WASHINGTON, D.C. – Small businesses will have more contracting opportunities beginning in FY 2017 thanks to a law President Obama signed recently that increases the maximum Small Business Administration surety bond guarantee percentage by 20 percent.

The President signed the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2016 on November 25, 2015. Among other changes, the Act increases the maximum guarantee percentage in the SBA Preferred Surety Bond (PSB) Program from 70 percent to 90 percent.

“This is the first significant legislative change to the surety bond guarantee program in several decades. It will provide increased incentives for surety bond companies and bond producers to participate in the program, which will expand contracting opportunities for small businesses across the country,” said Frank Lalumiere, Surety Bond Guarantee Program Director at SBA.

Surety bonds help contractors bid on projects, both private and public as they protect project owners in the event the contractor fails to successfully perform the contract. If the contractor fails to perform, the surety company assists the project owner in completing the contract.

SBA does not provide direct surety bonds to small businesses; surety companies do. But through its Preferred Surety Bond program, the agency guarantees between 70 and 90% of the losses and expenses incurred by the surety company if the small business fails to complete the contract.

This government guarantee encourages the surety company to issue a bond that it would otherwise not issue to a small business. In turn, with the backing of a surety bond, a small business contractor may bid on a project that otherwise it could not bid on.

For more information about the SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program, visit https://www.sba.gov/surety-bonds.

Contact: David Hall (202) 205-6697
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news
Release Date: December 18, 2015

Release Number: 15-99