Ask the Surety Pro

Ask the Surety Pro

Is My Construction Company Too Large To Consider The SBA Surety Bond Guarantee (SBG) Program?

Sep 25 2023

How big is too big for the SBA SBG Program? Gross annual revenue or total employee headcount can impact your ability to  utilize the Surety Bond Guarantee Program from the Small Business Administration (SBA). But when is a construction company too big to participate in the SBA SBG program?  The answer just might surprise you.…
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My Company Has A Low Net Worth. Can I Still Obtain Surety Bonds?

Sep 15 2023

Can low net worth prevent contractors from getting bonded? Net worth and working capital are the two primary factors that traditional surety companies look at first when evaluating a contractor for bonding. But what if you have low, or no, net worth?  The Surety Bond Guarantee Program, or SBG, might just be the solution you’re…
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Should I Notify My Surety Company If I Plan To Sell My Company?

Jul 26 2023

Is it time for you to cash out of your business through an acquisition? We’ve seen quite a few construction company acquisitions over the last several years, and we expect that trend to continue.   If your contracting company is being acquired, you’ll have a lot of loose ends to tie up. And one of those…
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Is My Bank Line of Credit Counted As Working Capital In The Surety Bond Underwriting Process?

Is My Bank Line of Credit Counted As Working Capital In The Surety Bond Underwriting Process?

Jul 19 2023

As a surety broker, we’re often asked about how having a commercial bank line of credit can help contractors grow their bonding capacity. Working capital is always a key consideration when a surety company considers extending bonding credit to a contractor. And if you have line availability on your commercial bank line of credit, you…
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Are You Seeing Increasingly Larger Bid Spreads In 2023?

Are You Seeing Increasingly Larger Bid Spreads In 2023?

Jul 7 2023

If you answered yes to that question, you’re not alone. So why are we seeing larger bid spreads in the current market, and will it affect your surety bonding capabilities? Our team is always listening to our contractor clients, and always looking for trends that might have an impact on their bonding capacity and ability…
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I currently have negative working capital, and I need to bid on new projects. Can I still obtain bid, performance, and payment bonds? 

Can I still obtain bid, performance, and payment bonds?

Jun 27 2023

That’s a great question that we sometimes get from our clients. Sometimes contractors get overextended in the normal course of business, and we get that. Don’t worry, presenting deficit working capital to a surety bond company is not necessarily a show-stopper that will keep you from getting bonded.  There can be a number of reasons…
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Does the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program (SBG) Evaluate Working Capital the Same Way as Traditional Surety Bonding Companies?

Jun 14 2023

The need for surety bonding is a critical necessity for contractors to participate in government and commercial contracting at all levels. But how can small and mid-sized contractors get bonded when traditional Surety Companies say no? The good news is there are some exceptional Federal programs available for contractors who lack experience with surety bonding…
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What Key Parts of a Business Continuity Plan Are Important to a Bonding Company?

What Key Parts of a Business Continuity Plan Are Important to a Bonding Company?

Jun 6 2023

Nobody plans to fail. This is especially true for our contractor partners. Unfortunately, though, some contractors fail to plan when it comes to the continuity of their business. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen to you.  There are two important aspects of business continuity planning you need to be aware of. So don’t miss this…
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