New Jersey § 18a:64-68

§ 18a:64-68.

a. In addition to or independently of the guaranty which may be required pursuant

to this article, the State college may require that the successful bidder provide

a surety company bond or other security acceptable to the State college: (1) For the faithful performance of all provisions of the advertisement for bids,

the specifications and any other documents issued to bidders or a repair or maintenance

bond; and (2) In a form which may be required in the specifications or other documents issued

to bidders. b. In every case in which a performance bond is required, the requirement shall be

set forth in the specifications or other documents issued to all bidders. c. The State college shall require that all performance bonds be issued by a surety

which meets the following standards: (1) The surety shall have the minimum surplus and capital stock or net cash assets

required by R.S.17:17-6 or R.S.17:17-7 , whichever is appropriate, at the time the invitation to bid is issued; and (2) With respect to all payment and performance bonds in the amount of $850,000 or

more, (a) if the amount of the bond is at least $850,000 but not more than $3.5 million,

the surety shall hold a current certificate of authority, issued by the United States

Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 31 U.S.C. s.9305 , that is valid in the State of New Jersey as listed annually in the United States

Treasury Circular 570, except that if the surety has been operational for a period

in excess of five years, the surety shall be deemed to meet the requirements of this

subparagraph if it is rated in one of the three highest categories by an independent,

nationally recognized United States rating company that determines the financial stability

of insurance companies, which rating company or companies shall be determined pursuant

to standards promulgated by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance by regulation

adopted pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c. 410 ( C.52:14B-1 et seq. ), and (b) if the amount of the bond is more than $3.5 million, then the surety shall

hold a current certificate of authority, issued by the United States Secretary of

the Treasury pursuant to 31 U.S.C. s.9305 , that is valid in the State of New Jersey as listed annually in the United States

Treasury Circular 570 and, if the surety has been operational for a period in excess

of five years, shall be rated in one of the three highest categories by an independent,

nationally recognized United States rating company that determines the financial stability

of insurance companies, which rating company or companies shall be determined pursuant

to standards promulgated by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance by regulation

adopted pursuant to the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c. 410 ( C.52:14B-1 et seq. ). A surety subject to the provisions of subparagraph (b) of this paragraph which does

not hold a certificate of authority issued by the United States Secretary of the Treasury

shall be exempt from the requirement to hold such a certificate if the surety meets

an equivalent set of standards developed by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance

through regulation which is at least equal, and may exceed, the general criteria required

for issuance of a certificate of authority by the United States Secretary of the Treasury

pursuant to 31 U.S.C. s.9305 . A surety company seeking such an exemption shall, not later than the 180th day following

the effective date of P.L.1995, c. 384 ( N.J.S.2A:44-143 et al.), certify to the appropriate State college that it meets that equivalent set

of standards set forth by the commissioner as promulgated. d. A State college shall not accept more than one payment and performance bond to

cover a single construction contract. The State college may accept a single bond executed by more than one surety to cover

a single construction contract only if the combined underwriting limitations of all

the named sureties, as set forth in the most current annual revision of United States

Treasury Circular 570, or as determined by the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance

pursuant to R.S.17:18-9 , meet or exceed the amount of the contract to be performed. e. A board, officer or agent contracting on behalf of a State college shall not accept

a payment or performance bond unless there is attached thereto a Surety Disclosure

Statement and Certification to which each surety executing the bond shall have subscribed. This statement and certification shall be complete in all respects and duly acknowledged

according to law, and shall have substantially the following form: SURETY DISCLOSURE STATEMENT AND CERTIFICATION ______, surety(ies) on the attached bond, hereby certifies(y) the following: (1) The surety meets the applicable capital and surplus requirements of R.S.17:17-6 or R.S.17:17-7 as of the surety's most current annual filing with the New Jersey Department of Banking

and Insurance. (2) The capital (where applicable) and surplus, as determined in accordance with the

applicable laws of this State, of the surety(ies) participating in the issuance of

the attached bond is (are) in the following amount(s) as of the calendar year ended

December 31, ______ (most recent calendar year for which capital and surplus amounts are available),

which amounts have been certified as indicated by certified public accountants (indicating

separately for each surety that surety's capital and surplus amounts, together with

the name and address of the firm of certified public accounts that shall have certified

those amounts): ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________. (3) (a) With respect to each surety participating in the issuance of the attached

bond that has received from the United States Secretary of the Treasury a certificate

of authority pursuant to 31 U.S.C. s.9305 , the underwriting limitation established therein and the date as of which that limitation

was effective is as follows (indicating for each such surety that surety's underwriting

limitation and the effective date thereof): ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________. (b) With respect to each surety participating in the issuance of the attached bond

that has not received such a certificate of authority from the United States Secretary

of the Treasury, the underwriting limitation of that surety as established pursuant

to R.S.17:18-9 as of (date on which such limitation was so established) is as follows (indicating

for each such surety that surety's underwriting limitation and the date on which that

limitation was established): ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________. (4) The amount of the bond to which this statement and certification is attached is

$________________________. (5) If, by virtue of one or more contracts of reinsurance, the amount of the bond

indicated under item (4) above exceeds the total underwriting limitation of all sureties

on the bond as set forth in item (3)(a) or (3)(b) above, or both, then for each such

contract of reinsurance: (a) The name and address of each such reinsurer under that contract and the amount

of that reinsurer's participation in the contract is as follows: ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________; and (b) Each surety that is party to any such contract of reinsurance certifies that each

reinsurer listed under item (5)(a) satisfies the credit for the reinsurance requirement

established under P.L.1993, c. 243 ( C.17:51B-1 et seq. ) and any applicable regulations in effect as of the date on which the bond to which

this statement and certification is attached shall have been filed with the appropriate

public agency. CERTIFICATE (to be completed by an authorized certifying agent for each surety on the bond) I (name of agent), as (title of agent) for (name of surety), a corporation/ mutual

insurance company/other (indicating type of business organization) (circle one) domiciled

in (state of domicile), DO HEREBY CERTIFY that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing

statements made by me are true, and ACKNOWLEDGE that, if any of those statements are

false, this bond is VOID. ________________________ (Signature of certifying agent) ________________________ (Printed name of certifying agent) ________________________ (Title of certifying agent)