UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO
SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 Commission File No. 1-7463
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.
Delaware |
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95-4081636 |
State of incorporation |
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IRS Employer identification number |
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1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1200 Dallas, Texas 75201 |
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(214) 583-8500 |
Address of principal executive offices |
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Telephone number (including area code) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class |
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Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered |
Common Stock, $1 par value |
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New York Stock Exchange |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check-mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act: ☒ Yes ☐ No
Indicate by check-mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. ☐ Yes ☒ No
Indicate by check-mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒ Yes ☐ No
Indicate by check-mark whether the Registrant: has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files). ☒ Yes - ☐ No
Indicate by check-mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. ☒
Indicate by check-mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer |
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Accelerated filer |
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☐ |
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Non-accelerated filer |
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Smaller reporting company |
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Indicate by check-mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act) ☐ Yes ☒ No
There were 120,750,218 shares of common stock outstanding as of November 18, 2016. The aggregate market value of the Registrant’s common equity held by non-affiliates was approximately $5.3 billion as of April 1, 2016, based upon the last reported sales price on the New York Stock Exchange on that date.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Registrant’s definitive proxy statement to be issued in connection with its 2017 annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated.
Fiscal 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K
Table of Contents
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Page No. |
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Item 1. |
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Page 3 |
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Item 1A. |
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Page 16 |
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Item 1B. |
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Item 2. |
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Item 3. |
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Item 4. |
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Page 32 |
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Item 5. |
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Page 33 |
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Item 6. |
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Page 35 |
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Item 7. |
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
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Page 36 |
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Item 7A. |
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Page 51 |
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Item 8. |
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Page 51 |
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Item 9. |
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Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants On Accounting and Financial Disclosure |
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Item 9A. |
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Page 51 |
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Item 9B. |
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Page 52 |
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Item 10. |
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Page 53 |
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Item 11. |
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Page 53 |
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Item 12. |
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Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters |
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Page 53 |
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Item 13. |
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Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence |
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Page 54 |
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Item 14. |
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Page 54 |
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Item 15. |
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Page 55 |
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Page 60 |
Page 2
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
In addition to historical information, this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that do not directly relate to any historical or current fact. When used herein, words such as "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "plans," "intends," “future,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “can,” “may,” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Although such statements are based on management’s current estimates and expectations and/or currently available competitive, financial, and economic data, forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from what may be inferred from the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those listed and discussed in Item 1A— Risk Factors below. We undertake no obligation to release publicly any revisions or updates to any forward-looking statements. We encourage you to read carefully the risk factors described herein and in other documents we file from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").
Unless the context otherwise requires, all references herein to "Jacobs" or the "Registrant" are to Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. and its predecessors, and references to the "Company", "we", "us" or "our" are to Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
General Background Information
We are one of the largest technical professional services firms in the world. We provide a diverse range of technical, professional, and construction services to a large number of industrial, commercial, and governmental clients.
We focus our services on clients operating in the following industries and markets:
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Oil and gas exploration, production, and refining; |
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Chemicals and polymers; |
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Programs for various national governments, including aerospace, defense, and environmental programs; |
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Infrastructure and telecommunications; |
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Mining and minerals; |
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Pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; |
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Power; |
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Pulp and paper; |
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Technology and manufacturing; and, |
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Food and consumer products, among others. |
We are headquartered in Dallas, Texas, USA, and provide our services through more than 200 offices located around the globe, primarily in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, India, Australia, Africa, and Asia.
How We Operate
The relationships we have with our clients drive our business. As a broad-based technical professional services firm, we offer a range of services to help our clients maintain a competitive edge in their respective markets. From feasibility studies to design, to engineering, to construction, to start-up and commissioning, and then to operations and maintenance, we
Page 3
customize our services to meet business and project goals. Our global network of professionals works with a multi-office approach in an effort to provide clients with the best, most economical project or program solutions.
We strive to provide client value through continuous improvement in our performance. We regularly monitor our clients' expectations, our project delivery protocols and system, and our operational performance. Tools such as our Jacobs Value Enhancing Practices, Global Standard Operating Procedures, project reviews, the Jacobs System to Ensure Project Success ("JSTEPS") and Safe Plans of Action ("SPAs") provide added value to our clients' projects. They also allow us to create performance improvement actions during the project execution. Through continuous improvement upon our performance, our tools, and our processes, we believe we can offer our clients superior value when they do business with us.
JacobsValue+ SM ("Value Plus") is an internal tool we use to document and quantify the actual value or savings we provide to our clients and their projects. Some of the benefits achieved through the Value Plus program include lower total installed cost, shorter schedule, and reduced life cycle cost. Value Plus is implemented at project initiation: a project goal is created, and cost-saving ideas are entered into the Value Plus database. When the Value Plus cycle is complete, the project team and client identify unique cost and/or schedule reductions for the project.
The Company’s Strategy
During fiscal 2016, we undertook a deep analysis of our current business and markets to determine where we had opportunities to improve and where we would invest our resources in the coming years to maximize our returns. The corporate strategy developed from this analysis is supported by strategies for each line of business, focusing on how we would execute the strategy. These strategies are being finalized, and are expected to be communicated to shareholders and the financial community at the Company’s Investor Day, to be held on December 1, 2016.
Employees and Safety
Our employees are our most important and valuable asset and, therefore, the prevention of job-related injuries is given top priority. It is the policy of the Company to provide and maintain a safe and healthy working environment and to follow operating practices that safeguard all employees and result in a more efficient operation. BeyondZero®, the name of our program that promotes our culture of caring, moves beyond efforts to have an incident and injury-free safety performance. We implement a culture of caring where concern for employees' health, safety, and welfare extends outside the office walls, beyond the project site fences and into their homes, cars, and all the places where they interact with family, friends, and fellow employees.
Since Jacobs’ founding, the Company has been based on doing business honestly, ethically, and with the utmost integrity. Our culture, and our Code of Conduct which is signed annually by all employees, prescribe that everyone at the Company must adhere to Jacobs’ Core Values and ethical code, and comply with the laws that govern the Company’s activities worldwide. Our employees and business partners are expected to follow the highest principles of business conduct, integrity, and ethics as they carry out their responsibilities, and are guided by the following principles in carrying out their responsibilities: loyalty, compliance with applicable laws, observance of ethical standards, avoidance of conflicts of interest, and communication. We endeavor to deal fairly with our employees, customers, suppliers, and competitors, and to respect the policies and procedures of those outside the Company.
We strive to present a clear and consistent image of our Company to our clients, employees, shareholders, and business partners - regarding how we behave, how we communicate, how we look, and most importantly, how our promises to our clients are delivered - anywhere in the world.
We accomplish this foremost through our core values, which allow us to behave as one company and unify us worldwide. By keeping our core values as a central focus of our Company, we are able to think the same way and arrive at similar conclusions, regardless of our physical location. Our core values are:
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People are our greatest asset; |
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We are relationship-based; and |
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Profitable growth is an imperative. |
The balance inherent in our core values is also evident in our approach to sustainability, which maintains an even balance among the people, the economics, and the environmental aspects of business. Jacobs is driven to continuously
Page 4
improve efficiency and reduce energy and resource use, practices that drive down costs and contribute to a lower impact on the environment. The Company adheres to the following seven sustainability principles:
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Sustainable development is a corporate priority; |
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We seek broad, deep, differentiated capabilities and services; |
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Sustainable development is integrated into our business; |
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Training and education are important; |
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Our facilities and operations follow sustainable principles; |
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We contribute to the common effort for sustainability; and |
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We are open and transparent. |
Applying the best, most efficient and effective sustainable solutions for clients worldwide, in all major industries in which our clients operate, allows us to make a significant contribution to a safe and sustainable future. Each year we issue a Sustainability Report that describes many of our efforts and accomplishments regarding environmental sustainability.
With respect to human resources, our goal is to establish an inclusive, diverse workplace that energizes the people who fuel our Company's growth. Although we are a large company with over 54,000 employees in over 25 countries, our employees are unified in their focus on superior value, safety, and ethical business practices regardless of the country in which they work, and employees frequently move around the system as they grow their careers.
How We Grow
Jacobs has grown significantly since its founding in 1947; both through organic growth and through strategic acquisitions, an important part of the Company’s growth strategy. We have acquired and integrated numerous companies over the years that have enhanced our capabilities, geographic reach, and offerings.
In terms of organic growth, our relationship-based business model is central to our sustained growth and profitability. We pursue the development of long-term relationships and alliances with our clients. By working with our clients on their capital programs, we increase our understanding of their overall business needs, as well as the unique technical requirements of their specific projects. This increased understanding enables us, we believe, to provide superior value to our clients. Our approach provides us with opportunities to market the services our clients are expected to need in the pre-design phase, such as master planning, permitting, or project finance options; in the design phase; and in the construction, post-start-up and commissioning phases of a facility, including operations and maintenance services.
