Bonding the Contractors Building New Mexico's Largest BEAD Project
The Navajo Nation won $111,781,009 in New Mexico BEAD funding, the single largest BEAD grant in the state. That broadband funding covers thousands of unserved locations across the Navajo Nation and the surrounding Four Corners country, anchored in communities like Crownpoint, Gallup, Shiprock, Bloomfield, Navajo and Sanostee. Before any of that work gets signed, the providers and contractors doing it need financial assurance in place. You’ll need to get your Navajo Nation BEAD Bonds to be eligible to do the work.
That is where Strive Insurance Group comes in. We bond the fiber and fixed wireless contractors who win or partner on builds like this, fast, and we handle New Mexico’s extra letter of commitment step too.
Call (405) 341-0630 or request a quote here.
Fiber Installation Bonds
A fiber installation bond is a performance bond written for broadband work. It guarantees the New Mexico Office of Broadband Access and Expansion (OBAE) that the network gets built as agreed, whether the crew is pulling fiber, standing up fixed wireless or deploying satellite. If the work falls short, OBAE can file a claim and the surety covers the loss. It protects the state, not you, and if a claim is ever paid you repay the surety.
We cover how these bonds work, what they cost and New Mexico’s two-step requirement in full on our New Mexico BEAD bonds page. This page is about the Navajo Nation build specifically.
Who Gets Bonded on the Navajo Nation Build
Here is the part that matters for contractors. The Navajo Nation is the subgrantee, but the Nation has said it will not act as the internet provider itself. Instead the Navajo Nation Broadband Office is putting the work out through competitive bids and partnerships with experienced regional and national providers.
Those providers, and the build contractors and subcontractors under them, are exactly who needs a bond. Every BEAD subaward requires financial assurance, and that obligation carries down through the build agreements. So if you are bidding a piece of this project, or you have been tapped as a partner or subcontractor on it, plan on bonding from day one.
Not sure whether the requirement lands on you? Call us. We will look at your role and tell you straight.
A Build Spread Across McKinley and San Juan Counties
This is not a one-town job. The Navajo Nation’s New Mexico BEAD broadband funding reaches communities across two counties and a lot of hard country.
In McKinley County, the work anchors around Crownpoint in the Eastern Navajo Agency, the Gallup area that serves as the commercial gateway to the Nation and the community of Navajo out near the Arizona line. In San Juan County, it reaches Shiprock and the Four Corners communities of Bloomfield and Sanostee. New Mexico’s award alone supports connections for more than 11,000 households, using the same fiber, fixed wireless and satellite mix the state is deploying across the rest of its BEAD map.
A bond that covers a build this spread out still follows one thing: your subaward and its dollar amount, not the number of towns or counties you touch.
Why Strive for Your Navajo Nation BEAD Bonds
We are not a call center. Janie Meadows leads our bonds work and David Stephens built Strive into a team that answers the phone. We have placed BEAD bonds since the program started in Oklahoma, moved into Texas and were ready for New Mexico BEAD Bond applicants the day OBAE’s Final Proposal was approved.
A few things worth knowing:
- We are licensed to write surety bonds in New Mexico and handle everything by phone and secure upload, so your location on or near the Nation is no obstacle
- We are independent and shop your bond across multiple Treasury Circular 570 approved sureties
- We work with credit challenges and newer companies
- We handle both the letter of commitment and the full performance bond
Navajo Nation BEAD Bond Questions
Does the Navajo Nation post the bond, or do the contractors?
In practice, the contractors. The Nation is the subgrantee, but it is bidding the work out to providers and partners. Those providers and their build contractors and subcontractors carry the financial assurance obligation, so the bond requirement usually lands on the companies doing the physical build.
We are a subcontractor on this project. Do we need our own bond?
Often, yes. Bonding obligations can flow down from the prime provider to subcontractors depending on how the agreements are written. It is worth a quick call before you sign so you know exactly what you are on the hook for.
Can one bond cover work in Crownpoint, Gallup, Shiprock and beyond?
Yes. The bond is tied to your subaward and its dollar amount, not to how many communities or counties the build touches. A single project spanning McKinley and San Juan counties is bonded as one obligation.
Ready to Bond Your Navajo Nation Project?
The Navajo Nation’s BEAD grant is the biggest broadband funding award in New Mexico, and the work is being bid out to providers and contractors now. Do not let bonding slow you down. Strive will get you a real quote and a bond OBAE will accept, on your timeline.
Request your BEAD bond quote or call us today.
Strive Insurance Group
17933 N Pennsylvania Ave, Suite 101
Edmond, OK 73012
Phone: (405) 341-0630
For program details, see the official NTIA BEAD program resources and New Mexico’s OBAE BEAD page.