Contract by which a surety (usually an association of contractors, an insurance company or a financial institution) undertakes to indemnify a customer who has contracted, outside the Guarantee Plan for New Residential Buildings (mandatory), with a construction contractor because of a damage resulting directly from the deposits paid, the non-completion of the work and defects in workmanship and defects discovered in the year following the completion of the work. This security is a requirement under the Building Act for any contractor holding or applying for a licence from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ).