When developing a trustworthy business, you have a lot of things to think about. A welcoming working environment and fair billing practices are not the only important impressions to cultivate with your clients. You also must do the work as you promise, particularly when you have contracts that you have to follow. If, as a contractor, you want to stabilize and grow the business, then this might mean investing in surety bonds. Surety bonds are the way that you can make your reputation much stronger in the long run. It can even help you win business, and here’s why.  

Understanding Contractual Obligations  

Every business transaction involves trust between the business owner and the client. However, on projects of significant risk or value – construction, accounting, government projects and the like – the need might arise for a more formal arrangement. By signing a contract, the client and the business can establish clear regulations on how the work will proceed.  

Items stipulated in a contract might include:  

• The project’s timeline and hours of commitment  
• Regulations on the hiring and firing of sub-contractors  
• The expected results of the project  
• Documentation that each party must provide to keep the project moving  
• The cost of the project 
• Appropriate avenues to resolve disputes  

So, if you build houses, then the contract might outline the expectations you and the client agree on for the design, cost and timeline of the project. It ensures that both parties know what they both have to do to meet their obligations and complete the work.  

It is when these contracts fail that a surety bond might come in handy. If you cannot meet your obligations to the client, then they will need a way to seek help for the resulting losses. Remember, a broken contract not only hurts your business, but also the consumer. By having surety bonds in your possession, you have a way to settle this dispute. Without doing so, the process might become incredibly frustrating and time-consuming.  

Understanding Surety Bonds  

A surety bond is proof that the business will keep its promises to its clients. Or else, it will repay the client for their losses. The bond exists between the bond holder (the principal), the client (the obligee) and the surety company. When you buy the bond, your business is the principal, and the surety company issues the bond on your behalf. The bond guarantees that the principal will indemnify the obligee in case the principal reneges on the contract.  

In a way, a surety bond acts as liability insurance. It is a promise that the business will repay the client in case the project falls through. However, unlike insurance, the bond does not pay on behalf of the principal. It simply guarantees that the principal has the money to meet its obligations and that it will repay the client if it doesn’t do so.  

How They Help  

Because surety bonds act as promises between companies and clients, they can go a long way towards establishing your business’s professional stability and reputation.  

On one hand, these bonds represent that the business is in a stable financial position. By investing in a bond, you can reassure your current and prospective clients that you care about their security in your work.  

Additionally, bonds can even help the business prosper by drawing in clientele. Otherwise, they might not consider working with you. For example, to bid on a government project, contractors usually must buy a bond or provide proof that they already carry them. So, if you buy bonds, you can in theory make your business more competitive. They can act as a reassuring building block in helping you grow your professional reputation and expand your opportunities. 

ALSO READ: The Primary Type of Contractor Surety Bonds