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Tiffany Merchant is a seasoned insurance professional with nearly two decades of experience. Known for her precision, patience, and unwavering commitment to her clients, she makes insurance make sense.

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If you're pursuing government contracts in 2026 (whether federal, state, or local), your capability statement is often the first impression you make on a procurement officer. Think of it as your company's résumé for government work: concise, professional, and immediately scannable. In this special edition, we walk through exactly what a strong capability statement includes and how your coverage positions you to win.

What Is a Capability Statement?

A capability statement is a one-to-two-page document that summarizes your company's core competencies, qualifications, past performance, and contact information for government procurement officers. Agencies use them to quickly vet vendors and contractors. Unlike a full proposal, a capability statement should be tight, professional, and built to be read in under two minutes.

Procurement officers receive hundreds of these. Yours needs to communicate capability and credibility at a glance, which means every section needs to earn its place.

The 5 Core Elements Every Statement Must Have

Why Insurance & Bonding Belong on Your Capability Statement

This is the section most small contractors overlook. Including your bonding capacity and insurance coverages signals to procurement officers that you are ready to work on day one, with no delays and no scrambling after award.

Here's what to include in your Business Data section:

• →Bonding capacity (e.g., "Bonded up to $500K single / $1M aggregate")
• →General liability limits (e.g., "$1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate")
• →Workers' compensation coverage, if you have employees
• →Any coverage required by certification (DBE, SBE, MBE, etc.)

Common Mistakes That Cost Contracts

• ✗Listing only one NAICS code: use every code that applies to your work
• ✗Outdated past performance with no reference contacts listed
• ✗Making it too long (one page is ideal; two pages is the maximum)
• ✗Using a generic template without tailoring for the specific agency
• ✗Omitting bonding capacity and insurance limits entirely

How TMI Agency Helps You Win

At TMI Agency, we understand that government contracting is one of the most significant growth opportunities available to small businesses nationwide. We help contractors and service providers get the right coverage at the right limits to meet contract requirements and present a competitive capability statement.

Whether you need a bid bond for a specific opportunity, proof of general liability coverage, or help understanding what coverage levels government contracts require, our team is ready to help you show up to every opportunity fully prepared.

Ready to strengthen your bid package?

We help contractors get bonded and insured so they're ready to win from day one.

Mid-year is always a critical window for contractors nationwide. With federal fiscal year renewals approaching in Q4 and state infrastructure spending active through the summer, the public contract pipeline is full, and bond demand is high. Contractors who aren't bonded, or whose bond capacity is too low, are getting left out of opportunities they're otherwise fully qualified for.

The 2026 Bid Season Landscape

The country continues to see strong activity in public construction, infrastructure, and government services contracts. Federal programs and infrastructure spending have driven consistent demand for bonded contractors through the first half of 2026. The contractors positioned to capture this work are the ones who have their bonding in place before bid day, not scrambling afterward.

For small and emerging businesses, there has never been a better time to establish a surety relationship. Many agencies are actively prioritizing small business set-asides, and a solid bond history now builds the capacity to compete for larger contracts in the years ahead.

What Underwriters Are Watching in 2026

Underwriting criteria have evolved. While credit score remains important, sureties are placing greater emphasis on liquidity, backlog management, and cash flow consistency. Here's what they want to see:

• →At least 3 months of operating expenses held in liquid reserves
• →A clear, documented history of completed projects with references
• →Clean financials with no unexplained large liabilities or tax liens
• →A realistic picture of your current backlog and project capacity
• →Personal credit above 650; 700+ unlocks the most competitive rates

5 Tips to Get Bonded Faster Right Now

First-Time Bidders: Don't Be Discouraged

If this is your first public contract bid, the process can feel like a catch-22: you need bonding history to get bonded, but you need to be bonded to build history. That's not entirely true. Many sureties have programs specifically designed for small and emerging contractors, and TMI Agency works directly with carriers who understand where you're starting from.

We guide first-time applicants through every step, from understanding what type of bond you need to what the underwriter will ask for, so you get approved and move forward with confidence. The bond you get today builds the capacity to compete for larger contracts tomorrow.

Ready to get bonded for your next bid?

Fast turnarounds, personalized guidance, and multiple surety relationships. That's TMI Agency.

General liability (GL) insurance is the foundation of most small business coverage and one of the most commonly misunderstood policies in the market. Many business owners buy it because a landlord or client requires it, but don't actually know what it does or doesn't cover. Here's a plain-English breakdown.

What GL Insurance Actually Does

General liability protects your business if a third party (a customer, vendor, or bystander) sues you for bodily injury or property damage caused by your business operations, products, or completed work. It covers legal defense costs, settlements, and court judgments. Without it, a single lawsuit could threaten everything you've built.

