Bond Claim Mistakes to Avoid
Most of the common mistakes to avoid in the bond claim process spring from the complexities of the process itself, or from the mistaken belief that mere compliance with the requirements will best position a claimant to be paid.
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Preliminary Notice – Making a Bond Claim
Many states mandate preliminary notice to be sent within a certain time period, or any subsequent bond claim may be invalid. Failing to provide this notice when required, in the manner required, and to the parties required, is a common mistake for parties making a bond claim.
In order to best protect the ability to make a valid bond claim, and to get paid, the claimant should review the laws of the project state, and provide any required notice.
In order to best protect the ability to make a valid bond claim, and to get paid, the claimant should review the laws of the project state, and provide any required notice. Many of these preliminary notice deadlines provide a relatively short period of time in which to give the notice, so it is a good idea to get familiar with the laws of the project state prior to involvement on the project. For example, Arizona requires any party who did not contract directly with the prime contractor to provide preliminary notice to the general contractor within 20 days of first furnishing labor and/or materials to the project. California also has a 20-day preliminary notice deadline (for parties who did not contract with the GC), but instead of only providing the notice to the prime contractor, it must also be provided to the public entity. While the deadlines and requirements of who must receive the notice are complex, and vary from state to state, failure to comply can derail a bond claim before it is even made.
Preliminary Notice – Defending a Bond Claim
The same preliminary notice requirements that are a headache for subs and suppliers to comply with work in favor of the party defending a bond claim. But, knowledge of the requirements is useful for defensive purposes. The fact that that party doesn’t need to give the notices is not an excuse to be ignorant of the specific requirements. It’s important for the general contractor to be aware of the notice requirements in order to best position itself in defending a potential claim. If notice is required, and not received within the mandated time period, defending any subsequent claim against the bond becomes that much easier. If a bond claim is made, the information that no required notice was provided can be given to the surety at the same time it is notified of the claim.
“Filing” – Making a Bond Claim
Just as with providing preliminary notice, actually making a bond claim is technically precise and subject to specific requirements. If an actual Notice of Claim is required, the bond claim must be made within a certain amount of time. Missing this deadline should be completely avoidable, with good time management and a knowledge of the project state’s bond law, but it remains a common mistake that invalidates many claims. Just like with preliminary notice, this mistake can be avoided by a thorough review of the laws of the project state.
Not only must the claim be provided to certain parties – the claim should be provided to additional parties, as well. Along with making the claim within the set time period, the claim must be provided to the required parties, at the risk of extinguishing the claim. However, not only must the claim be provided to certain parties – the claim should be provided to additional parties, as well. Very few states actually require bond claims to be provided to the surety, but it can have a dramatic impact on the claimant getting paid. Relying solely on compliance with the state rules, and neglecting to provide copies of the bond claim to every party “up-the-chain” from the claimant can be a costly and time-consuming mistake. It is relatively common for parties who contract directly with the prime contractor to have no formal requirement to give a formal notice of claim in any manner prior to initiating suit. This is a bad idea; even if no strict requirement to make a claim prior to filing suit exists, it is always a good idea to provide notice of the claim to the general, the public entity, the surety, and the hiring party.
Finally, once the claim has made its way to the surety, more information will likely be required prior to any payment being forthcoming. Because of this, information and documents that back up the claim should always be retained, and should be provided to the surety quickly when requested. After the information has been provided, the claimant should routinely check in with the surety claim representative to check on the status of the claim, and see if anything else is needed. Many companies fail to take these easy steps even though the amount of energy necessary to do so is routinely paid off in the claim being paid more quickly and without the need to file suit.
“Filing” – Defending a Bond Claim
For parties defending a bond claim, the same considerations given to preliminary notice should be given here. A failure of the claimant to completely comply with the state’s specific rules can invalidate the claim. A bonded contractor that is aware of the rules is in a much better position to defend itself than a contractor that isn’t.
Sureties will generally stick with the bonded contractors arguments if they are well documented, and well organized.
Just like for bond claimants, bond defenders should also make it routine practice to retain information that would be beneficial in the event a claim is made. Just like the surety will request additional information and support from the claimant, additional information and support will be required from the prime contractor, as well. Having the information handy, and providing it quickly, will be beneficial. Sureties will generally stick with the bonded contractors arguments if they are well documented, and well organized. Providing information supporting the position that payment is not necessary can increase the likelihood of success.
Also, it is too common for prime contractors to wait to provide the surety with notice of the claim itself. This is a mistake. Sitting on a bond claim and not providing it to the surety can strain the relationship between the bonded contractor and the surety. Further, the requirements of the bond will generally specifically require the prime contractor to notify the surety of any bond claim within a certain time period. Failure to do so can provide the surety with a defense to paying the claim, and this means that 100% of the liability (and, potentially, the legal costs of the surety) will be passed on to the prime contractor. This can be avoided simply by passing the claim along when received.
Bond claims can be tricky, both to successfully make and to successfully defend, but keeping these common bond claim mistakes in mind so they can be avoided could potentially be the difference between success and failure.