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Commitments and Contingencies
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2024
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
MasTec is subject to a variety of legal cases, claims and other disputes that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business, including project contract price and other project disputes, other project-related liabilities and acquisition purchase price disputes. MasTec cannot provide assurance that it will be successful in recovering all or any of the potential damages it has claimed or in defending claims against the Company. The outcome of such cases, claims and disputes cannot be predicted with certainty and an unfavorable resolution of one or more of them could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Acquired Legacy Solar Matter. On April 28, 2023, a jury found IEA, its subsidiary, IEA Constructors, LLC (“IEAC” and, together with IEA, the “IEA Entities”), and IEAC’s customer, Silicon Ranch Corporation (“SRC”), liable to plaintiffs H&L Farms LLC (“H&L Farms”), Shaun Harris and Amie Harris following a trial in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Columbus Division (the “Court”). The suit, filed in August 2021, arose out of a project that commenced in 2021 involving the construction by IEAC of a solar farm for SRC.
The plaintiffs brought various causes of action under Georgia law, arising out of the defendants’ alleged failure to exercise appropriate efforts to prevent and remediate soil erosion and sedimentary run-off that flowed from SRC’s property into a 21-acre lake on plaintiffs’ property. The trial resulted in a jury award to the various plaintiffs of compensatory damages aggregating $10.5 million, apportioned 30% to SRC, 40% to IEA and 30% to IEAC, and an award of $25 million in punitive damages against SRC and $50 million in punitive damages against each of the IEA Entities. The Court also issued an injunction requiring the defendants to eliminate the transport of sediment from SRC’s property to the plaintiffs’ property beyond what had been occurring naturally before construction of the solar farm.
Following a series of post-trial motions, the Court ruled that the compensatory damages were excessive and ordered a new trial on the amount of compensatory and punitive damages unless plaintiffs agreed to significantly reduced damages.
In the first quarter of 2024, the plaintiffs notified the Court that they did not agree to the reduced damages, and the Court scheduled a new trial to begin in April 2025. In January 2025, however, the parties agreed to a negotiated settlement and mutual releases in exchange for the payment to the plaintiffs by the IEA Entities of an immaterial amount of cash.
Other Commitments and Contingencies
Leases. In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into non-cancelable operating leases for certain of its facility, vehicle and equipment needs, including certain related party leases. See Note 8 - Lease Obligations and Note 15 - Related Party Transactions.
Letters of Credit. In the ordinary course of business, the Company is required to post letters of credit for its insurance carriers and surety bond providers and in support of performance under certain contracts as well as certain obligations associated with the Company’s equity investments and other strategic arrangements, including its variable interest entities. Such letters of credit are generally issued by a bank or similar financial institution. The letter of credit commits the issuer to pay specified amounts to the holder of the letter of credit under certain conditions. If this were to occur, the Company would be required to reimburse the issuer of the letter of credit, which, depending upon the circumstances, could result in a charge to earnings. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, there were $81.7 million and $82.1 million, respectively, of letters of credit issued under the Company’s credit facilities. Letter of credit claims have historically not been material. The Company is not aware of any material claims relating to its outstanding letters of credit as of December 31, 2024 or 2023.
Performance and Payment Bonds. In the ordinary course of business, MasTec is required by certain customers to provide performance and payment bonds for contractual commitments related to its projects. These bonds provide a guarantee to the customer that the Company will perform under the terms of a contract and that the Company will pay its subcontractors and vendors. If the Company fails to perform under a contract or to pay its subcontractors and vendors, the customer may demand that the surety make payments or provide services under the bond. The Company must reimburse the surety for expenses or outlays it incurs. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, outstanding performance and payment bonds approximated $7.6 billion and $5.6 billion, respectively, and estimated costs to complete projects secured by these bonds totaled $2.2 billion and $1.6 billion as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Included in these balances as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 are $838.7 million and $368.3 million, respectively, of outstanding performance and payment bonds issued on behalf of the Company’s proportionately consolidated non-controlled contractual joint ventures, representing the Company’s proportionate share of the total bond obligation for the related projects.
