Miller Act (1935)
Congress required prime contractors on federal construction projects to post performance and payment bonds, protecting the government and subcontractors if a firm defaulted. The law followed contractor failures during the Depression-era public works boom.
Contractors had to prove they could be bonded, effectively adding a private-market screen before they could win federal work.
The bond requirement became a model for state and municipal prequalification systems, which is why the city asks Timber Wolf for a surety letter.
Timber Wolf's request cites a surety letter—the same private-market guarantee the Miller Act made standard on public construction.
