Is a bid guarantee or surety bond the same as insurance?

No. FAR 28.101-1 addresses a bid guarantee and its relationship to a required performance bond or performance-and-payment bond. These surety instruments are separate from liability, auto, workers-compensation, cyber, or professional-liability insurance.

Check the solicitation for whether it requires a bid guarantee, performance bond, or performance-and-payment bond, and for the stated form, amount, and deadline. FAR 28.101-1 links a bid guarantee to a required performance bond or performance-and-payment bond, subject to the rule’s waiver and form conditions.⁷

Read the Government Insurance Buying Guide

Sources and Further Reading for Government

1
FAR 28.306 — Insurance under fixed-price contracts — Federal Acquisition Regulation, Acquisition.gov (U.S. General Services Administration). FAR 28.306(a)-(b); current display FAC 2026-01, effective 2026-03-13; accessed directly 2026-09-28Conditional federal guidance on when agencies may specify insurance under fixed-price contracts.
2
FAR 28.310 — Contract clause for work on a Government installation — Federal Acquisition Regulation, Acquisition.gov (U.S. General Services Administration). FAR 28.310(a)-(b); current display FAC 2026-01, effective 2026-03-13; accessed directly 2026-09-28The specific trigger and exceptions for FAR 52.228-5.
3
FAR 52.228-5 — Insurance—Work on a Government Installation — Federal Acquisition Regulation, Acquisition.gov (U.S. General Services Administration). FAR 52.228-5(a)-(c), clause dated January 1997; current display FAC 2026-01; accessed directly 2026-09-28Contract-specific insurance, notice, and subcontract flow-down language when this clause is included.
4
FAR 52.228-7 — Insurance—Liability to Third Persons — Federal Acquisition Regulation, Acquisition.gov (U.S. General Services Administration). FAR 52.228-7(a)-(g), clause dated March 1996; current display FAC 2026-01; accessed directly 2026-09-28Clause terms for certain cost-reimbursement circumstances; read alongside the prescription and contract.
5
FAR 28.311-1 — Contract clause — Federal Acquisition Regulation, Acquisition.gov (U.S. General Services Administration). FAR 28.311-1; current display FAC 2026-01, effective 2026-03-13; accessed directly 2026-09-28
6
FAR 28.307-2 — Liability — Federal Acquisition Regulation, Acquisition.gov (U.S. General Services Administration). FAR 28.307-2(a)-(e); current display FAC 2026-01, effective 2026-03-13; accessed directly 2026-09-28
7
FAR 28.101-1 — Policy on use — Federal Acquisition Regulation, Acquisition.gov (U.S. General Services Administration). FAR 28.101-1(a)-(c); current display FAC 2026-01, effective 2026-03-13; accessed directly 2026-09-28Conditional federal bid-guarantee policy and its bond relationship, exceptions, and form distinctions.
8
Small Business — National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). FAQ: BOP (lines 20-24); CGL and exclusions (29-54); other liability (55-63); property (102-126); work-from-home (269-283)General descriptions of commercial insurance categories and their policy-dependent scope.
9
Launch your business — U.S. Small Business Administration. Get business insurance, lines 536-566: common coverage types and buying steps
10
Cybersecurity for Small Business — Federal Trade Commission. Supplier-risk and insurance guidance (lines 51-59); vendor breach response (170-173); cyber insurance section (175 onward)General vendor-risk, contract, and cyber insurance questions for small businesses; not a federal contract requirement.

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