Investment and Strategic Arrangements. The Company holds undivided interests, ranging from 85% to 90%, in multiple proportionately consolidated non-controlled contractual joint ventures that provide infrastructure construction services for electrical transmission projects, as well as undivided interests, ranging from 25% to 50%, in each of five civil construction projects. Income and/or loss incurred by these joint ventures is generally shared proportionally by the respective joint venture members, with the members of the joint ventures jointly and severally liable for all of the obligations of the joint venture. The respective joint venture agreements provide that each joint venture partner indemnify the other party for any liabilities incurred by such joint venture in excess of its ratable portion of such liabilities. Thus, it is possible that the Company could be required to pay or perform obligations in excess of its share if the other joint venture partners fail or refuse to pay or perform their respective share of the obligations. As of December 31, 2024, the Company was not aware of material future claims against it in connection with these arrangements. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company provided $0.5 million of project-related financing to its contractual joint ventures, which amount was outstanding as of both the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
One of the Company’s subsidiaries has a subcontracting arrangement with a contractual joint venture in which it holds a 35% undivided interest, for which the related project was completed in 2022. Outstanding performance guarantees on behalf of this contractual joint venture totaled Canadian $9.7 million as of both December 31, 2024 and 2023, or approximately $6.7 million and $7.3 million, respectively. The Company has other investment and strategic arrangements, under which it may incur costs or provide financing, performance, financial and/or other guarantees. See Note 4 - Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Note 15 - Related Party Transactions for additional information pertaining to the Company’s investment and strategic arrangements.
Self-Insurance. MasTec maintains insurance policies for workers’ compensation, general liability and automobile liability, which are subject to per claim deductibles. The Company is self-insured up to the amount of the deductible. The Company also maintains excess umbrella coverage. The Company manages certain of its insurance liabilities indirectly through its wholly-owned captive insurance company, which reimburses claims up to the applicable insurance limits. Captive insurance-related cash balances totaled approximately $2.2 million and $1.2 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively, which amounts are generally not available for use in the Company’s other operations.
As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, MasTec’s estimated liability for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses related to these policies, totaled $251.0 million and $209.7 million, respectively, of which $184.1 million and $141.0 million, respectively, were reflected within other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. MasTec also maintains an insurance policy with respect to employee group medical claims, which is subject to annual per employee maximum losses. MasTec’s estimated liability for employee group medical claims totaled $4.7 million and $4.1 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The Company is required to post collateral, generally in the form of letters of credit, surety bonds and cash to certain of its insurance carriers. Insurance-related letters of credit for the Company’s workers’ compensation, general liability and automobile liability policies amounted to
$8.7 million and $9.6 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Outstanding surety bonds related to self-insurance programs amounted to $196.3 million and $192.7 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Employment Agreements. The Company has employment agreements with certain executives and other employees, which provide for compensation and certain other benefits and for severance payments under certain circumstances. Certain employment agreements also contain clauses that become effective upon a change in control of the Company. Upon the occurrence of any of the defined events in the various employment agreements, the Company would be obligated to pay certain amounts to the related employees, which vary with the level of the employees’ respective responsibility.
Collective Bargaining Agreements and Multiemployer Plans. As discussed in Note 1 - Business, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies and Note 10 - Other Retirement Plans, certain of MasTec’s subsidiaries are party to various collective bargaining agreements with unions representing certain of their employees, which require the Company to pay specified wages, provide certain benefits and contribute certain amounts to MEPPs. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended by the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980 (collectively, “ERISA”), which governs U.S.-registered MEPPs, subjects employers to substantial liabilities in the event of an employer’s complete or partial withdrawal from, or upon termination of, such plans.
