National content rules for procurement and public works are reformed

The Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Secretariat reformed the rules governing the determination, accreditation, and verification of the national content of goods offered in procurement procedures and in the contracting of federal public works. The measure, signed by Secretary Raquel Buenrostro Sánchez, was published in the Official Gazette of the Federation number 236/2026 on Monday, August 31, 2026, on pages 283 to 289.

The agreement reforms, adds to, and repeals various provisions of the “Rules for the determination, accreditation, and verification of the national content of goods offered and delivered in procurement procedures, as well as for the application of the national content requirement in the contracting of public works,” originally published on October 14, 2010, and reformed on August 11, 2025, and January 29, 2026.

Regulatory Framework and Background

The reform is based on the Law on Acquisitions, Leases, and Services of the Public Sector and the Law on Public Works and Related Services, as well as their regulations. It is framed within the National Development Plan 2025-2030 and the Mexico Plan, which propose that 50% of public procurement be of national production and that national supply and consumption reach half in strategic sectors.

It also responds to the Agreement for the Promotion of the Mexican Steel Industry, signed on April 29, 2026, by Government of Mexico institutions and business chambers, which committed to the review of national content regulations to boost the consumption of national steel in public procurement.

New Formulas and Accreditation Requirements

The agreement modifies numerals 2.2.7, 9.1, 9.2, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21.4, 24, 25, 27.4, 28, 31, and 32, as well as Annexes A and 3; adds numeral 15 Bis and Annex B, and repeals numeral 26. Two calculation formulas are incorporated:

• Project National Content (PNC): PNC = (NVM + NAV) / TPV × 100, where NVM is the value of materials, machinery, and permanent installation equipment of national manufacture, NAV is the value of national steel materials, and TPV is the total project value.
• Steel National Content (SNC): SNC = NAV / TSV × 100, where TSV is the total value of steel materials for construction.

Bidders must declare under oath that they will comply with the required percentages, and the awarded parties must prove compliance through mill or quality certificates, supplier letters, digital tax receipts, and import declarations. The information must be kept for seven years from the delivery of the goods.

Enforceable Percentages and Verification

In comprehensive projects with international contracting, the convening party may establish national content requirements of up to 25% of the total estimated value of the project. When the characteristics of the project justify it, the percentage may exceed 25% without exceeding 40%, provided that there is a national supply of the required materials.

The site residency will verify, upon receiving the steel materials, that they comply with the percentage set in the bidding terms, without prejudice to the verification powers of the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance. The verification of the national content of the goods shall proceed once they have been delivered to the convening agency or entity.

Impact

The reform reinforces the requirement for national content in federal public procurement and works, with a particular emphasis on the steel industry, and obliges suppliers and bidders to document the origin of their inputs with greater rigor. The agreement enters into force the day after its publication, while procedures initiated previously will be resolved in accordance with the provisions in effect at the time of their execution.

Source: Official Gazette of the Federation, no. 236/2026, August 31, 2026, pp. 283-289 (Agreement by which various provisions of the Rules for the determination, accreditation, and verification of national content are reformed, added, and repealed).