Our relationships with clients also present ongoing opportunities to expand into adjacent markets. For example, clients operating in the mining and minerals market often have a need for our infrastructure and buildings capabilities. The same is true for clients operating in other markets.
We market our services to clients in a wide range of public, institutional, process, and industrial markets. We increase our opportunities through focused market diversity, and are able to price contracts competitively and enhance overall profitability while delivering additional value to our clients by integrating and bundling our services. In complex economic times, we have the ability to evolve along with market cycles worldwide. When opportunities decrease in a particular market or geography, other opportunities often increase. Because of our focused market diversity, we believe we are well positioned to address a wide range of opportunities across many markets and geographies, which helps us grow our business.
Page 5
The Role of Acquisitions and Strategic Investments in the Development Our Business
When we review acquisition targets, we are conscious of the effect the acquisition may have on our client base. We favor acquisitions that are aligned with our growth strategy, which targets enhancements of our market position and adding value to our customers and shareholders. This will be done by (i) expanding into a new client market; (ii) enhancing the range of services we provide existing clients; and/or (iii) accessing new geographic areas in which our clients either already operate or plan to expand. By expanding into new geographic areas and adding to our existing technical and project management capabilities, we strive to position ourselves as a preferred, single-source provider of technical, professional, and construction services to our clients. The following is a brief description of some of our recent key acquisitions (in reverse chronological order):
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On April 12, 2016, we acquired The Van Dyke Technology Group, Inc. (“Van Dyke”) headquartered in Columbia, Maryland. Van Dyke provides advanced cybersecurity services and solutions designed to protect sensitive information within classified networks, with a focus on supporting the U.S. Intelligence Community. |
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On December 7, 2015, we acquired J.L Patterson & Associates (“JLP”) headquartered in Orange, California. JLP is a consulting and professional services engineering firm specializing in rail planning, environmental permitting, design and construction management. It provides services to numerous public transit agencies and is a major provider of professional consulting services to Class 1 railroads across the U.S. |
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On March 31, 2015, we acquired Suzhou Hans Chemical Engineering Co. ("SHCE") headquartered in China. SHCE has two specialty Class A design licenses in China’s Chemical, Petrochemical and Pharmaceutical industries, which allow the firm to provide engineering design for all types of chemical projects in China irrespective of project size plus procurement and project management services for various projects in China. These combined resources enable Jacobs to offer customers in China a complete spectrum of services for all types of chemical and petrochemical projects. |
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On July 1, 2014, we acquired Federal Network Systems ("FNS"), a subsidiary of Verizon Communications headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia. FNS provides systems integration and communication, information technology and data security solutions for the global market, with a particular focus on supporting the Intelligence Community, the U.S. Department of Defense ("DoD"), and federal civilian customers. FNS designs, integrates, secures, operates and maintains highly complex, mission critical voice, data and video networks. |
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On February 7, 2014, we acquired Eagleton Engineering, LLC ("Eagleton") headquartered in Houston, Texas. The acquisition enhanced our capabilities in midstream and upstream pipeline engineering, design and field surveying services. Eagleton specializes in pipeline engineering, primarily providing professional services and resources to the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. The firm’s services cover the full life cycle of project planning and delivery, from conceptual studies and design to full turnkey engineering, procurement and construction solutions and operational support. |
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On December 24, 2014, we acquired the assets of FMHC Corporation ("FMHC"), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. This acquisition enhances our ability to provide turnkey wireless communications site development, design, network deployment, construction, and related services to clients operating in the wireless telecommunications industry. |
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On December 20, 2013, we acquired Stobbarts Limited, a construction firm based in West Cumbria, United Kingdom. The acquisition enhanced our capabilities in nuclear, decommissioning, construction and civil engineering. |
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On December 13, 2013, we acquired Sinclair Knight Merz Management Pty Limited and Sinclair Knight Merz Holdings Limited (collectively, "SKM"), a provider of engineering, design, procurement, construction and project management services headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Due to its size and complexities, more information about the SKM acquisition is provided throughout this report. |
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On November 22, 2013, we acquired certain assets and liabilities of MARMAC Field Services, Inc. headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. The acquisition enhanced our capabilities in pipeline engineering and design services; both geographically and by adding additional capabilities to serve the utility and gas industries. |
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On October 18, 2013, we acquired a 45% interest in Guimar Engenharia, a privately held engineering services and project management/construction management ("PMCM") company based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The acquisition represents Jacobs’ first significant investment in Brazil. Guimar has a broad client base and operations throughout Brazil, where it is a leading provider of PMCM services for clients in the pulp and paper, petroleum, chemicals, food and beverage, mining and minerals, building and infrastructure industries. |
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On October 14, 2013, we acquired substantially all the assets and liabilities of the Trompeter Group headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. This acquisition enhances our capabilities in advanced engineering services, maintenance support, technical training services, and contingent workforce services to the automotive manufacturing industry. |
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On August 30, 2013, our South African joint venture, Jacobs Matasis (Proprietary) Limited, acquired Ilitha Projects and Ilitha Staffing. Ilitha Projects provides management and Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Management (“EPCM”) services to clients in a broad range of market sectors, including oil and gas, refining, chemicals, power, nuclear, marine mining, and metals. Ilitha Staffing supplies technical contract staff sourcing and management services with a strong emphasis on integration with the client’s culture and business practices. |
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Commencing on June 6, 2013, and through the end of fiscal 2015, we acquired further ownership interests in Consulting Engineering Services (India) Private Limited (“CES”), an infrastructure and civil engineering company headquartered in Delhi, India. As of the end of fiscal 2015, the Company's ownership interest in CES is 99.2%. CES provides a range of solutions in infrastructure development, planning, engineering, and construction management. |
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On May 28, 2013, we acquired Compass Technology Services, Inc. ("Compass"), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Compass is a provider of telecommunications professional and field services in the Southeastern U.S. and enhances our capabilities in wireless telecommunications infrastructure design and construction. |
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In August 2012, we acquired a consulting project management business based in Sydney, Australia. The primary purpose of this acquisition was to expand our geographic presence and grow our infrastructure business in Australia. |
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In December 2011, we acquired Unique World Pty Ltd. ("Unique World"), headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Unique World is an information management and knowledge management consultancy specializing in enabling technologies such as collaboration, business process automation, business intelligence, intranets, and portals. Unique World expanded our capabilities in Australia to include such information technology ("IT") services, as well as expanding the client base to which we can offer these services. |
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In November 2011, we acquired KlingStubbins, Inc., a 500-person firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with offices located throughout the U.S. and China. KlingStubbins provides professional services in the areas of architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and landscape architecture. The markets served by KlingStubbins include corporate/commercial, governmental, science and technology, higher education, mission critical, and interiors. |
After we complete an acquisition, we move quickly to integrate the newly acquired operations. We typically assign senior operations personnel to manage the overall integration process with assistance from our sales, accounting, legal, IT, human resources, and risk management departments. Although integrating newly acquired businesses can be very challenging, the assimilation process is critical in order to assure (i) an appropriate return is realized versus the cost of the acquisition (ii) that our global businesses processes and systems are properly deployed throughout the newly-acquired entities and (iii) that we can begin to leverage off the acquired talents, skills, and expertise to grow our business and help our clients execute their capital programs. Newly acquired businesses are generally not left as stand-alone entities within the Company’s internal reporting system. The businesses we acquire are typically folded in to existing operational organizations within the Company. For additional information regarding certain issues related to our acquisition strategy, please refer to Item 1A— Risk Factors below.
Lines of Business
During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we reorganized our operations around four global lines of business. This reorganization is intended to better serve our global clients, leverage our workforce, help streamline operations, and provide enhanced growth opportunities. The four global lines of business are: Petroleum & Chemicals, Buildings & Infrastructure, Aerospace & Technology, and Industrial. Each business unit has a president that reports directly to the Company's President & CEO. As part of the reorganization, certain support functions (i.e. Sales), which were managed centrally for many years, have been embedded in the lines of business and report to the respective line of business presidents. The costs of other support functions (e.g., accounting, legal, human resources, and information technology) and certain other activities (e.g., global insurance) are assigned or allocated to each new business unit using a rationale method of assignment/allocation, or will remain an element of corporate general and administrative expenses. In connection with the reorganization, the Company
Page 7
has significantly modified its cash incentive plan utilizing forecasted performance metrics aligned along the new lines of business.
Services
Our services fall into four broad categories: project services; process scientific, and systems consulting services; construction services; and operations and maintenance services.
Project Services
We employ the engineering, architecture, interiors, design, planning, and related disciplines necessary to design and engineer modern process plants, buildings, infrastructure projects, technology and manufacturing facilities, consumer products manufacturing facilities, power plants and stations, pulp and paper plants, and other facilities.
