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Surety bonds assure project owners that contractors would carry out the work and pay subcontractors, laborers, and material suppliers in agreement with the contract documents. There are basically three types of contract surety bonds:

1. The bid bond assure that the bid has been submitted in faith and the contractor will enter into the contract at the price bid and provide required performance and payment bonds.

2. The performance bond which protects the owner from any financial loss if the contractor fails to carry out and meet the conditions of the contract.

3. The payment bond assures that the contractor would pay its subcontractors, laborers, and suppliers for the job.

These bonds are issued on the basis of careful analysis and evaluation of the contractor's ability and willingness to execute both operationally and economically. The use of these surety bonds on private construction projects is at the owner's discretion. Alternatives to this include letters of credit and self-insurance, but these options do not provide full performance and payment protection. So, many private owners need surety bonds from their contractors to guard their company and shareholders from the charge of contractor failure. To bond a project, the owner just specifies the bonding requirements in the bond documents. To obtain bonds and deliver them to the owner is the responsibility of the contractor, who consults a surety bond producer. Subcontractors may also be necessary to obtain surety bonds to aid the prime contractor handle risk, particularly if the subcontractor is responsible for a important part of the job or provide a specialty that is difficult to replace.

Sureties need to be sure. Most surety companies are subsidiaries of insurance companies, and both surety bonds and traditional insurance policies are risk-transfer mechanism regulated by state insurance department. However, both operate on different business models. Traditional insurance is intended to compensate the insured against unforeseen or adverse events, so the policy premium is determined by projecting the expected losses and enough premiums earned to wrap the losses and earn a satisfactory return. In contrast, the surety bond prequalifies the contractor by evaluating the contractor's monetary strength and construction capability. In theory, the surety underwrites the supplier with no hope of loss, so the premium is above all a fee for the surety's complete prequalification services.

The prequalification procedure is an in-depth look at the contractor's commercial operations. Before issuing a bond, the surety company satisfies itself that, amid other criteria, the contractor has:

* Good reference and reputation.

* The capability to meet current and future obligations.

* Experience that match the contract requirements.

* The needed equipment to do the work or the ability to obtain it.

* The monetary strength to carry and support its share of the project work.

* An brilliant credit history.

* A trustworthy bank relationship and the line of credit.

In abstract, the surety examines a supplier the way the banker does. prior to issuing a bond or extending credit, both the bonding company and the business lender should be satisfied that the contractor runs a profitable enterprise, deals fairly, and meets obligation on time--as agreed and in full.

Author: Jacob Christopher
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