What GL Covers and What It Doesn't

Covered:

• →Third-party bodily injury (a customer slips and falls at your location)
• →Third-party property damage (your crew accidentally damages a client's property)
• →Personal and advertising injury (accidental slander, copyright issues in your marketing)
• →Legal defense costs, even if the claim against you turns out to be unfounded

Not covered:

• ✗Damage to your own business property (that's what commercial property insurance covers)
• ✗Employee injuries on the job (that's workers' compensation)
• ✗Errors in professional advice or services (that's E&O / professional liability)
• ✗Intentional acts, fraud, or criminal conduct

How Much Coverage Do You Actually Need?

Most small businesses start with $1M per occurrence / $2M aggregate. But your specific needs depend on your industry, revenue, the size of your contracts, and requirements from clients or commercial landlords. Contractors bidding on public projects may need higher limits or additional insured endorsements to qualify.

Common triggers that increase your coverage needs: signing a commercial lease, contracts over $100K, performing work at customer locations, or operating in higher-risk industries like construction, food service, or healthcare support.

Real-World Situations Where GL Saves You

• →A customer trips and falls at your storefront and files a medical damages claim
• →You complete a renovation and the client later claims your crew caused water damage
• →A competitor claims your advertising copy infringed on their materials
• →A product you sold causes injury to a third party after it leaves your hands

At TMI Agency, we take time to understand your business before recommending coverage limits. We make sure your policy meets contract requirements, protects you from everyday risks, and doesn't leave gaps you didn't know existed. Contact us for a no-pressure coverage review.

Ready to get your business properly covered?

We help business owners find the right GL coverage. No jargon, no pressure.

If you're a contractor bidding on public projects or government contracts, surety bonds are non-negotiable. But many contractors, especially those entering the public sector for the first time, don't fully understand what bonds are, why they're required, or how the approval process works. This guide breaks it all down.

What Is a Surety Bond?

A surety bond is a three-party financial guarantee. The principal (you, the contractor) purchases a bond from a surety company (the insurer), promising to fulfill the terms of a contract for the obligee (the project owner or government agency). If you fail to complete the contract as agreed, the surety steps in to make the obligee whole, then seeks reimbursement from you.

Types of Bonds Contractors Encounter

What Underwriters Look At

Getting approved for a bond isn't automatic; it's an underwriting decision. Sureties evaluate your risk before issuing a bond. Here's what they consider:

• →Credit score: Personal credit above 650 is the baseline; 700+ gets better rates
• →Financial statements: For larger bonds ($500K+), audited financials may be required
• →Work history: Completed projects, references, and experience in the scope being bonded
• →Backlog: How much work you currently have committed vs. your capacity to take on more

For bonds under $350K, many sureties offer streamlined approval based primarily on credit and basic business information, with no years of bonding history required. Working with an agent who has relationships across multiple surety carriers gives you the best shot at approval and competitive pricing.

Need a bond for an upcoming bid?

Our team guides first-time applicants through the entire process: fast, clear, and straightforward.

When people start shopping for life insurance, they usually run into the same question early: should I get term or whole life? The answer depends on your goals, your budget, and how long you need coverage. Here's a plain-English breakdown of both options so you can make the right call for your family.

Term Life Insurance

Term life provides coverage for a fixed period, typically 10, 20, or 30 years. If you pass away during the term, your beneficiaries receive a lump-sum death benefit. If the term expires while you're still living, the policy ends (though many can be renewed or converted).

Term life is the most affordable option. It's ideal for:

• →Young families who need maximum coverage at the lowest cost
• →Income replacement during your primary working years
• →Mortgage or business debt protection tied to a specific time horizon
• →Key-person protection for a business partner during growth years

Whole Life Insurance

Whole life provides permanent coverage that doesn't expire as long as you keep paying premiums. It also builds cash value over time, which you can borrow against for major expenses like college tuition, a home down payment, or supplemental retirement income.

Whole life costs more than term, but it offers:

• →Lifelong protection that doesn't expire or require renewal
• →A fixed premium that never increases with age or health changes
• →Growing cash value you can access while you're still living
• →Potential tax advantages on the cash value component

How to Choose

There's no universal right answer. A practical starting point: if you have dependents and a tight budget, term life gives you the most coverage for the lowest cost right now. If you have more financial flexibility and want to build long-term value, whole life can function as both protection and a financial tool.

Many of our clients end up with a combination: a larger term policy for income replacement, paired with a smaller whole life policy for permanent coverage and cash value accumulation. The best answer is the one that fits your actual situation. That's exactly what we help you figure out.

Let's find the right life insurance for your family.

No pressure, no jargon. Just honest guidance on coverage that fits your life.