|
|
NASBP 2007 HIGHLIGHTS: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
 Click
here
to download the .PDF version.
NASBP has as its mission to strengthen professionalism, expertise and
innovation in surety and to advocate its use worldwide. In 2007, NASBP
achieved
its mission through…
The following information describes the highlights of the many
actions,
activities, and achievements of NASBP in 2007.
|
December 31, 2007
In 2007, NASBP undertook significant new projects and initiatives to
deliver enhanced value to its members and affiliates for many years
to come. Chief among these initiatives were the launch of a
redesigned, interactive NASBP web site, the creation and
dissemination of new communication vehicles, greater visibility with
the national organizations representing contractor and subcontractor
communities, legislative victories at state and local levels, and
the delivery of professional development programs of the highest
quality. But this is only a snippet of the story of NASBP in 2007.
This annual Highlights brochure will provide a more complete picture
of the aims and accomplishments of NASBP. As you will read, NASBP is
an active, engaged, and member-driven organization that is
positioned well to capitalize on the momentum gained this year to
ensure an unprecedented 2008 for its members and affiliates. I
extend my thanks to the NASBP leadership and to the many volunteers
serving on NASBP Committees who dedicate their considerable energy
and time to advancing the interests of suretyship.
Richard A. Foss
Executive Vice President
|
Forming
strategic alliances with surety and construction industry
organizations
- WORKED WITH THE
U.S. SMALL
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA) Office of Surety
Guarantees to discuss program improvements and marketing strategies,
including
suggestions and feedback on a beta-test of the agency’s online
application
system, the Surety Bond Guarantee E-application System, which will
improve the
review and approval process to obtain surety bonds.
- DISCUSSED WITH OFFICIALS OF THE
MARYLAND
SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
FINANCING AUTHORITY (MSBDFA) Surety Bond Program ways in which the
local surety community
can help revitalize the Program. Referenced results of survey conducted
jointly
by NASBP and the Mid-Atlantic Surety Association about users’
experiences with MSBDFA.
- WORKED JOINTLY WITH THE SURETY & FIDELITY ASSOCIATION OF
AMERICA (SFAA)
AND AMERICAN INSURANCE
ASSOCIATION (AIA) in analyzing and taking action on numerous
state legislative measures to ensure inclusion of bond requirements on
public
works projects, highway projects, township road projects, and
public-private
partnerships.
- DEVELOPED CONCISE POSITION STATEMENTS AND LEGISLATIVE ANALYSES on
state
measures impacting practice of suretyship, disseminating them to members
and to
other interested parties via the NASBP government relations e-bulletin,
titled
Focal
Point
 , emergency e-mail
notifications, titled eAlerts, and presentations
made by NASBP at industry meetings.
- PRESENTED CURRENT TOPICS OF IMPORTANCE TO LOCAL SURETY
ASSOCIATIONS,
including “What Happens in Annapolis & Richmond Doesn’t Stay There:
Recent
Legislative Sessions & How They Impact Suretyship,” to the
Mid-Atlantic Surety
Association and “The State of the Industry and Legislative Update” to
the
Carolinas
Surety Association.
- CONTINUED FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF
TRIP, a national
transportation research group
based in Washington, DC, that promotes transportation policies that
relieve
traffic congestion and improve road and bridge conditions.
- CONDUCTED JOINT OFFICERS' MEETINGS with SFAA and the
American
Subcontractors
Association, Inc. (ASA) to discuss issues of mutual interest and
concern.
Advocating
for the surety product and the surety bond producer
- INITIATED A MEETING WITH THE
MARYLAND BOARD OF
PUBLIC WORKS to provide
concerns with and to review written comments submitted on regulations
being
drafted to implement the new Maryland individual surety law.
- ORGANIZED EFFECTIVE GRASSROOTS CAMPAIGNS to oppose state
legislative measures
in Florida, Indiana, New Mexico, New York, Virginia and elsewhere that
would
waive or increase payment and performance bonding thresholds or threaten
the
integrity of the surety bond product.
- MET WITH THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE
ASSOCIATED GENERAL
CONTRACTORS of
Metropolitan Washington DC to address concerns with respect to
bonding
requirements contained in a new District of Columbia law on “green
building”
requirements.
- MET WITH CONGRESSIONAL STAFF of the
Senate Committee on
Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs to discuss ways to strengthen surety bond
requirements for
federal construction/embassy construction overseas and for federal-aid
work in
U.S. territories and possessions.
- SUBMITTED WRITTEN COMMENTS to the
Office of
Management and Budget (OMB)
requesting an extension to the current federal information collection
requirement OMB Clearance (9000-0135), which establishes that upon the
request
of a prospective subcontractor or supplier, the contractor must promptly
provide
a copy of such payment bond to the requestor.
