Publications
STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP WITH TUCKER, ALBIN & ASSOCIATES, INC.
THE BARBOUR GROUP, LLC AND ALLIANCE FOR HISPANIC COMMERCIAL CONTRACTORS ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP WITH TUCKER, ALBIN & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Effective July 10, 2020, The Barbour Group, LLC and The Alliance for Hispanic Commercial Contractors (AHCC) solidified a strategic relationship with Tucker, Albin & Associates, Inc. of Richardson, Texas (TAA). “We wanted to figure out a way to help our clients’ cash flow on projects that have payment issues. This relationship will provide a way in which our clients and members can pursue change orders and construction claims/litigation on a contingency basis,” says Karen Barbour. Read More...
American DBE Winter/Spring 2020
Strategies to Increase Bonding Capacity – Starting with the Submission Process, By Karen Barbour (pp 40-42). Read More...
Change Order Fairness for Maryland
American DBE Winter 2019 The number one downfall for small and disadvantaged businesses is the inability to collect on change orders, especially at their full amount. Read More...
Equal Access in Bonding and Surety
American DBE Summer Issue, pp 42-43 In 2013, The Coalition of Contracting Fairness initiated the drafting and passage of a Maryland law called the Subcontractors Equal Access to Bonding Act. Read More...
Hensel Phelps and The Barbour Group Partner to Help Small Business Succeed – Spring 2019
After 17 years in the surety bonding business, Karen Barbour decided it was time to start her own surety bonding agency to support companies, start-ups to Fortune 1000 firms, dedicating time to advocate for minority and women-owned businesses. “I realized I could only do so much when someone else’s name was on my paycheck,” said Barbour. Read More...
Understanding the Impact of 100% Performance and Payment Bonds and Surety Premium
American DBE Magazine. pp 46 - 47 Why are 100% perfomance and payment bond penalties important on goverment projects? Read More...
4 Ways to Find a Great Partner for Government Contracting
Partnering, or "teaming," can be a great way to get the experience you need to grow your business and to obtain government contracts - as long as you choose wisely. Read more...
Building Reputation Builds Business for 2 Successful Women
How can people do business with you if they don't know you are in business? Or don't know how qualified you are? Or don't know what you stand for? Read more...
10 Steps to Capture Additional Bonding
Ensure your company meets surety requirements and maximizes bonding capacity by following these guidelines. Read more...
Surety Requirements 101: Best Practices to Guarantee Bonding
As the competition becomes smarter, construction firms must position themselves financially to capture surety support in order to grow organically or through partnering with large firms. Fine-tuning this strategy is critical in the current marketplace, especially given the increasing amount of requests for proposals (RFPs) that are being issued with small businesses in mind. (No longer in circulation. Copy provided upon request.)
How a Grass Roots Effort Can Affect Change in the FAR: New Far bon guidelines for term contract - 1997
Karen led a team of industry leaders and met with Samuel J. "Chip" Morris, then Associate General Counsel of GSA that led to a FAR change. Five-year term contracts as a result became annually renewable allowing for annual bonds to be posted versus one bond for all five years. This change open doors wide for small business to compete for such contracts. "Karen later pursued the GSA in hopes that a FAR committee would be established within GSA to explore the benefits of changing term contract bond provisions. In October, such a committee was established and initiated by Edward Loeb [Director of Federal Acquisition]. In December, FAR Part 26 - Bond and Insurance, section 28.102-2 was amended." (No longer in circulation. Copy provided upon request.)