The Surety Today Blog and Podcast Year In Review Crossover Post
January 2, 2024
You know how sometimes in television, two series will have a cross-over episode where the characters from two separate series come together in one episode of one of the series? Well, this is the cross-over post for the Surety Today: The Blog and Surety Today: The Podcast. Continuing on the theme of looking back at the year that was as we did in our December 19, 2023 post, we will use this post to look back at the year that was in the podcast. We originally began the Surety Today podcast in May 2016 and to date have dropped 90 podcasts. In 2023, we issued 12 podcasts, one each month. If you are not familiar, the podcast is recorded live on the second Monday of the month. If you are in the surety industry you can get a PIN and call-in to the live presentation. As a live participant you can ask questions at the end of the episode. Once you have a PIN it is good for all future calls. Just contact me (mstover@wcslaw.com) or Julie Dellinger (jdellinger@wcslaw.com) to request your PIN. The podcasts are usually posted online the day after the live recording.
The podcasts in 2023 were:
January 9, 2023 – Surety and Trust Funds
February 13, 2023 – Surety Case Law Update
March 13, 2023 – Joint Ventures and the Bond Defense
April 10, 2023 – Protecting the Contract Funds – Putting the Government on Notice
May 8, 2023 – Interview with Joseph Healy, P.E., Cashin, Spinelli, Ferretti on Understanding the Project General and Special Conditions
June 12, 2023 – Interview with Mark Stein, Vertex on Navigating a Relet Process
July 10, 2023 – The Surety, Set Off and Common Obligee Theory
August 14, 2023 – Interview with Tim Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald and Associates on Construction Schedules and Lessons Learned in Delay and Disruption Claims
September 11, 2023 – Case Law Update
October 9, 2023 – The Federal Arbitration Act and a Potential Surety Defense
November 13, 2023 – New Davis-Bacon Act Regulations
December 11, 2023 – Comparing the AIA A312 Performance Bond (2010 Version) and the AGC Document 606 Performance Bond
As you can see from the list, we produced two podcasts in 2023 on “Case Law Updates,” where we discussed recently issued cases on surety industry topics. These podcast episodes are always very popular because we all need to stay abreast of developing case law in suretyship. Many of the cases we discussed in the Case Law Update podcasts were also discussed in subsequent blog posts as “Case Law Notes.” Another popular podcast format is our interview podcasts, where we discuss surety industry topics with various industry leading consultants. We produced three interview podcasts in 2023 on the following subjects: the relet process, delay and disruption claims and general and special conditions in construction contracts. In 2024, we will work on publishing blog posts which will be in question and answer formats from the many past interviews we have done. Our other podcasts throughout the year addressed a wide range of subjects and serve as a good, somewhat in-depth discussion of the topic.
One of our most popular episodes in 2023 dealt with the new Davis Bacon Act Regulations, which became effective on October 23, 2023 (Listen: Nov. 13, 2023 podcast). That podcast actually followed the most popular blog post of the year on the same subject published on October 31, 2023. A subsequent blog post on November 14, 2023, addressed the construction industries’ response to the new regulations and the law suits that were filed to block the new regulations. Finally on December 5, 2023, we published a blog post on the Davis Bacon Act itself, its history, development, terms and conditions, etc.
Looking ahead to 2024, we could really use your help with the podcast by providing topics or interviews that you would like to hear us address in the future. Similarly, if you come across any new surety cases, please send them to us for inclusion in our Case Law Update podcasts. If you have any suggestions, please reach out to any member of the WCS Surety & Fidelity Law Group team and let us know. If this cross-over post has piqued your interest in our podcast, just visit Surety Today: The Podcast, to see all of our episodes from the beginning in 2016 through the present. The site is updated as each new episode is issued. You can also download any or all episodes of the podcasts on Spotify | Amazon Music | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | PodBean or on our microsite – suretytoday.net. Just search for “Surety Today” and you will find us. Make it a New Year’s Resolution to check out and follow our podcasts!
Happy New Year to all and thanks again for your support!