Surety
A surety bond is your company’s credibility, in writing — a guarantee that opens doors, reassures your partners, and lets you take on more, with confidence.
What is a surety bond?
A surety bond is a document in which a surety guarantees that a debtor (the contractor) will meet their contractual obligations to a third party (the obligee).
A tool for building trust
A surety bond is a three-way agreement between you, your client and a surety. It isn’t insurance — it’s a financial guarantee: the surety steps in if you don’t meet your contractual obligations.
Often a requirement
A performance bond reassures your clients and partners, guaranteeing that a surety will step in if you fall short of your obligations.
Shared responsibility
If the contractor doesn’t deliver, the surety steps in — and the contractor agrees to repay the surety. It’s what underpins a serious business relationship, not a free safety net.
The Univesta advantage in surety
Our surety specialists are known for moving fast and standing right beside you. We work with the industry’s top surety providers to get you the best offer for your specific needs. Licence and permit bonds or contract performance bonds — we handle it all, A to Z, from pre-qualification right through to opening your file. Clear answers, complete service, and a team that knows the business inside out — and has your back throughout.
Licence and permit bonds
CNESST bond
Required for personnel placement (staffing) agencies, this bond guarantees that obligations to the Commission des normes, de l’équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CNESST) are met, and protects the workers involved.
OPC bond
Required by the Office de la protection du consommateur (OPC), this bond guarantees that your business keeps its commitments to customers and follows the rules in force.
RBQ bond
Required to obtain your contractor’s licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ), this bond confirms you can carry out work to standard.
Bonds for contractors
Bid bond
Guarantees the client that you’ll honour your bid if you’re awarded the contract.
Letter of intent
A preliminary document showing you’re serious about your commitment, ahead of a formal performance bond.
Performance bond
Protects the completion of the work: the bond indemnifies the client, under the terms of the contract, if the contractor defaults.
Labour and material payment bond
Protects subcontractors and suppliers if they aren’t paid on a project.
Maintenance bond
Covers defects and faults that surface after delivery, during the maintenance period set out in the contract.
Process and requirements
Getting bonded takes preparation and a careful eye. Our team guides you through each step to simplify the process and keep delays down.
Assessing your situation
We look at your company profile, your bonding needs and the type of guarantee your industry calls for.
Pre-qualification
We take your application to our surety partners to establish your bonding capacity and the terms that apply.
Putting your application together
We help you assemble the documents you need, so your application moves quickly and smoothly.
Issuing the bond
Once it’s approved, the bond is issued and sent according to what your client or the relevant body requires.
Documents you’ll need
The better prepared you are, the faster things go. Here’s what our team typically needs to start the assessment.
Your external year-end financial statements, including a balance sheet and income statement. If you have affiliated companies, we’ll need theirs too.
A list of accounts receivable and payable as of the same date as the balance sheet, with notes on anything 90 days or older.
A snapshot of your active contracts — values, progress, clients. It helps us gauge your overall bonding capacity.
Depending on your situation, we may need a few more. Don’t have everything on hand? No problem — get in touch and we’ll get started; you can send the rest along later.
What matters to you matters to us.
We take the time to really understand your situation, so we can protect you better.