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The ability to obtain surety bonding is a necessity in the commercial construction industry. Public entities typically require bid bonds along with performance and payment bonds for their projects.
General contractors often require surety bonds from their subcontractors. More and more private entities are requiring bonds to protect themselves against contractor default. Establishing and maintaining a surety line can be challenging for a construction company.
We’ve put together the following tips to aid you in securing construction surety bonds or increasing your bonding capacity:
Select a Reputable Bond Broker & Surety Company
When selecting a surety bond broker or producer you want to make sure they specialize in contract surety bonding and are familiar with construction contracts in the states you will need bonding. A good place to start is with the National Association of Surety Bond Producers (NASBP). Your broker will be able to match your company with a surety provider that best meets bonding needs.
Make sure your broker only works with reputable surety companies. Your surety company should be certified with the U.S. Department of Treasury to write surety bonds for federal construction projects and have an A-rating or higher from A.M. Best or an equivalent rating from a respected rating organization such as Dun & Bradstreet or Fitch Ratings.
The surety company your broker selects needs to be able to meet your bonding needs including the ability to bond you in the states your work and has the capacity for your workloads.
Get Prequalified
Before you do anything that’s going to require a surety bond, whether it’s a contractor license bond, bid bond, or performance and payment bond, you will have to go through a prequalification process to ensure you are bondable and to determine your bonding capacity.
The surety company will want to review the financial statements of your company along with the personal financial statements of all owners. Other information the surety company will want to review includes an organizational chart, business plan, management, and continuity plans, resumes of key personnel, history of work completed, references, and line of credit.
Build a Relationship With Your Broker
Your broker should be your ally and advocate. Open communication is the key to building a good relationship with your broker and surety company. You need to notify them at the first sign of problems with a construction project.
Keep your broker updated on any changes to your company, such as ownership changes or plans on expansion into new markets or larger projects. Your surety company is more likely to increase your bonding capacity if you’ve established a pattern of trust and reliability.
Maintain a Healthy Business
In order to maintain and grow your bonding capacity, you need to maintain a healthy business, and a healthy business is a profitable one. This means being able to successfully manage cash flow and completing projects on time and within budget.
You should also work within your capacity and don’t overextend beyond your capabilities. This may mean not taking on new projects if you don’t have the working capital, equipment, and personnel to successfully complete the project.
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