wants the 0% rate must file a complete application before year-end. Firms should staff and market for a Q4 2026 surge and prepare existing decree holders for the reality that future extensions will carry the 4% rate.

Act 38 of 2026 amendments and January 1, 2027 effective date. Puerto Rico Act 38-2026 amending Act 60.

Service Contractors — Metals Tariffs and Jones Act Shipping Keep Bid Certainty Low

Rising Metal Costs Continue to Impact Construction and Infrastructure Projects

Businesses involved in construction, maintenance, utilities, and infrastructure should be aware that federal Section 232 tariffs remain in effect on many steel, aluminum, and copper products. As of April 2026, tariffs are set at 50% for products made primarily of these metals and 25% for certain derivative products, with duties now calculated on the full customs value of imported goods.

Items commonly used across construction and infrastructure projects, including structural steel, metal decking, steel studs, aluminum products, copper components, and electrical grid materials, are among those affected.

Industry reports indicate that most contractors are continuing projects despite these higher costs, but pricing has become increasingly difficult to predict. Because tariff impacts vary significantly depending on the amount of metal contained in a product, many firms are finding it challenging to provide long-term pricing guarantees when bidding for new work.

For businesses in Puerto Rico, legislation has been proposed to provide relief for non-contiguous U.S. jurisdictions, however there are no changes enacted at this time.

Contractors could manage risk by

• Including material price escalation clauses in new contracts and bids.
• Securing supplier pricing in advance whenever possible.
• Reviewing procurement timelines to avoid unexpected cost increases.
• Exercising caution when entering fixed-price agreements that assume stable material costs.
• 
  

As market conditions continue to evolve, proactive planning and flexible contracting strategies better manage project budgets and maintain profitability.

Section 232 metals rates effective April 7, 2026; Noncontiguous Energy Relief and Access Act introduced May 5, 2025, not enacted U.S. Department of Commerce; Congress.gov.

Your Cheapest Growth Lever Is the Customer You Already Have (HBR, Sep–Oct 2026)

The September–October 2026 issue, highlight growth opportunities stem from referred customers and that these hold a disproportionately profitable competitive advantage since they cost less to acquire, buy more, and stay longer. Businesses can change the paradigm of most companies that treat referrals as luck rather than as a managed system. Referrals are measurable, buildable channels, and not a byproduct.

For owner-led firms this is directly actionable. The businesses that generate referrals do one thing consistently: they ask, at the moment of a delivered result, and they make it easy. Before spending on new-customer marketing, install a simple standard which identifies who asks, when, and how the introduction is made and then track referred revenue as its own line. In a softening-demand month, the lowest-cost pipeline is the one your satisfied customers can open for you.

Reichheld, Cleghorn & Kokoszka, "Don't Underestimate the Power of Customer Referrals," Harvard Business Review, Sep–Oct 2026.

Building Capacity, Not Just Adding Resources

Henderson draws a sharp line between resources and capacity: acquiring talent, technology, or capital only creates possibilities, while capacity which is "the sustained ability to achieve outcomes that couldn't otherwise be reliably produced" is what makes those possibilities consistently achievable. His central claim is that capacity "cannot be purchased, announced, or implemented," only cultivated through changed practice over time. He frames five capacities leaders should deliberately develop: making and sustaining larger commitments, adapting under changing conditions, learning collectively, recognizing emerging possibilities early, and collaborating to create new ones.

Ask yourself; are current investments producing genuine capability shifts, or just expanding potential that never converts?

Read More: thepivotmind.com

The Development of Enterprise Capacity published in The Pivot Mind by John Henderson.

(U.S. Dept. of Commerce / Section 232) — 100% Tariff on Patented Drug Imports Now in Effect; Puerto Rico–Made Medicines Sit on the Right Side of the Line

A Section 232 proclamation imposes a 100% tariff on patented pharmaceuticals and biologics (FDA Orange Book/Purple Book listings) plus their active pharmaceutical ingredients and key starting materials, on a tiered structure effective July 31, 2026. Reduced rates apply to Japan, the EU, South Korea, Switzerland and Liechtenstein (15%); companies with a Commerce-approved onshoring plan or an MFN pricing agreement get relief; and 17 named companies don't face the tariff until September 29, 2026. Generics, biosimilars, orphan drugs and U.S.-origin products are exempt. The February 2026 Supreme Court ruling (6–3) struck down the IEEPA reciprocal tariffs but left Section 232 intact.

Insights for PR-based businesses:

• Puerto Rico-made patented drugs are domestic, and they avoid the 100% levy now hitting EU- and Asia-made competitors.
• That cost gap makes PR one of the most attractive onshoring sites in the system; expect accelerated plant expansions and new production lines a multiyear demand pull for local contractors, MRO, logistics, calibration, packaging and staffing suppliers.
• Certified MBEs should position now for tier-2/tier-3 supplier rosters as manufacturers localize APIs and starting materials on-island.

🔍 Read More (Crowell & Moring — Section 232 pharma tariff alert): crowell.com

(Walmart Puerto Rico ) — Retailer Opens 2026 Call for Local Suppliers; Registration Closes October 2

Reported August 26, 2026: Walmart Puerto Rico opened its 2026 open call for businesses offering products manufactured, processed, distributed or harvested in Puerto Rico. Registration closes October 2, 2026, with buyer meetings October 14–15 at the retailer's Canóvanas headquarters.

Baseline requirements include competitive pricing, a federal tax ID, liability insurance, a Dun & Bradstreet number, and product-testing/electronic-data capability. More than 300 suppliers joined through prior editions (2024). Selected participants receive training and may gain a path to export to Walmart stores on the U.S. mainland.

Insights for PR-based businesses:

• A concrete, near-term procurement door with a fixed deadline and a direct buyer meeting to participate in.
• The baseline (D&B, insurance, EDI, tax ID) is exactly the readiness PRMSDC members can assemble now to walk in credible.
• The mainland-export pathway turns a local shelf into a national one.

🔍Read More (News is My Business): newsismybusiness.com

(ITIF) — New Report Urges Reviving Section 936 to Reshore Drug Ingredients to Puerto Rico

An Information Technology and Innovation Foundation report (Sandra Barbosu and Stephen Ezell, August 31, 2026) documents how U.S. reliance on Chinese active pharmaceutical ingredients has deepened — China and India now produce roughly 45% and 43% of global APIs versus 3% for the U.S., with the U.S. importing about 90% of its ibuprofen and 72–74% of its acetaminophen and vitamin C from China.

Among its remedies, the report urges reviving Section 936 tax credits for biopharma production in Puerto Rico, noting the island already generates $48.3 billion in pharmaceutical exports and employs 13,917 in the sector, and recommends a strategic API reserve (SAPIR) and advance purchase commitments.

Insights for PR-based businesses:

• API localization is supplier-heavy — chemicals, utilities, environmental services, QA/QC labs — opening new tier positions for local firms if it advances.
• This is advocacy, not law: watch for federal legislative movement rather than acting on it as settled.

🔍Read More (ITIF): itif.org

Classification & source: Fact (report findings and figures — ITIF, August 31, 2026). Inference: the procurement and incentive-tailwind implications are author analysis; Section 936 revival is a recommendation, not enacted.

📩 iharrington@prmsdc.org | 📞787-705-7756

Follow us

PRMSDC is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization affiliated to the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC), a leading organization that advances business opportunities for certified business enterprises and connects them to corporate members. Proprietary & Confidential. ©2025 PRMSDC©. All rights reserved.