We are capable of providing our clients with a variety of value engineering services, including "safety in design". Through safety in design we integrate best practices, hazard analysis, and risk assessment methods early in the design phase of projects, taking those steps necessary to eliminate or mitigate injury and damage during the construction, start-up, testing and commissioning, and operations phases of a project.
In the area of construction management, we provide our clients with a wide range of services as an agent for our clients. We may act as program director, whereby we oversee, on the owner's behalf, the complete planning, design, and construction phases of the project. Alternatively, our services may be limited to providing construction consulting.
Project Services also includes planning, scheduling, procurement, estimating, cost engineering, project accounting,
project delivery (quality), safety, and all other key support services needed for complete cradle-to-grave project delivery.
Process, Scientific, and Systems Consulting Services
We employ the professional and technical skills and expertise with respect to a broad range of consulting services, including: performing pricing studies, market analyses, and financial projections necessary in determining the feasibility of a project; performing gasoline reformulation modeling; analyzing and evaluating layout and mechanical designs for complex processing plants; analyzing automation and control systems; analyzing, designing, and executing bio containment strategies; developing and performing process protocols with respect to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration-mandated qualification and validation requirements; and performing geological and metallurgical studies.
Also included in this service category are revenues relating to defense and aerospace-related programs. Such services typically are more technical and scientific in nature than other project services we provide, and may involve such tasks as supporting the development and testing of conventional weapons systems; weapons modeling and simulations; computer systems development, maintenance, and support; evaluation and testing of mission-critical control systems; aerospace, testing, and propulsion systems and facilities; cyber security and IT services; and other highly technical or scientific tasks.
Construction Services
In addition to the construction management services included under Project Services above, we provide traditional field construction services to private and public sector clients. We also provide modular construction consulting services. In the area of environmental remediation and restoration, we also provide environmental remedial construction services for a variety of public and private sector clients.
Historically, our field construction activities have been focused primarily on those construction projects for which we perform much of the related engineering and design work. By focusing our construction efforts in this way, we attempt to minimize the risks associated with constructing complex projects based on designs prepared by third parties. The financial risk to us of constructing complex assets based on designs prepared by third parties may be particularly significant on fixed-price contracts; though we ensure appropriate controls are in place to manage risk. However, we will pursue construction-
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only projects when we can negotiate pricing and other contract terms we deem acceptable and which we believe can result in a fair return for the degree of risk we assume.
Operations and Maintenance Services
Operations and Maintenance (“O&M”) refers to all of the tasks required to operate and maintain large, complex facilities on behalf of clients. We provide key management and support services over all aspects of the operations of a facility, including managing subcontractors and other on-site personnel. O&M also includes process plant maintenance services, which generally involves all tasks required to keep a process plant (typically a refinery or chemical plant) in day-to-day operation.
Within the aerospace and defense areas, O&M often requires us to provide the management and technical support services necessary to operate and maintain such sites as engine test facilities, weapons integration facilities, and high-tech simulation and verification centers. Such O&M contracts also frequently require us to provide facilities management and maintenance services, utilities operations and maintenance services, property management and disposition services, and construction support services.
Within the environmental area, O&M often includes engineering and technical support services as well as program management services necessary to remediate contaminated sites.
Although the gross profit margins we realize from O&M services are generally lower than those associated with the other services we provide, the costs to support maintenance activities are also generally lower. In addition, O&M services offer us an opportunity for long-term relationships with clients. This aspect of O&M services greatly reduces the selling costs in respect of such services.
The following table sets forth our revenues from each of our four service categories for each of the last three fiscal years (in thousands):
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2016 |
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2015 |
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2014 |
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Project Services |
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$ |
5,738,840 |
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$ |
6,307,015 |
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$ |
6,576,004 |
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Process, Scientific, and Systems Consulting |
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852,329 |
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1,188,418 |
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758,957 |
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Construction |
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3,258,890 |
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3,291,823 |
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4,138,729 |
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Operations and Maintenance |
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1,114,098 |
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1,327,576 |
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1,221,467 |
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Total |
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$ |
10,964,157 |
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$ |
12,114,832 |
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$ |
12,695,157 |
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Segments
The services we provide fall into the following four lines of business (“LOB”): Aerospace &Technology, Buildings & Infrastructure, Industrial, and Petroleum & Chemicals, which are also the Company’s reportable segments.
The following table sets forth our revenues from each LOB. Prior period information has been restated to reflect the current period presentation (in thousands):
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2016 |
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2015 |
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2014 |
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Revenues from External Customers: |
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Aerospace & Technology |
$ |
2,657,433 |
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$ |
2,924,753 |
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$ |
2,306,453 |
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Buildings & Infrastructure |
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2,253,512 |
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2,458,379 |
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2,705,197 |
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Industrial |
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2,793,713 |
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2,517,571 |
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2,956,391 |
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Petroleum & Chemicals |
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3,259,499 |
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4,214,129 |
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4,727,116 |
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Total |
$ |
10,964,157 |
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$ |
12,114,832 |
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$ |
12,695,157 |
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For additional information regarding our segments, including information about our financial results by segment and financial results by geography, see Note 15 — Segment Information of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Page 9
Aerospace and Technology – We provide an in-depth range of scientific, engineering, construction, nuclear and technical support services to the aerospace, defense, technical and automotive industries in several countries. Long-term clients include the Ministry of Defence in the U.K., the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, NASA, the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Special Operations Command ("USSOCOM"), the US Intelligence community, and the Australian Department of Defence. Specific to NASA, one of our major government customers in the U.S., is our ability to design, build, operate, and maintain highly complex facilities relating to space systems, including test and evaluation facilities, launch facilities, and support infrastructure. We provide environmental characterization and restoration services to commercial and government customers both in the US and UK. This includes designing, building and operating high hazard remediation systems including for radiologically contaminated media.
In addition, we design/build aerodynamic, climatic, altitude and acoustic facilities in support of the automotive industry, and are a provider of a wide range of services in the telecommunications market.
Our experience in the defense sector includes military systems acquisition management and strategic planning; operations and maintenance of test facilities and ranges; test and evaluation services in computer, laboratory, facility, and range environments; test facility computer systems instrumentation and diagnostics; and test facility design and build. We also provide systems engineering and integration of complex weapons and space systems, as well as hardware and software design of complex flight and ground systems.
We have provided advanced technology engineering services to the DoD for more than 50 years, and currently support major defense programs in the U.S. and internationally. We operate and maintain several DoD test centers and provide services and assist in the acquisition and development of systems and equipment for Special Operations Forces, as well as the development of biological, chemical, and nuclear detection and protection systems.
We maintain enterprise information systems for government and commercial clients worldwide, ranging from the operation of complex computational networks to the development and validation of specific software applications. We also support the DoD and the intelligence community in a number of information technology programs, including network design, integration, and support; command and control technology; development and maintenance of databases and customized applications; and cyber security solutions.
Buildings & Infrastructure – We provide services to transit, aviation, built environment, mission critical, rail, and civil construction projects throughout North America, Europe, India, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia. Our representative clients include national government departments/agencies in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Asia, state and local departments of transportation within the U.S., and private industry freight transport firms.
Typical projects include providing development/rehabilitation plans for highways, bridges, transit, tunnels, airports, railroads, intermodal facilities, and maritime or port projects. Our interdisciplinary teams can work independently or as an extension of the client’s staff. We have experience with alternative financing methods, which have been used in Europe through the privatization of public infrastructure systems.
Our water infrastructure group aids emerging economies, which are investing heavily in water and wastewater systems, and governments in North America and Europe, which are addressing the challenges of drought and an aging infrastructure system. We develop or rehabilitate critical water resource systems, water/wastewater conveyance systems, and flood defense projects.
We also plan, design, and construct buildings for a variety of clients and markets. We believe our global presence and understanding of contracting and delivery demands keep us well positioned to provide professional services worldwide. Our diversified client base encompasses both public and private sectors and relates primarily to institutional, commercial, government and corporate buildings, including projects at many of the world's leading medical and research centers, and universities. We focus our efforts and resources in two areas: where capital-spending initiatives drive demand, and where changes and advances in technology require innovative, value-adding solutions. We also provide integrated facility management services (sometimes through joint ventures with third parties) for which we assume responsibility for the ongoing operation and maintenance of entire commercial or industrial complexes on behalf of clients.
We have specific capabilities in energy and power, master planning, and commissioning of office headquarters, aviation facilities, mission-critical facilities, municipal and civic buildings, courts and correctional facilities, mixed-use and commercial centers, healthcare and education campuses, and recreational complexes. For advanced technology clients, who require highly specialized buildings in the fields of medical research, nano science, biotechnology, and laser sciences, we
Page 10
offer total integrated design and construction management solutions. We also have global capabilities in the pharma-bio, data center, government intelligence, corporate headquarters/interiors, and science and technology-based education markets. Our government building projects include large, multi-year programs in the U.S. and Europe supporting various U.S. and U.K. government agencies.
