Except as provided in subsection (b), and notwithstanding any other provision of law, for any procurement related to a major disaster, the Administrator may, upon such terms and conditions as the Administrator may prescribe, guarantee and enter into commitments to guarantee any surety against loss resulting from a breach of the terms of a bid bond, payment bond, performance bond, or bonds ancillary thereto, by a principal on any total work order or contract amount at the time of bond execution that does not exceed $5,000,000.

Upon request of the head of any Federal agency other than the Administration involved in reconstruction efforts in response to a major disaster, the Administrator may guarantee and enter into a commitment to guarantee any security against loss under subsection (a) on any total work order or contract amount at the time of bond execution that does not exceed $10,000,000.

The Administrator may carry out this section only with amounts appropriated in advance specifically to carry out this section.

(Pub. L. 110–234, title XII, § 12079, May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1416; Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title XII, § 12079, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 2178.)