Bond, James Bond

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cartman

Member
What does it mean when an electrical contractor advertises that he is "licensed and bonded"? I looked up "bonds" on the internet and discovered there are about 10 different types of bonds. So what exactly is the electrical contractor that advertises he is bonded trying to say? :confused:
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
Re: Bond, James Bond

I believe you are talking about a surety bond.

Surety Bonding

A surety bond is not an insurance policy. A surety bond is a guarantee, in which the surety guarantees that the contractor, called the ?principal? in the bond, will perform the ?obligation? stated in the bond. For example, the ?obligation? stated in a bid bond is that the principal will honor its bid; the ?obligation? in a performance bond is that the principal will complete the project; and the ?obligation? in a payment bond is that the principal will properly pay subcontractors and suppliers. Bonds frequently state, as a ?condition,? that if the principal fully performs the stated obligation, then the bond is void; otherwise the bond remains in full force and effect.
Quote came from here
 

bphgravity

Senior Member
Location
Florida
Re: Bond, James Bond

To expand on what Bob provided, insurance is used for the purposes of accidents and damages. Bonds are provided to ensure that in case the contract is not fulfilled, monies are available to complete the work and to pay off vendors.

Most government jobs and those over $100,000 will require the bidders to provide both a license bond and performance bonds. This tells the builder/customer that in case you default, their project will still be completed. It also protects you from some litigation, meaning you can't be sued. But you probably still will be.
 

cartman

Member
Re: Bond, James Bond

Thanks, now to expand on this a little. So if the electrical bid for a commercial building is $28000 then about how much would a surety bond cost? If the surety bond costs around $500 then what happens if you default on the $28000 job?
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
Re: Bond, James Bond

Originally posted by cartman:
Thanks, now to expand on this a little. So if the electrical bid for a commercial building is $28000 then about how much would a surety bond cost? If the surety bond costs around $500 then what happens if you default on the $28000 job?
The cost depends on a lot of things. Established and larger companies with better credit ratings pay less. I can't tell you what an average would be but I know a company I worked for once paid a little over 2%. I imagine for a relatively small project like you are talking about a bond would cost more like 10%.

If a contractor goes bust, the bonding company finishes the work.

Most of the time we got out of the bonding requirements by making it an optional, seperate line item they could choose if they wanted to.

we often got out of bid bonds by sending a cashiers check or LC with the bid in the amount of a preagreed amount of the bid (typically 5%). If we failed to accept the bid, we lost the 5%. If they accepted our bid, they sent the amount back to us.

None of this happened very often. Just too expensive.

[ January 01, 2005, 07:54 PM: Message edited by: petersonra ]
 

bphgravity

Senior Member
Location
Florida
Re: Bond, James Bond

A small percentage of performance bonds are ever paid so like an insurance premium, the holding company only pays on a few occasions but collects premiums on each contract and invests the money with interest. There is always a risk, but thats why credit and business history play into how much you pay. In most cases, the bond will only cover to about 75% of the contract anyway. In some cases, the bond will reduce in value as portions of the project are completed. Once the job is complete, a maintenance bond can be purchased to ensure warranty of work.

I have performed work for the local utility company on a contract of a little over $20,000 with a performace bond that only costs $50.
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
Re: Bond, James Bond

bonded can also mean that the contractors employees have been bonded, so that if they steal from a customer, the bonding company will amke it good.

i can't imagine a performance bond of $50 on a $20000 project.
 

cartman

Member
Re: Bond, James Bond

Originally posted by petersonra:
bonded can also mean that the contractors employees have been bonded, so that if they steal from a customer, the bonding company will make it good.
Could you please tell me the name of this type of bond? Thanks for all the replies
 

paul32

Senior Member
Location
Minnesota
Re: Bond, James Bond

Originally posted by cartman:
Originally posted by petersonra:
bonded can also mean that the contractors employees have been bonded, so that if they steal from a customer, the bonding company will make it good.
Could you please tell me the name of this type of bond? Thanks for all the replies
This is called a fidelity bond.

In minnesota, licensed electrical contractors are required to have a $5000 surety bond to the state.
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
Re: Bond, James Bond

I was down south some time ago and ran across an EC working in the same plant I was. The company name was James Bond Electric. IIRC, the owner's real name was James Bond.
 
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