- LAUNCHED AN EFFECTIVE CONTRIBUTION CAMPAIGN for
NASBP
SuretyPAC significantly
increasing SuretyPAC funds on hand to disburse to candidates who are
seeking
federal office in 2008 and who are supportive of surety industry
interests.
- PROVIDED WRITTEN COMMENTS to the
Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services
(CMS) on a new proposed regulation that would require a surety bond
for
suppliers of durable medical equipment in the amount of $65,000 as a
condition
of participation.
- IMPLEMENTED A NEW
"TAKE
ACTION NOW" CORRESPONDENCE SYSTEM on the NASBP web
site where members generated almost 400 letters to state legislators
voicing
concern and opposition to unfavorable bills.
- FURNISHED WRITTEN ANALYSIS AND COMMENTS on standard construction
specifications proposed by the Kansas Department of Transportation
(KDOT) and
other public owners.
- SUBMITTED COMMENTS ON THE NEED TO REQUIRE MANDATORY LEGAL REVIEW of
the
evidence of title of real property backing surety bond obligations on a
proposed
rule that would amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation
(FAR).
- WORKED WITH VARIOUS LOCAL CONTRACTOR AND SUBCONTRACTOR
ORGANIZATIONS to
raise awareness of and to oppose legislative measures that would
increase or
waive bonding thresholds or would impose onerous requirements on
contractors and
subcontractors, such as permitting reverse auctions of construction
services.
Educating
stakeholders on the value and importance of suretyship
- VISITED NEW MEMBERS OF CONGRESS to acquaint them with subjects of
interest to
surety bond producers.
- AUTHORED AND DISTRIBUTED ARTICLES AND WRITTEN MATERIALS on current
surety
industry topics and analysis of state legislative measures to contractor
and
subcontractor organizations for publication in association periodicals
and for
use in their government relations efforts.
- PRESENTED A POWERPOINT PROGRAM on recent regulatory changes
affecting powers
of attorney on federal construction projects to contracting officers and
government officials at a conference on the dynamics of surety bonding
sponsored
by the Surety Bond Branch,
Financial Management Service (FMS), U.S. Department
of the Treasury.
- PROVIDED A PRESENTATION on surety bonding to the Western Facilities
Service
Office of the U.S. Postal Service presented by the NASBP President and
Second
Vice President.
- INITIATED AN ON-GOING DIALOGUE with the DC Government’s Green
Building
Advisory Council to discuss concerns with the surety bonding
requirements
contained in the
DC
Green Building Act.
Developing
the resources to serve the business needs and concerns of
surety bond producers
- INTRODUCED A COMPLETELY REDESIGNED, STATE-OF-THE-ART WEB SITE,
www.nasbp.org,
to place more information and resources at the fingertips of members and
affiliates.
- COMPLETED A JOINT NASBP AND GRANT THORNTON 2007 SURVEY, titled “Surety
Credit Survey for Construction Contractors: The Bond Producer’s
Perspective,”—the results of which was unveiled
at the Annual Meeting.
- LAUNCHED THE NASBP CAREER CENTER on the NASBP
web site where agents and
surety companies can quickly post and fill open positions in their firms
in
real-time.
- CREATED THE NASBP PRODUCERS TOOL KIT that includes the Service/Supply
Contractor Questionnaire and Status Inquiry Form.
- DEBUTED A NEW GOVERNMENT RELATIONS E-BULLETIN, FOCAL POINT,
which is sent to
members to apprise them twice a month about selected state and federal
legislative and regulatory developments.
- CREATED THE ONLINE "ADVOCACY RESOURCE
CENTER," containing a “Grassroots
Action Center,” to empower members to research and to take political
action on
issues of interest and concern.
- IMPROVED VISIBILITY AND ACCESS TO THE "FIND
A PRODUCER" SECTION of the web
site to help the public quickly locate and contact an NASBP member.
Promoting
the role of the surety bond producer to government and industry
- DELIVERED THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS on leveraging the producer
relationship for the
benefit of subcontractors at the American Subcontractor Association’s
(ASA)
Annual Convention which was presented by the NASBP President.
- PROVIDED NASBP PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS on emerging surety trends and
insights
into the producer’s role in helping contractors obtain bonding for the
magazine
of the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc.,
Construction
Executive, which
reached a circulation of over 47,000.
- DEVELOPED A DRAFT "GUIDELINE ON SURETY BONDING" for
inclusion in “Guidelines
for a Successful Construction Project,” a joint publication of
policy positions
formulated by the ASA, Associated Specialty Contractors,
Inc. (ASC), and the AGC.
- PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE TITLED, "PREQUALIFICATION IS A TWO-WAY
STREET, The
Importance of Assessing a Surety,” in Construction Executive, the
magazine of
the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc., on the importance of
assessing a
surety and how to go about it.