Industrial – We provide engineering, procurement, project management, construction, and on-site maintenance to our global clients in the Life Sciences, Mining & Minerals, Specialty Chemicals & Manufacturing and Field Services markets. We provide our Life Sciences clients single-point consulting, engineering, procurement, construction management, and validation project delivery, enabling us to execute large capital programs on a single-responsibility basis. Typical projects in the life sciences sector include laboratories, research and development facilities, pilot plants, bulk active pharmaceutical ingredient production facilities, full-scale biotechnology production facilities, and tertiary manufacturing facilities.
We provide services relating to modular construction, as well as other consulting and strategic planning to help our clients complete capital projects faster and more efficiently.
In addition, we offer services in containment, barrier technology, locally controlled environments, building systems automation, and off-the-site design and fabrication of facility modules, as well as vaccine production and purification, and aseptic processing.
Our mining and minerals business targets the non-ferrous and ferrous metal markets, precious metals, energy minerals (uranium, coal, oil sands), and industrial and fertilizer minerals (borates, trona, phosphates and potash). We work with many resource companies undertaking new and existing facility upgrades, process plant and underground and surface material handling and infrastructure developments.
We offer project management, front-end studies, full engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) and EPC capabilities, and completions, commissioning and start-up services specializing in new plant construction, brownfield expansions, and sustaining capital and maintenance projects. We are also able to deliver value to our mining clients by providing distinctive adjacent large infrastructure capabilities to support their mining operations.
We provide a wide range of specialty chemicals & manufacturing services and products to our global client base. Our specialty chemicals areas are focused on sulfuric acids, synthetic chemicals, and manufactured equipment. Our manufacturing business areas include the Food & Beverage, Consumer Products, and Pulp & Paper markets.
Our global Field Services unit supports construction and O&M across the company, and performs our direct hire services.
Our construction activities include both construction management services and traditional field construction services to our clients. Historically, our field construction activities focused primarily on those construction projects where we perform much of the related engineering and design work. However, we pursue construction-only projects when we can negotiate pricing and other contract terms we deem acceptable and which we believe can result in a fair return for the degree of risk we assume.
In our O&M business, we perform tasks required to operate and maintain large, complex facilities on behalf of clients. We provide key management and support services over all aspects of the operations of a facility, including managing subcontractors and other on-site personnel. O&M also includes process plant maintenance services, which generally involves all tasks required to keep a process plant (typically a refinery or chemical plant) in day-to-day operation.
Petroleum & Chemicals – We provide integrated delivery of complex projects for our Oil and Gas, Refining, and Petrochemicals clients. Bridging the upstream, midstream and downstream industries, our services encompass consulting, engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance, and project management.
We provide services relating to onshore and offshore oil and gas production facilities, including fixed and floating platforms and subsea tie-backs, as well as full field development solutions, including processing facilities, gathering systems, transmission pipelines and terminals. Our heavy oil experience makes us a leader in upgrading, steam-assisted gravity drainage and in-situ oil sands projects. We have developed modular well pad and central processing facility designs. We also provide fit-for-purpose and standardized designs in the onshore conventional and unconventional space, paying particular attention to water and environmental issues.
Page 11
In addition, we provide our refining customers with feasibility/economic studies, technology evaluation and conceptual engineering, front end loading (“FEED”), detailed engineering, procurement, construction, maintenance and commissioning services. We deliver installed EPC solutions as to grass root plants, expansions and revamps of existing units. Our focus is on both the inside the battery limit (“ISBL”) processing units as well as utilities and offsites. We have engineering alliances and maintenance programs that span decades with core clients. With the objective of driving our clients’ total installed costs down, we endeavor to leverage emerging market sourcing and high value engineering. Our Comprimo Sulfur Solutions® is a significant technology for gas treatment and sulfur recovery plants around the world.
We provide services as to technically complex petrochemical facilities; from new manufacturing complexes, to expansions and modifications and management of plant relocations. We have experience with many licensed technologies, integrated basic petrochemicals, commodity and specialty chemicals projects, and olefins, aromatics, synthesis gas and their respective derivatives.
Backlog
Backlog represents the total dollar amount of revenues we expect to record in the future as a result of performing work under contracts that have been awarded to us. With respect to O&M contracts, however, we include in backlog the amount of revenues we expect to receive for only one succeeding year, regardless of the remaining life of the contract. For national government programs (other than U.S. federal O&M contracts), our policy is to include in backlog the full contract award, whether funded or unfunded, excluding option periods. In accordance with industry practice, substantially all of our contracts are subject to cancellation, termination, or suspension at the discretion of the client. In addition, the contracts in our backlog are subject to changes in the scope of services to be provided as well as adjustments to the costs relating to the contracts. Accordingly, backlog is not necessarily indicative of our future revenues or earnings.
Our backlog includes expected revenues for contracts that are based on estimates. The following table summarizes our backlog for each of the last three fiscal years (in millions):
Backlog: |
|
2016 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|||
Aerospace & Technology |
|
$ |
5,109,973 |
|
|
$ |
4,880,775 |
|
|
$ |
4,998,844 |
|
Buildings & Infrastructure |
|
|
5,033,539 |
|
|
|
4,723,034 |
|
|
|
4,532,085 |
|
Industrial |
|
|
3,106,575 |
|
|
|
3,650,520 |
|
|
|
2,471,867 |
|
Petroleum & Chemicals |
|
$ |
5,510,442 |
|
|
$ |
5,552,241 |
|
|
|
6,377,561 |
|
Total |
|
$ |
18,760,529 |
|
|
$ |
18,806,570 |
|
|
$ |
18,380,357 |
|
For additional information regarding our backlog including those risk factors specific to backlog, please refer to Item 1A — Risk Factors, and Item 7 — Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations below. Subject to the factors discussed in Item 1A— Risk Factors below, we estimate that approximately $7.7 billion, or 41.28%, of total backlog at September 30, 2016 will be realized as revenues within the next fiscal year.
Significant Customers
The following table sets forth the percentage of total revenues earned directly or indirectly from agencies of the U.S. federal government for each of the last five fiscal years:
2016 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|
2013 |
|
|
2012 |
|
|||||
|
21.4% |
|
|
|
21.7% |
|
|
|
17.8% |
|
|
|
19.9% |
|
|
|
22.1% |
|
Given the percentage of total revenue derived directly from the U.S. federal government, the loss of U.S. federal government agencies as customers would have a material adverse effect on the Company. In addition, any or all of our government contracts could be terminated, we could be suspended or debarred from all government contract work, or payment of our costs could be disallowed. Approximately 88% of revenue derived directly from the U.S. federal government is in the Aerospace & Technology segment. For more information on risks relating to our government contracts, see Item 1A - Risk Factors below.
Page 12
Financial Information About Geographic Areas
Selected financial information regarding the geographic areas in which we operate is included in Note 15 — Segment Information of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is incorporated herein by reference. For fiscal 2016, approximately 43.0% of our revenues were earned from clients outside the United States. Our international operations are subject to a variety of risks, which are described under Item 1A - Risk Factors below.
Contracts
While there is considerable variation in the pricing provisions of the contracts we undertake, our contracts generally fall into two broad categories: cost-reimbursable and fixed-price. The following table sets forth the percentages of total revenues represented by these types of contracts for each of the last five fiscal years:
|
|
2016 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|
2013 |
|
|
2012 |
|
|||||
Cost-reimbursable |
|
|
82 |
% |
|
|
83 |
% |
|
|
83 |
% |
|
|
85 |
% |
|
|
85 |
% |
Fixed-price |
|
|
18 |
% |
|
|
17 |
% |
|
|
17 |
% |
|
|
15 |
% |
|
|
15 |
% |
In accordance with industry practice, most of our contracts (including those with the U.S. federal government) are subject to termination at the discretion of the client, which is discussed in greater detail in Item 1A — Risk Factors. In such situations, our contracts typically provide for reimbursement of costs incurred and payment of fees earned through the date of termination.
When we are directly responsible for engineering, design, procurement, and construction of a project or the maintenance of a client’s plant or facility, we reflect the costs of materials, equipment, and subcontracts in both revenues and costs. On other projects, where the client elects to pay for such items directly and we have no associated responsibility for such items, these amounts are not reflected in either revenues or costs. The following table sets forth the approximate amount of such pass-through costs included in revenues for each of the last five fiscal years (in millions of dollars):
2016 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|
2013 |
|
|
2012 |
|
|||||
$ |
2,489.9 |
|
|
$ |
2,602.6 |
|
|
$ |
2,954.9 |
|
|
$ |
2,624.8 |
|
|
$ |
2,328.4 |
|
Cost-Reimbursable Contracts
Cost-reimbursable contracts generally provide for reimbursement of costs incurred plus an amount of profit. The profit element may be in the form of a simple mark-up applied to the labor costs incurred or it may be in the form of a fee, or a combination of a mark-up and a fee. The fee element can also take several forms. The fee may be a fixed amount; it may be an amount based on a percentage of the costs incurred; or it may be an incentive fee based on targets, milestones, or performance factors defined in the contract. In general, we prefer cost-reimbursable contracts because we believe the primary reason for awarding a contract to us should be our technical expertise and professional qualifications rather than price.
