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AIA A312–2010 — Performance Bond and Payment Bond

AIA Document A312–2010 is the American Institute of Architects’ standard pair of construction contract surety bonds for U.S. projects. One bond backs the contractor’s completion of the work; the other backs payment of subcontractors and suppliers for labor and material. It is a paid, copyrighted industry form — not a government form.

Per bond / contract documents United States (industry) current

Wording record

Title / common nameAIA Document A312™–2010 Performance Bond and Payment Bond
Bond typeContract
Industry / license categoryConstruction / contract surety
JurisdictionUnited States (industry form) · AIA Contract Documents, the contract-forms program of the American Institute of Architects (AIA)
ObligeeProject owner named on the bond (project-specific)
AIA describes both bonds as protection the owner requires. Confirm the obligee caption on the issued bond and in the construction contract.
Typical penal sumSet on each bond for the project
AIA’s summary notes that each bond’s protection is limited by the amount of that bond. The amount comes from the construction contract or the owner’s bond requirements — not a fixed national figure.
Form number / editionA312–2010 · two separate bonds (Performance Bond and Payment Bond)
Not a single combined bond — AIA sells the two bonds separately. A312–2010 replaced A312–1984, which expired December 31, 2011 (per AIA’s summary).
EffectiveAs required by the construction contract (the two bonds are customarily issued together when the contract is signed)
SourceAIA Contract Documents — A312 Performance Bond (official document page · paid form)
AIA Contract Documents — A312 Payment Bond (official document page · paid form)
Also: AIA Help Center — Summary of A312™–2010 (free overview, no form text)
Statuscurrent
Last verified2026-10-07
What the form does, in plain English
  • Performance Bond: the contractor and its surety promise the owner that the work will be performed and completed under the construction contract. If the contractor defaults, the surety completes the work or compensates the owner, up to the bond amount.
  • Payment Bond: the contractor and its surety promise that labor and material bills on the project will be paid. If the contractor defaults, the surety pays valid unpaid claims, up to the bond amount — which helps keep liens and payment disputes off the property.
  • Early warning: both bonds ask the surety to respond when the owner wants to talk about heading off a possible contractor default.
  • Disputes: AIA notes the document includes mediation and arbitration provisions.
Paid / copyrighted AIA form

A312–2010 is sold by AIA Contract Documents. Global Guarantors does not host, quote, or recreate the AIA form text — buy and use the official document from AIA. The summary above is based on AIA’s own public descriptions.

Full wording text

We do not host the complete bond PDF or licensed form text unless we have rights to do so. Open the Source links above for the official AIA documents.