Project Finance Copying and distributing are prohibited without permission of the publisher

Sure shot

01 September 2008

Surety bonds are part of construction culture in Canada. As economic uncertainties bite, is it time to consider the real value in a time-tested solution? By Raymond Bassett, vice-president, underwriting services, Travelers Guarantee Company of Canada.

Often, the most serious risks to the success of the construction phase of a project are not found on the construction site, nor in the hundreds of pages of contract documentation, nor in the make-up of the project management team. Often, the most serious risks to a project can come from events and stresses affecting a contractor that are unrelated to this project; risks from outside the project fence.

In its May 2007 survey of 161 bankers, construction contractors, procuring agencies, technical and financial advisors, insurers and project companies from 22 countries, Standard & Poor's asked respondents to list the main reasons for problems with construction budgets and schedules on PPP projects. Among the top 10 reasons was "inexperienced or weak contractors." While S&P noted that participation in PPP projects is usually limited to larger, more established companies with good financial standing and reputations to protect, they also reported that:...


Upcoming Events

Change font size: Switch to default font size Switch to medium font size Switch to large font size