Fixed-Price Contracts
Fixed-price contracts include both “lump sum bid” contracts and “negotiated fixed-price” contracts. Under lump sum bid contracts, we typically bid against other contractors based on specifications the client furnishes. This type of pricing presents certain inherent risks, including the possibility of ambiguities in the specifications received, problems with new technologies, and economic and other changes that may occur over the contract period. Additionally, it is not unusual for lump sum bid contracts to lead to an adversarial relationship with clients, which is contrary to our relationship-based business model. Accordingly, lump sum bid contracts are not our preferred form of contract, and, as such, the Company has rarely entered into individual lump sum bid contracts that are material to its financial results. In contrast, under a negotiated fixed-price contract, we are selected as the contractor first and then we negotiate a price with our client. Negotiated fixed-price contracts frequently exist in single-responsibility arrangements where we perform some portion of the work before negotiating the total price of the project. Thus, although both types of contracts involve a firm price for the client, the lump sum bid contract provides the greater degree of risk to us. However, because of economies that may be realized during the contract term, both negotiated fixed-price and lump sum bid contracts may offer greater profit potential than other types of contracts. The Company carefully manages the risk inherent in these types of contracts. Over the past five years, most of our fixed-price work has been either negotiated fixed-price contracts or lump sum bid contracts for project services, rather than turnkey construction.
Page 13
Competition
With respect to each of the four broad categories of services we provide, we compete with a large number of companies across the world. Typically, no single company or companies dominate the market in which we provide any such services. We compete based on the following factors, among others: price of services, technical capabilities, reputation for quality, safety record, availability of qualified personnel, ability to timely perform work, and willingness to accept project-related risk. For more information regarding the competitive conditions in our business, please refer to Item 1A— Risk Factors below.
Employees
At September 30, 2016, we had approximately 43,800 full-time, staff employees (including contract staff). Additionally, as of September 30, 2016, there were approximately 11,100 persons employed in the field on a project basis. The number of field employees varies in relation to the number and size of the maintenance and construction projects in progress at any particular time.
Executive Officers of the Registrant
The information required by Paragraph (a), and Paragraphs (c) through (g) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K (except for information required by Paragraph (e) of that Item to the extent the required information pertains to our executive officers) and Item 405 of Regulation S-K is set forth under the captions "The Board of Directors and its Committees - Nominees," "The board of Directors and its Committees - Continuing Directors," and "Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance" in our definitive proxy statement to be filed with the SEC pursuant to Regulation 14A within 120 days after the close of our fiscal year and is incorporated herein by reference.
The following table presents the information required by Paragraph (b) of Item 401 of Regulation S-K.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Year Joined the |
Name |
|
Age |
|
Position with the Company |
|
Registrant |
Steven J. Demetriou |
|
58 |
|
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
|
2015 |
Kevin C. Berryman |
|
57 |
|
Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer |
|
2014 |
Terence D. Hagen |
|
52 |
|
President, Aerospace & Technology |
|
1987 |
Joseph G. Mandel |
|
56 |
|
President, Petroleum & Chemicals |
|
2011 |
Robert V. Pragada |
|
48 |
|
President, Buildings & Infrastructure |
|
2016 |
William B. Allen |
|
52 |
|
Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer |
|
2016 |
Lori S. Sundberg |
|
52 |
|
Senior Vice President, Global Human Resources |
|
2013 |
Michael R. Tyler |
|
60 |
|
Senior Vice President and General Counsel |
|
2013 |
All of the officers listed in the preceding table serve in their respective capacities at the pleasure of the Board of Directors of the Company. Mr. Hagen has served in executive and senior management capacities with the Company for more than five years. Below is additional information on the other executive officers.
Mr. Demetriou joined the Company in August 2015. Mr. Demetriou served as Chairman and CEO of Aleris Corporation for 14 years, a global downstream aluminum producer based in Cleveland, Ohio. Over the course of his career, he has gained broad experience with companies in a range of industries including metals, specialty chemicals, oil & gas, manufacturing and fertilizers.
Mr. Berryman joined the Company in December 2014. Mr. Berryman served as EVP and CFO for five years at International Flavors and Fragrances Inc., an S&P 500 company and leading global creator of flavors and fragrances used in a wide variety of consumer products. Prior to that, he spent 25 years at Nestlé in a number of finance roles including treasury, mergers & acquisitions, strategic planning, and control.
Mr. Mandel joined the Company in February 2011 through the acquisition of certain operating companies comprising the process and construction business of Aker Solutions ASA, a global provider of products, systems and services to the oil and gas industry. Mr. Mandel served in various senior management roles with Aker Solutions ASA since first joining them in 1995.
Page 14
Mr. Pragada rejoined the Company in February 2016 after serving as President and Chief Executive Officer of The Brock Group since August 2014. From March 2006 to August 2014 Mr. Pragada served in executive and senior management capacities with the Company.
Mr. Allen, joined the Company in October 2016. Mr. Allen served as Corporate Vice President, Finance and Principal Accounting Officer at Lyondellbasell Industries, N.V., from 2013 to 2016, from 2009 to 2013 he served as Vice President, Corporate Controller and Chief Accounting Officer, and from 2007 to 2009 as Chief Financial Officer of the Catalysts Business Segment at Albemarle Corporation.
Ms. Sundberg joined the Company in April 2013. Ms. Sundberg served as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Ethics at Arizona Public Services Company, Arizona's largest electric utility company, from November 2007 to April 2013. From 1998 to 2007 she served in a number of global HR leadership roles with American Express.
Mr. Tyler joined the Company in June 2013. He previously served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Sanmina Corporation, a global electronics manufacturing services provider from April 2007 to June 2013, and Chief Legal and Administrative Officer of Gateway, Inc., a computer hardware company, from January 2004 to April 2007.
Available Information
You may read and copy any materials we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. In order to obtain information about the operation of the Public Reference Room, a person may call the SEC at 1-800-732-0330. The SEC also maintains a site on the Internet that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s website is http://www.sec.gov. You may also read and download the various reports we file with, or furnish to, the SEC free of charge from our website at www.jacobs.com.
Page 15
We operate in a changing environment that involves numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The risks described below highlight some of the factors that have affected and could affect us in the future. We may also be affected by unknown risks or risks that we currently think are immaterial. If any such events actually occur, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Construction and maintenance sites are inherently dangerous workplaces. If we fail to maintain safe work sites, we can be exposed to significant financial losses and reputational harm, as well as civil and criminal liabilities.
Construction and maintenance sites often put our employees and others in close proximity with large pieces of mechanized equipment, moving vehicles, chemical and manufacturing processes, and highly regulated materials, in a challenging environment, and often in geographically remote locations. On many sites, we are responsible for safety and, accordingly, must implement safety procedures. If we fail to implement such procedures or if the procedures we implement are ineffective, our employees and others may become injured, disabled or even lose their lives, the completion or commencement of our projects may be delayed, and we may be exposed to litigation or investigations. Unsafe work sites also have the potential to increase employee turnover, increase the cost of a project to our clients, and raise our operating costs. Any of the foregoing could result in financial losses or reputational harm, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, our projects can involve the handling of hazardous and other highly regulated materials, which, if improperly handled or disposed of, could subject us to civil and/or criminal liabilities. We are also subject to regulations dealing with occupational health and safety. Although we maintain functional groups whose primary purpose is to ensure we implement effective health, safety, and environmental (“HSE”) work procedures throughout our organization, including construction sites and maintenance sites, the failure to comply with such regulations could subject us to liability. In addition, despite the work of our functional groups, we cannot guarantee the safety of our personnel or that there will be no damage to or loss of our work, equipment or supplies.
Our safety record is critical to our reputation. Many of our clients require that we meet certain safety criteria to be eligible to bid for contracts and many contracts provide for automatic termination or forfeiture of some or all of our contract fees or profit in the event we fail to meet certain measures. Accordingly, if we fail to maintain adequate safety standards, we could suffer reduced profitability or the loss of projects or clients, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our vulnerability to the cyclical nature of the markets in which our clients operate is exacerbated during economic downturns and times of political uncertainty.
We provide technical, professional, construction, and O&M services to clients operating in a number of markets including oil and gas exploration, production, and refining; programs for various national governments, including the U.S. federal government; chemicals and polymers; mining and minerals; pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; infrastructure; buildings; power; and other, general industrial and consumer businesses and markets (such as technology and manufacturing; pulp and paper; and food and consumer products). These markets and the resulting demand for our services have been, and we expect will continue to be, cyclical and subject to significant fluctuations due to a variety of factors beyond our control, including economic conditions and changes in client spending, particularly during periods of economic or political uncertainty.
Current global economic and political conditions have negatively impacted many of our clients’ ability and willingness to fund their projects, including their ability to raise capital and pay, or timely pay, our invoices. They have also caused our clients to reduce their capital expenditures, alter the mix of services purchased, seek more favorable price and other contract terms, and otherwise slow their spending on our services. For example, in the public sector, declines in state and local tax revenues as well as other economic declines may result in lower state and local government spending. In addition, due to these conditions many of our competitors may be more inclined to take greater or unusual risks or accept terms and conditions in contracts that we might not deem acceptable. These conditions have reduced, and may continue to reduce, the demand for our services, which has had, and may continue to have, a significant negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Current economic and political conditions also make it extremely difficult for our clients, our vendors, and us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities. For example, following the recent U.S. elections, many observers
Page 16
expect spending on U.S. infrastructure to increase significantly. There is no assurance that such spending will occur or that the Company will benefit from any increase in spending. We cannot predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic recovery or downturn worldwide or in our clients’ markets. In addition, our business has traditionally lagged recoveries in the general economy and, therefore, may not recover as quickly as the economy at large. A continuation or worsening of current weak economic conditions, a failure to obtain expected benefits from any increased infrastructure spending, or a reduction in government spending could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Regardless of economic or market conditions, investment decisions by our customers may vary by location or as a result of other factors like the availability of labor or relative construction cost. Because we are dependent on the timing and funding of new awards, we are therefore vulnerable to changes in our clients’ markets and investment decisions. As a result, our past results have varied and may continue to vary depending upon the demand for future projects in the markets and the locations in which we operate.
Fluctuations in commodity prices may affect our customers’ investment decisions and therefore subject us to risks of cancellation, delays in existing work, or changes in the timing and funding of new awards.
Commodity prices can affect our customers in a number of ways. For example, for those customers that produce commodity products such as oil, gas, copper, or fertilizers, fluctuations in price can have a direct effect on their profitability and cash flow and, therefore, their willingness to continue to invest or make new capital investments. Furthermore, declines in commodity prices can negatively impact our business in regions whose economies are substantially dependent on commodity prices, such as the Middle East. To the extent commodity prices decline or fluctuate and our customers defer new investments or cancel or delay existing projects, the demand for our services decreases, which may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Commodity prices can also strongly affect the costs of projects. Rising commodity prices can negatively impact the potential returns on investments that are planned, as well as those in progress, and result in customers deferring new investments or canceling or delaying existing projects. Cancellations and delays have affected our past results and may continue to do so in significant and unpredictable ways and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our project execution activities may result in liability for faulty services.
If we fail to provide our services in accordance with applicable professional standards, we could be exposed to significant monetary damages or even criminal violations. Our engineering practice, for example, involves professional judgments regarding the planning, design, development, construction, operations and management of industrial facilities and public infrastructure projects. While we do not generally accept liability for consequential damages in our contracts, and although we have adopted a range of insurance, risk management and risk avoidance programs designed to reduce potential liabilities, a catastrophic event at one of our project sites or completed projects resulting from the services we have performed could result in significant professional or product liability, and warranty or other claims against us as well as reputational harm, especially if public safety is impacted. These liabilities could exceed our insurance limits or the fees we generate, may not be covered by insurance at all due to various exclusions in our coverage, and could impact our ability to obtain insurance in the future. Further, even where coverage applies, the policies have deductibles, which result in our assumption of exposure for a layer of coverage with respect to any claim filed by us. In addition, clients or subcontractors who have agreed to indemnify us against any such liabilities or losses might refuse or be unable to pay us. An uninsured claim, either in part or in whole, as well as any claim covered by insurance but subject to a high deductible, if successful and of a material magnitude, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We engage in a highly competitive business. If we are unable to compete effectively, we could lose market share and our business and results of operations could be negatively impacted.
We face intense competition to provide technical, professional, and construction services to clients. The markets we serve are highly competitive and we compete against a large number of regional, national, and multinational companies.
The extent of our competition varies by industry, geographic market, and project type. For example, with respect to our construction, and operations and maintenance services, clients generally award large projects to large contractors, which may give our larger competitors an advantage when bidding for these projects. Conversely, with respect to our engineering, design, architectural, and consulting services, low barriers of entry can result in competition with smaller, newer competitors. The extent and type of competition varies by market and geographic area.
Page 17
Our projects are frequently awarded through a competitive bidding process, which is standard in our industry. We are constantly competing for project awards based on pricing, schedule and the breadth and technical sophistication of our services. Competition can place downward pressure on our contract prices and profit margins, and may force us to accept contractual terms and conditions that are less favorable to us, thereby increasing the risk that, among other things, we may not realize profit margins at the same rates as we've seen in the past or may become responsible for costs or other liabilities we have not accepted in the past. If we are unable to compete effectively, we may experience a loss of market share or reduced profitability or both, which if significant, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our results of operations depend on the award of new contracts and the timing of the performance of these contracts.
Our revenues are derived from new contract awards. Delays in the timing of the awards or cancellations of such prospects as a result of economic conditions, material and equipment pricing and availability or other factors could impact our long-term projected results. It is particularly difficult to predict whether or when we will receive large-scale projects as these contracts frequently involve a lengthy and complex bidding and selection process, which is affected by a number of factors, such as market conditions, governmental and environmental approvals. Since a significant portion of our revenues is generated from such projects, our results of operations and cash flows can fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter depending on the timing of our contract awards and the commencement or progress of work under awarded contracts. Furthermore, many of these contracts are subject to financing contingencies and as a result, we are subject to the risk that the customer will not be able to secure the necessary financing for the project.
In addition, many of our contracts require us to satisfy specific progress or performance milestones in order to receive payment from the customer. As a result, we may incur significant costs for engineering, materials, components, equipment, labor or subcontractors prior to receipt of payment from a customer.
The uncertainty of our contract award timing can also present difficulties in matching workforce size with contract needs. In some cases, we maintain and bear the cost of a ready workforce that is larger than necessary under existing contracts in anticipation of future workforce needs for expected contract awards. If an expected contract award is delayed or not received, we may incur additional costs resulting from reductions in staff or redundancy of facilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The outcome of pending and future claims and litigation could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are a party to litigation in the normal course of business. Since we engage in engineering and construction activities for large facilities and projects where design, construction or systems failures can result in substantial injury or damage to employees or others, we are exposed to substantial claims and litigation and investigations if there is a failure at any such facility or project. Such claims could relate to, among other things, personal injury, loss of life, business interruption, property damage, pollution, and environmental damage and be brought by our clients or third parties, such as those who use or reside near our clients’ projects. We can also be exposed to claims if we agreed that a project will achieve certain performance standards or satisfy certain technical requirements and those standards or requirements are not met. In many of our contracts with clients, subcontractors, and vendors, we agree to retain or assume potential liabilities for damages, penalties, losses, and other exposures relating to projects that could result in claims that greatly exceed the anticipated profits relating to those contracts. In addition, while clients and subcontractors may agree to indemnify us against certain liabilities, such third parties may refuse or be unable to pay us.
We maintain insurance coverage for various aspects of our business and operations. Our insurance programs have varying exclusions for matters such as fraud, coverage limits and maximums, and insurance companies may seek to deny claims we might make. In addition, we have elected to retain a portion of losses that may occur through the use of various deductibles, limits, and retentions under these programs. As a result, we may be subject to future liability for which we are only partially insured, or completely uninsured.
Although in the past we have been generally able to cover our insurance needs, there can be no assurances that we can secure all necessary or appropriate insurance in the future, or that such insurance can be economically secured. For example, catastrophic events can result in decreased coverage limits, coverage that is more limited, or increased premium costs or deductibles. We monitor the financial health of the insurance companies from which we procure insurance, and this is one of the factors we take into account when purchasing insurance. Our insurance is purchased from a number of the world's leading providers, often in layered insurance or quota share arrangements. If any of our third party insurers fail, abruptly cancel our
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coverage or otherwise cannot satisfy their insurance requirements to us, then our overall risk exposure and operational expenses could be increased and our business operations could be interrupted.
In addition, the nature of our business sometimes results in clients, subcontractors, and vendors presenting claims to us for, among other things, recovery of costs related to certain projects. Similarly, we occasionally present change orders and claims to our clients, subcontractors, and vendors for, among other things, additional costs exceeding the original contract price. If we fail to document properly the nature of our claims and change orders or are otherwise unsuccessful in negotiating reasonable settlements with our clients, subcontractors, and vendors, we could incur cost overruns, reduced profits or, in some cases, a loss for a project. Further, these claims can be the subject of lengthy negotiations, arbitration or litigation proceedings, which could result in the investment of significant amounts of working capital pending the resolution of the relevant change orders and claims. A failure to promptly recover on these types of claims could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity and financial results. Additionally, irrespective of how well we document the nature of our claims and change orders, the cost to prosecute and defend claims and change orders can be significant.
Litigation and regulatory proceedings are subject to inherent uncertainties and unfavorable rulings can and do occur. Pending or future claims against us could result in professional liability, product liability, criminal liability, warranty obligations, default under our credit agreements and other liabilities which, to the extent we are not insured against a loss or our insurer fails to provide coverage, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The nature of our contracts, particularly those that are fixed-price, subject us to risks of cost overruns. We may experience reduced profits or, in some cases, losses under these contracts if costs increase above our estimates.
For fiscal 2016, approximately 18% of our revenues were earned under fixed-price contracts. Such contracts require us to estimate the total cost of the project in advance of our performance. In addition, we may enter into guaranteed maximum price contracts where we guarantee a price or delivery date. For fixed-price contracts, we may benefit from any cost-savings, but we bear the risk of paying some, if not all, of any cost overruns. Fixed-price contract amounts are established in part on cost and scheduling estimates that are based on a number of assumptions, including those about future economic conditions, prices and availability of labor, equipment and materials, and other exigencies. If these estimates prove inaccurate, there are errors or ambiguities as to contract specifications, or if circumstances change due to, among other things, unanticipated technical problems, difficulties in obtaining permits or approvals, changes in local laws or labor conditions, weather or other delays beyond our control, changes in the costs of equipment or raw materials, our vendors’ or subcontractors’ inability or failure to perform, or changes in general economic conditions, then cost overruns may occur and we could experience reduced profits or, in some cases, a loss for that project. These risks are exacerbated for projects with long-term durations because there is an increased risk that the circumstances on which we based our original estimates will change in a manner that increases costs. If the project is significant, or there are one or more issues that impact multiple projects, costs overruns could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our contracts that are fundamentally cost reimbursable in nature may also present a risk to the extent the final cost on a project exceeds the amount the customer expected or budgeted. Like fixed-price contracts, the expected cost of cost-reimbursable projects are based in part on our estimates of the resources and time necessary to perform such contracts. If we are unable to properly support the costs we incur or otherwise fail to obtain proper reimbursement for all costs incurred - for whatever reason - the project may be less profitable than we expect or even result in losses. Additionally, we may be required to pay liquidated damages if we fail to meet schedule or performance requirements of our contracts, which could harm our reputation and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operation.
Our continued success is dependent upon our ability to hire, retain, and utilize qualified personnel.
The success of our business is dependent upon our ability to hire, retain, and utilize qualified personnel, including engineers, architects, designers, craft personnel, and corporate management professionals at a reasonable cost who have the required experience and expertise. The market for these and other personnel is competitive. From time to time, it may be difficult to attract and retain qualified individuals with the expertise, and in the timeframe, demanded by our clients, or to replace such personnel when needed in a timely manner. In certain geographic areas, for example, we may not be able to satisfy the demand for our services because of our inability to successfully hire and retain qualified personnel. Furthermore, some of our personnel hold government granted clearance that may be required to obtain government projects. If we were to lose some or all of these personnel, they would be difficult to replace. Loss of the services of, or failure to recruit, qualified technical and management personnel could limit our ability to successfully complete existing projects and compete for new projects.
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In addition, in the event that any of our key personnel retire or otherwise leave the Company, we need to have appropriate succession plans in place and to successfully implement such plans, which requires devoting time and resources toward identifying and integrating new personnel into leadership roles and other key positions. If we cannot attract and retain qualified personnel or effectively implement appropriate succession plans, it could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The cost of providing our services, including the extent to which we utilize our workforce, affects our profitability. For example, the uncertainty of contract award timing can present difficulties in matching our workforce size with our contracts. If an expected contract award is delayed or not received, we could incur costs resulting from excess staff, reductions in staff, or redundancy of facilities that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial conditions, and results of operations.
The contracts in our backlog may be adjusted, cancelled or suspended by our clients and, therefore, our backlog is not necessarily indicative of our future revenues or earnings. Additionally, even if fully performed, our backlog is not a good indicator of our future gross margins.
Backlog represents the total dollar amount of revenues we expect to record in the future as a result of performing work under contracts that have been awarded to us. As of the end of fiscal 2016, our backlog totaled approximately $18.8 billion. There is no assurance that backlog will actually be realized as revenues in the amounts reported or, if realized, will result in profits. In accordance with industry practice, substantially all of our contracts are subject to cancellation, termination, or suspension at the discretion of the client. In the event of a project cancellation, we would generally have no contractual right to the total revenue reflected in our backlog. Projects can remain in backlog for extended periods of time because of the nature of the project and the timing of the particular services required by the project. The risk of contracts in backlog being cancelled or suspended generally increases during periods of widespread economic slowdowns or in response to changes in commodity prices.
The contracts in our backlog are subject to changes in the scope of services to be provided as well as adjustments to the costs relating to the contracts. The revenue for certain contracts included in backlog is based on estimates. Additionally, the way we perform on our individual contracts can affect greatly our gross margins and hence, future profitability.
In some markets, there is a continuing trend towards cost-reimbursable contracts with incentive-fee arrangements. Typically, our incentive fees are based on such things as achievement of target completion dates or target costs, overall safety performance, overall client satisfaction, and other performance criteria. If we fail to meet such targets or achieve the expected performance standards, we may receive a lower, or even zero, incentive fee resulting in lower gross margins. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the contracts in backlog, assuming they produce the revenues currently expected, will generate gross margins at the rates we have realized in the past.
Contracts with the U.S. federal government and other governments and their agencies pose additional risks relating to future funding and compliance.
Contracts with the U.S. federal government and other governments and their agencies, which are a significant source of our revenue and profit, are subject to various uncertainties, restrictions, and regulations including oversight audits by various government authorities as well as profit and cost controls, which could result in withholding or delay of payments to us. Government contracts are also exposed to uncertainties associated with funding such as sequestration and budget deficits. Contracts with the U.S. federal government, for example, are subject to the uncertainties of Congressional funding. Governments are typically under no obligation to maintain funding at any specific level, and funds for government programs may even be eliminated. Legislatures typically appropriate funds on a year-by-year basis, while contract performance may take more than one year. As a result, contracts with government agencies may be only partially funded or may be terminated, and we may not realize all of the potential revenue and profit from those contracts.
Our government clients may reduce the scope or terminate our contracts for convenience or decide not to renew our contracts with little or no prior notice. Since government contracts represent a significant percentage of our revenues (for example, those with the U.S. federal government represented approximately 21.4% of our total revenue in fiscal 2016 ), a significant reduction in government funding or the loss of such contracts could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Most government contracts are awarded through a rigorous competitive process. The U.S. federal government has increasingly relied upon multiple-year contracts with multiple contractors that generally require those contractors to engage
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in an additional competitive bidding process for each task order issued under a contract. This process may result in us facing significant additional pricing pressure and uncertainty and incurring additional costs. Moreover, we may not be awarded government contracts because of existing policies designed to protect small businesses and under-represented minorities. Our inability to win new contracts or be awarded work under existing contracts could have a negative impact on our business and results of operations.
In addition, government contracts are subject to specific procurement regulations and a variety of other socio-economic requirements, which affect how we transact business with our clients and, in some instances, impose additional costs on our business operations. For example, for contracts with the U.S. federal government, we must comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the Truth in Negotiations Act, the Cost Accounting Standards, the Service Contract Act, and numerous regulations governing environmental protection and employment practices. Government contracts also contain terms that expose us to heightened levels of risk and potential liability than non-government contracts. This includes, for example, unlimited indemnification obligations.
We also are subject to government audits, investigations, and proceedings. For example, government agencies such as the U.S. Defense Contract Audit Agency routinely review and audit us to determine the adequacy of and our compliance with our internal control systems and policies and whether allowable costs are in accordance with applicable regulations. These audits can result in a determination that a rule or regulation has been violated or that adjustments are necessary to the amount of contract costs we believe are reimbursable by the agencies and the amount of our overhead costs allocated to the agencies.
If we violate a rule or regulation, fail to comply with a contractual or other requirement or do not satisfy an audit, a variety of penalties can be imposed on us including monetary damages and criminal and civil penalties. For example, in so-called “qui tam” actions brought by individuals or the government under the U.S. Federal False Claims Act or under similar state and local laws, treble damages can be awarded. In addition, any or all of our government contracts could be terminated, we could be suspended or debarred from all government contract work, or payment of our costs could be disallowed. The occurrence of any of these actions could harm our reputation and our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be negatively impacted.
