BONDS

This probably sounds like a boring subject. "Mundane"
comes to my mind. But you'd be surprised how important it
can be. The bond form can bring an agent's production
opportunity to a screeching halt. They can also turn a
previously good project into an ugly mess.
Let's break it down. Bond forms can be categorized in the
following groups:
 
STATUTORY / STANDARD - required by statute or regulation
such as city, state or federal forms. There are also industry
standard forms such as the American Institute of Architects
(AIA).

COMPANY FORMS - devised by the surety itself.

SPECIAL OBLIGEE FORMS - These are written specifically
(manuscripted) to satisfy the expectations of a private
obligee such as a general contractor (GC) who requires
subcontractors to use them.
So how do you recognize each category and what happens
next?

A STATUTORY FORM is stipulated by a public body (such
as federal form 25 Performance Bond). It will have their
name pre-printed on the form and may have edition
numbers or other ID showing it is theirs. If you bond a
federal contract, you MUST use this - no option.

STANDARD FORMS are used when the bonding
requirements say an AIA bond form must be issued. These
are reasonably fair to all parties and are well accepted by
all parties involved.

COMPANY FORMS are written in a manner the surety
prefers . These are the underwriter's first choice and may be
accepted by the obligee (party requiring the bond) if no
mandatory bond form was indicated. Spot these by their ID
numbers or copyright info. The surety's name will be pre-
printed on the form.

SPECIAL OBLIGEE FORMS - may look different than normal.
Sometimes they are extremely short. Less is not more in
bond forms. Generally, short forms omit the "rules of the
road" that determine what should happen when trouble
occurs, how a claim is made, what remedies are available,
etc. These forms can be troublesome. With perfectly good,
tried and proven bond forms available such as AIA, why
would a GC spend time and money to invent a new one?
Assume such special forms are more beneficial to the GC
and less fair for the subcontractor (called the Principal) and
the Surety. Sometimes these forms are practically normal.
But most often we find they place unique burdens on the
Principal and Surety.
Since the GC is a contractor, in the event of a default, they
may just want to step in, finish the subcontractors work (not
worrying about the cost) and then hand the bill to the
surety. This would be evident when reading the bond form.
The surety will consider this a forfeiture bond or financial
guarantee because they were deprived of the opportunity to
arrange for the economical completion of the work. Such
bond forms can prevent the surety from supporting the
project, no matter how confident they are in the contractor.
Summary: Contractors and their bond agents cannot ignore
the bond forms. The contractor may only be concerned
about signing the contract. But experienced bond agents
and underwriters will always evaluate the forms. If the
surety throws up a red flag, the contractor should be
equally concerned. Problems caused by a bad bond form
may start with the surety, but they end up on the shoulders
of the contractor.