The Company currently contributes, and in the past, has contributed, to plans that are underfunded, and, therefore, could have potential liability associated with a voluntary or involuntary withdrawal from, or termination of, these plans. As of December 31, 2024, the Company does not have plans to withdraw from, and is not aware of circumstances that would reasonably lead to material claims against it, in connection with the MEPPs in which it participates. There can be no assurance, however, that the Company will not be assessed liabilities in the future, including in the form of a surcharge on future benefit contributions or increased contributions on underfunded plans. The amount the Company could be obligated to pay or contribute in the future cannot be estimated, as these amounts are based on future levels of work of the union employees covered by these plans, investment returns, which could be negatively affected by economic and market conditions, and the level of underfunding of such plans. In 2022, the Company paid $2.8 million to settle a withdrawal liability assumed in connection with the HMG acquisition, for which it recognized a gain of $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. Additionally, in connection with the IEA acquisition, the Company assumed a multiemployer pension plan withdrawal liability (the “IEA withdrawal liability”), under which IEA was obligated to make monthly payments of approximately $10,000. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, the remaining obligation approximated $1.3 million and $1.8 million, respectively. In January 2025, the Company settled its IEA withdrawal liability by issuing a lump-sum payment for the remaining obligation of $1.3 million.
Indemnities. The Company generally indemnifies its customers for the services it provides under its contracts, as well as other specified liabilities, which may subject the Company to indemnity claims, liabilities and related litigation. As of both December 31, 2024 and 2023, the Company had accrued project close-out liabilities of approximately $20 million. The Company is not aware of any other material asserted or unasserted claims in connection with its potential indemnity obligations.
Other Guarantees. From time to time in the ordinary course of its business, MasTec guarantees the obligations of its subsidiaries, including obligations under certain contracts with customers, certain lease obligations and in some states, obligations in connection with obtaining contractors’ licenses. MasTec has also issued performance and other guarantees in connection with certain of its equity investments. MasTec also generally warrants the work it performs following substantial completion of a project. Much of the work performed by the Company is evaluated for defects shortly after the work is completed. If warranty claims occur, the Company could be required to repair or replace warrantied items, or, if customers elect to repair or replace the warrantied item using the services of another provider, the Company could be required to pay for the cost of the repair or replacement. Warranty claims have historically not been material.
Concentrations of Risk. The Company is subject to certain risk factors, including, but not limited to: risks related to market conditions, market uncertainty, including from economic downturns or other economic factors, including levels of inflation and rates of interest; supply chain disruptions; governmental and/or regulatory changes, including governmental permitting, or from climate-related matters, or other factors affecting the industries in which the Company operates; changes in customers’ capital spending plans; the Company’s ability to manage projects effectively and in accordance with management’s estimates and resolution of unapproved change orders; risks related to the Company’s acquisitions, including acquisition integration and financing; availability of qualified employees; risks related to rapid technological changes or customer consolidation; competition; the nature of the Company’s contracts, which do not obligate its customers to undertake any infrastructure projects and may be canceled on short notice; customer disputes related to the performance of services; exposure to litigation; seasonality, adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in operational factors; potential exposure to environmental liabilities; exposure from system or information technology interruptions; recoverability of goodwill; collectibility of receivables; the adequacy of the Company’s reserves; public health matters; exposure related to strategic investments or foreign operations; and exposure to multiemployer pension plan liabilities. The Company grants credit, generally without collateral, to its customers. Consequently, the Company is subject to potential credit risk related to changes in business and economic factors, including from current economic uncertainty. However, MasTec generally has certain lien rights on that work and maintains a diverse customer base. The Company believes its billing and collection policies are adequate to minimize potential credit risk. MasTec’s customers include: wireless and wireline/fiber service providers; broadband operators; install-to-the-home service providers; public and private energy providers, including renewable and other energy providers; pipeline operators; civil, transportation and industrial infrastructure providers; and government entities. The industries served by MasTec’s customers include the communications, energy and utilities industries, including the power industry, among others.
The Company had approximately 1,640 customers for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, no customer represented greater than 10% of the Company’s consolidated net accounts receivable position, which is calculated as accounts receivable, net, less deferred revenue. As of December 31, 2023, one customer accounted for approximately 10% of the Company’s consolidated net accounts receivable position. For the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, the Company derived 35%, 38% and 39%, respectively, of its revenue from its top ten customers.