
Surety bonds have been a valuable tool for centuries. While
suretyship has a long history, it wasn’t until the 19th
century that
corporate surety bonds were used. Surety bonding is an
integral part of construction. Understanding all aspects of bonding is
important for anyone planning to enter any segment of the construction
industry.
The materials below are recommended materials for Educators & Students:
PowerPoints
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10 Things You Should Know About Surety Bonding
Making the right choice to mitigate and manage risk on construction projects and selecting the most fiscally responsible option to ensure timely project completion are imperative to a successful project - and a sound business.

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Surety Bonds at Work
Avoid performance and financial issues. Learn how Surety Bonds enable projects to be completed.

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Importance of Surety Bonds in Construction
Learn about the importance of surety bonds in construction. This brochure covers historical perspective, risky business, types of bonds, financial security and construction assurance, prequalification of the contractor, contractor failure, bond rates and benefits of bonds.

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The Miller Act
In the United States, the law requiring contract surety bonds on federal construction projects is known as the Miller Act (40 U.S.C. §§ 3131-3134). The Miller Act is implemented through the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) at 48 CFR Subpart 28.1. This law requires a contractor on a federal project to post two bonds: a performance bond and a labor and material payment bond. A corporate surety company issuing these bonds must be listed as a qualified surety on the Treasury List, which the U.S. Department of the Treasury issues each year.

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How to Obtain Surety Bonds: An Introduction to Contract Surety Bonding For Contractors
Federal, state, and local governments require surety bonds in order to manage risk on construction projects and protect taxpayer dollars. However, surety bonds are not limited to public construction. Many private project owners stipulate bonding requirements on their projects, and prime contractors may require subcontractors to obtain bonds.
In today’s competitive construction environment, a contractor’s ability to obtain surety bonds has a significant effect on that contractor’s ability to acquire work.

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Surety Bonds - Common Misconceptions
Learn about the 11 most common misconceptions about Surety Bonds.

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Economics of Default
The Economics of a Default on a $1 million NON-bonded Project. Assumes two subcontractors and two material supply companies.

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PowerPoints:

Surety Bonds 101: The Basics of Bonding

Why Do Contractors Fail?

Managing the Risk of Contractor Default
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Electronic Filing Resources
The objective of surety automation is to employ technology to streamline processes, reduce redundancies and increase productivity in the surety bond process, which spans the application for the bond, the execution and submission of the bond and the processing of premium. The objectives of surety automation are realized fully when methodologies involving transmission, security, verification and data integration encourage the broadest participation by surety companies, surety bond producers, contractors, project owners, risk managers and other parties in the bond process. Any methodology should seek to maximize interoperability among disparate systems. Broad participation in surety automation is the vision. Interoperability through open standards and systems is the way to that vision.

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Value of Surety Bond Producers 
Questions to Ask Your Surety Underwriter & Bond Producer 
Attributes of a Professional Surety Bond Producer 
Building a Surety Relationship Resources 
Contract Surety Bonds: Protecting Your Investment