Bonding capacity,
built like credit
Performance and payment bonds for public and private work, plus the license, court, and miscellaneous bonds your business needs to operate. We approach surety the way a banker approaches credit: relationship-led, financials, and ready when the bid window opens.
Get a bond onlineSurety is a credit
relationship, not a
transaction
Surety bonds aren’t priced like insurance. They’re priced like credit, based on the financial strength of the business, the track record of the principals, and the relationship between the agency, the carrier, and the bonded business. The relationship matters more than the bond does.
We work with you on bonding capacity over time. That means setting up the right initial program, working with you and your CPA on the financial structure that supports bonding, and growing the capacity as the business grows. The goal is to have the bonding ready before you need it, not after.
The bonds we write
Guarantees that a contractor will complete a project according to the terms of the contract. Required on most public work and many private projects above certain dollar thresholds. The bond protects the project owner if the contractor defaults.
Guarantees that subcontractors and suppliers will be paid for their work and materials. Often paired with performance bonds on the same project — together, they’re sometimes called "P&P bonds."
Provided with a bid to demonstrate that the bidder will enter into the contract and provide performance and payment bonds if awarded. Lower-cost than P&P bonds, but a required step in many bidding processes.
Required by state agencies, municipalities, and licensing boards for businesses operating in regulated industries. Common for contractors, freight brokers, motor vehicle dealers, and other licensed professions.
Required by courts in various proceedings — appeal bonds, fiduciary bonds, injunction bonds, and others. These are situation-specific and we handle them as they come up.
The category for everything else: lost instrument bonds, ERISA bonds, notary bonds, and the smaller specialty bonds that businesses occasionally need. We write these as a service to clients with broader surety relationships with us.
how we approach it
Three things we do differently
We build capacity, not just bonds
Most surety conversations start with "I need a bond." We start one step earlier: what's your single-project capacity, what's your aggregate, and how do we get those numbers where they need to be for the work you're bidding? Bonds follow capacity.
We work with your CPA
Surety carriers underwrite on financial statements, so the relationship between your financials and your bonding capacity is direct. We collaborate with your CPA on the work-in-progress schedules, balance sheet structure, and presentation that supports the bonding program.
We keep multiple surety relationships
Different surety markets fit different stages of business. A startup contractor needs one type of relationship; a $500M GC needs another. We carry multiple surety relationships and place the program where it fits best.
Situations we handle often
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A growing contractor wants to bid public work for the first time and needs to establish a bonding line. We work with them on the financial presentation and place an initial program.
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An established contractor's bonding capacity is sized to last year's work and isn't keeping up with this year's growth. We review the financials with their CPA and approach the carrier about an increase.
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A specialty trade contractor is required to carry license bonds in multiple states as they expand their footprint. We coordinate the bonds, renewals, and state-by-state requirements.
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A general contractor's current surety market has tightened and is reducing their capacity. We move the program to a market that fits the business's current size and trajectory.
Common questions before you switch
Specific to Surety Bonds.
Carriers look at three things primarily: working capital, net worth, and the principals' track record. The financial statements matter, but so does the consistency of the work being bid and the relationship between the business and the surety market.
Once we have the bonding relationship in place, most bid bonds turn around in 24-48 hours. The first conversation takes longer because we're establishing the financial picture and the market relationship; subsequent bonds move much faster.
Usually three years of CPA-prepared financial statements, current work-in-progress schedule, a current balance sheet, and personal financial statements for the principals. The exact requirements depend on the bond size and the surety market.
Yes, particularly for license bonds, court bonds, and the smaller specialty bonds. For performance and payment bonds, we usually want an ongoing relationship, the financial review work doesn't scale well to one-off transactions.
Surety Bonds frequently overlaps with:
Let's talk about your
bonding program
Surety starts with a conversation about your business, your work pipeline, and your financial picture. We'll walk through what the right program looks like.