Contract surety still trips up good contractors and the brokers who place them. The mistakes do not change much from year to year. The cost of making them does.
This free eBook from Approved Casualty & Surety walks through the ten mistakes we see most often on bond files, updated for 2026, with the fix for each one. It is written for brokers who place contractors and for the contractors themselves.
The ten mistakes covered
- Bond terms. Reading the bond and the underlying contract before the bid goes in, so nobody finds a surprise obligation after the award.
- Renewals. Running annual renewals early, with current financials, instead of the week the bond lapses.
- Financial strength. What underwriters look at in the balance sheet and work in progress schedule, and what weakens capacity.
- Applications. What a complete submission looks like, and the gaps that stall a file.
- Surety relationships. Why a steady relationship with one surety beats shopping every bond.
- Scope and obligations. Knowing what the bond covers, what it does not, and who can claim on it.
- Disclosure. What the surety needs to know up front, and what happens when it comes out later.
- Claims. How a claim moves, and the steps that keep a small dispute from becoming a large loss.
- Choosing a surety partner. Questions to ask before placing a client, especially a contractor who is growing fast.
- Bond forms. Using the form the obligee asked for (CCDC, provincial or custom) and catching the wording differences that matter.
Who it is for
- P&C brokers placing their first contract bonds, or their fiftieth.
- Contractors preparing for a tender that needs bid, performance and payment bonds.
- Anyone whose bonding capacity has stopped growing and wants to know why.
Get the eBook
Download The Top 10 Surety Bonding Mistakes to Avoid in 2026. No cost, no commitment.
Have a file that needs a market now? Email submit@approvedcasualty.com or call 1-877-495-8777. A surety underwriter reviews every request.