- PROVIDED THE NASBP PRESIDENT'S "EXECUTIVE VIEWPOINT OF THE
INDUSTRY" for the
June 2007 Surety Market report of
Engineering
News-Record magazine.
- RAN PRINT ADVERTISEMENTS IN ENGINEERING NEWS-RECORD and
Construction
Executive magazines promoting the services and expertise of NASBP
producer
members.
Raising
the profile of the surety bond producer on the national
stage
- SPONSORED KEY CONTRACTOR AND SPECIALTY CONTRACTOR ASSOCIATION
EVENTS,
including those of the Associated General Contractors of America, the
National
Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the
Mechanical Contractors
Association of America (MCAA), and others, in which NASBP officers
provided
addresses regarding the interests of suretyship.
- DELIVERED THE OPENING REMARKS AT THE "CAMPAIGN FOR QUALITY
CONSTRUCTION
National Issues Conference” held in May in Washington, DC, which was
organized
by specialty contractor associations including the MCAA, NECA,
Sheet Metal and
Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), and
Finishing
Contractors Association (FCA). Remarks were made by the NASBP First
Vice
President.
- SIGNED A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE ASSOCIATED GENERAL
CONTRACTORS
of America (AGC) to become an endorsing organization of the
ConsensusDOCS™.
Participated in the drafting and business and marketing strategy of a
new set of
construction and related agreements that finalized efforts to publish 70
ConsensusDOCS™ forms which include 11 bond forms exemplifying fair risk
allocation and industry best practices.
- PROMOTED AND PROVIDED INPUT on the
American Arbitration
Association’s (AAA)
National Construction Dispute Resolution Committee conference with a
goal of
assisting contractors and others in understanding the dispute resolution
process.
Delivering
unsurpassed professional development programs
- CONDUCTED ATTENDANCE RECORD-SHATTERING
WILLIAM
J. ANGELL SURETY SCHOOLS, for
both winter and summer sessions, providing an unparalleled educational
experience and training opportunity for young surety professionals.
- HELD A COMPREHENSIVE RISK MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP, entitled “Analyze
Risk
and Understand the Bid Process—Turn Risk into Profit,” which educated
surety
professionals on nuances of the bidding process. Profiled Workshop at
the
Regional Meetings.
- EXPANDED AND UPGRADED INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS for William J. Angell
Surety
School Levels I and II through work of the Professional Development and
Education Committee.
- PROVIDED CUTTING-EDGE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS at
Regional
Meetings, including:
“Sensitive Data via the Internet: What You Don’t Know Could Hurt You,”
“Anatomy
of the Claims Process—Bonds vs. Subcontractor Default Insurance,” and
“Surety
Credit Score Models.”
- ORGANIZED AND HELD THREE SESSIONS on best practices and risk
management at
the Annual
Meeting in Phoenix, AZ.
Providing
unprecedented peer networking opportunities
- HELD THE ANNUAL MEETING IN PHOENIX with a keynote address by Paula
Rosput
Reynolds, President and CEO of Safeco Corporation.
- HELD THREE ANNUAL REGIONAL MEETINGS for: Regions 1, 2, & 3 in
Dana Point, CA;
Regions 4, 5, 6, & 7 held in Traverse City, MI; and Regions 8, 9, 10
& 11 held
in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Also, provided detailed PowerPoint
presentations
addressing Government Relations initiatives and activities for these
Regional
Meetings.
- HELD A HIGHLY-SUCCESSFUL SERIES OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS at the Annual
Meeting
and at the Mid-Year Meeting in Monterey, CA.
- SURVEYED 5-15 LEADERSHIP CIRCLE, a group representing future
leaders of
NASBP, to gain insight how the association can be a preferred resource
to its
members and to young leaders.
- ESTABLISHED NASBP
RISK
MANAGEMENT AND INSURANCE COMMITTEE to tackle risk and
insurance issues facing members and clients.
Telling 2007 By The Numbers
| 200+ |
students at the 2007 NASBP William
J. Angell Surety
Schools—a record-breaking number in the Schools’ history |
| 350+ |
attendees at the specialty
contractors’ “Campaign
for Quality Construction Nat’l. Issues Conference” of
which NASBP sponsored and provided opening remarks |
| 380+ |
letters sent by members to
legislators |
| 700+ |
attendees at the Annual Meeting in
Phoenix, AZ |
| 760+ |
total attendees at the 2007 Annual
Regional meetings |
| 1,800+ |
visits to the “Grassroots Action
Center” of
the NASBP
web site |
| 17,000+ |
dollars raised for SuretyPAC in
2007 |
| 20,000+ |
visitors logged into the
“members/affiliates only”
areas of NASBP.org |
| 33,000+ |
visitors to the “Find A Producer”
area of NASBP.org |
|
Related Files
NASBP 2007 Highlights (Adobe PDF File)
|