Many of our federal government contracts require us to have security clearances, which can be difficult and time consuming to obtain. If our employees are unable to obtain or retain the necessary securities clearances, our clients could terminate or not renew existing contracts or award us new contracts. To the extent this occurs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted.
Our use of joint ventures and partnerships exposes us to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control.
As is common in our industry, we perform certain contracts as a member of joint ventures, partnerships, and similar arrangements. This situation exposes us to a number of risks, including the risk that our partners may be unable to fulfill their obligations to us or our clients.
We cannot control the actions of our joint venture partners, including the nonperformance, default or bankruptcy of our joint venture partners. Our partners may be unable or unwilling to provide the required levels of financial support to the partnerships. If these circumstances occur, we may be required to pay financial penalties or liquidated damages, provide additional services, or make additional investments to ensure adequate performance and delivery of the contracted services. Under agreements with joint and several liabilities, we could be liable for both our obligations and those of our partners. These circumstances could also lead to disputes and litigation with our partners or clients, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We depend on the management effectiveness of our joint venture partners. Differences in views among the joint venture participants may result in delayed decisions or in failures to agree on major issues, which could materially affect the business and operations of these ventures. In addition, in many of the countries in which we engage in joint ventures, it may be difficult to enforce our contractual rights under the applicable joint venture agreement. If we are not able to enforce our contractual rights, we may not be able to realize the benefits of the joint venture or we may be subject to additional liabilities.
We participate in joint ventures and similar arrangements in which we are not the controlling partner. In these cases, we have limited control over the actions of the joint venture. These joint ventures may not be subject to the same requirements regarding internal controls and internal control over financial reporting that we follow. To the extent the controlling partner makes decisions that negatively impact the joint venture or internal control problems arise within the joint venture, it could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
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The failure by a joint venture partner to comply with applicable laws, regulations or client requirements could negatively impact our business and, for government clients, could result in fines, penalties, suspension or even debarment being imposed on us, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are dependent on third parties to complete many of our contracts.
Third-party subcontractors we hire perform much of the work performed under our contracts. We also rely on third-party equipment manufacturers or suppliers to provide much of the equipment and materials used for projects. If we are unable to hire qualified subcontractors or find qualified equipment manufacturers or suppliers, our ability to successfully complete a project could be impaired. If we are not able to locate qualified third-party subcontractors or the amount we are required to pay for subcontractors or equipment and supplies exceeds what we have estimated, especially in a lump sum or a fixed-price contract, we may suffer losses on these contracts. If a subcontractor, supplier, or manufacturer fails to provide services, supplies or equipment as required under a contract for any reason, we may be required to source these services, equipment or supplies to other third parties on a delayed basis or on less favorable terms, which could impact contract profitability. There is a risk that we may have disputes with our subcontractors relating to, among other things, the quality and timeliness of work performed, customer concerns about the subcontractor, or our failure to extend existing task orders or issue new task orders under a contract. In addition, faulty workmanship, equipment or materials could impact the overall project, resulting in claims against us for failure to meet required project specifications.
In the current economic environment, third parties may find it difficult to obtain sufficient financing to help fund their operations. The inability to obtain financing could adversely affect a third party’s ability to provide materials, equipment or services which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, a failure by a third party subcontractor, supplier or manufacturer to comply with applicable laws, regulations or client requirements could negatively impact our business and, for government clients, could result in fines, penalties, suspension or even debarment being imposed on us, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Negative conditions in the credit and financial markets and delays in receiving client payments could result in liquidity problems, adversely affecting our cost of borrowing and our business.
Although we finance much of our operations using cash provided by operations, at times we depend on the availability of credit to grow our business and to help fund business acquisitions. Instability in the credit markets in the U.S. or abroad could cause the availability of credit to be relatively difficult or expensive to obtain at competitive rates, on commercially reasonable terms or in sufficient amounts. This situation could make it more difficult or more expensive for us to access funds, refinance our existing indebtedness, enter into agreements for new indebtedness, or obtain funding through the issuance of securities or such additional capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us. We may also enter into business acquisition agreements that require us to access credit, which if not available at the closing of the acquisition could result in a breach of the acquisition agreement and a resulting claim for damages by the sellers of such business. In addition, market conditions could negatively impact our clients’ ability to fund their projects and, therefore, utilize our services, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, we are subject to the risk that the counterparties to our credit agreements may go bankrupt if they suffer catastrophic demand on their liquidity that will prevent them from fulfilling their contractual obligations to us. We also routinely enter into contracts with counterparties including vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors that may be negatively impacted by events in the credit markets. If those counterparties are unable to perform their obligations to us or our clients, we may be required to provide additional services or make alternate arrangements on less favorable terms with other parties to ensure adequate performance and delivery of services to our clients. These circumstances could also lead to disputes and litigation with our partners or clients, which could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Some of our customers, suppliers and subcontractors depend on access to commercial financing and capital markets to fund their operations. Disruptions of the credit or capital markets could adversely affect our clients’ ability to finance projects and could result in contract cancellations or suspensions, project delays and payment delays or defaults by our clients. In addition, clients may be unable to fund new projects, may choose to make fewer capital expenditures or otherwise slow their spending on our services or to seek contract terms more favorable to them. Our government clients may face budget deficits that prohibit them from funding proposed and existing projects or that cause them to exercise their right to terminate our contracts with little or no prior notice. In addition, any financial difficulties suffered by our subcontractors or suppliers could
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increase our cost or adversely impact project schedules. These disruptions could materially impact our backlog and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, we typically bill our clients for our services in arrears and are, therefore, subject to our clients delaying or failing to pay our invoices. In weak economic environments, we may experience increased delays and failures due to, among other reasons, our clients’ unwillingness to pay for alleged poor performance or to preserve their own working capital. If one or more clients delays in paying or fails to pay us a significant amount of our outstanding receivables, it could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.
Furthermore, our cash balances and short-term investments are maintained in accounts held by major banks and financial institutions located primarily in North America, Europe, South America, Australia and Asia. Some of our accounts hold deposits in amounts that exceed available insurance. Although none of the financial institutions in which we hold our cash and investments have gone into bankruptcy or forced receivership, or have been seized by their governments, there is a risk that such events may occur in the future. If any such events were to occur, we would be at risk of not being able to access our cash, which may result in a temporary liquidity crisis that could impede our ability to fund our operations, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Maintaining adequate bonding and letter of credit capacity is necessary for us to successfully bid on and win some contracts.
In line with industry practice, we are often required to provide performance or payment bonds or letters of credit to our customers. These instruments indemnify the customer should we fail to perform our obligations under the contract. If a bond or a letter of credit is required for a particular project and we are unable to obtain an appropriate bond or letter of credit, we cannot pursue that project. Historically, we have had adequate bonding and letter of credit capacity but, as is typically the case, the issuance of a bond is at the surety’s sole discretion and the issuance of a letter of credit is based on the Company's credit-worthiness. Because of an overall lack of worldwide bonding capacity, we may find it difficult to find sureties who will provide required levels of bonding or such bonding may only be available at significant additional cost. There can be no assurance that our bonding capacity will continue to be available to us on reasonable terms. In addition, future projects may require us to obtain letters of credit that extend beyond the term of our existing credit facilities. Our inability to obtain adequate bonding and, as a result, to bid on new contracts that require such bonding or letter of credit could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Past and future environmental, heath, and safety laws could impose significant additional costs and liabilities.
We are subject to a variety of environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things, discharges to air and water, the handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous or waste materials and the remediation of contamination associated with the releases of hazardous substances and human health and safety. These laws and regulations and the risk of attendant litigation can cause significant delays to a project and add significantly to its cost. Violations of these regulations could subject us and our management to civil and criminal penalties and other liabilities.
Various U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations may impose liability for property damage and costs of investigation and cleanup of hazardous or toxic substances on property currently or previously owned by us or arising out of our waste management or environmental remediation activities. These laws may impose responsibility and liability without regard to knowledge of or causation of the presence of contaminants. The liability under these laws is joint and several. We have potential liabilities associated with our past waste management and other activities and with our current and prior ownership of various properties. The discovery of additional contaminants or the imposition of unforeseen clean-up obligations at these or other sites could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
When we perform our services, our personnel and equipment may be exposed to radioactive and hazardous materials and conditions. We may be subject to liability claims by employees, customers, and third parties as a result of such exposures. In addition, we may be subject to fines, penalties or other liabilities arising under environmental or safety laws. A claim, if not covered or only partially covered by insurance, could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.
Health safety, and environmental laws and regulations and policies are reviewed periodically and any changes thereto could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways. Such changes could, for example, relax or repeal laws and regulations relating to the environment, which could result in a decline in the demand for our environmental services and, in turn, could
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negatively impact our revenue. Changes in the environmental laws and regulations, remediation obligations, enforcement actions, stricter interpretations of existing requirements, future discovery of contamination or claims for damages to persons, property, natural resources or the environment could result in material costs and liabilities that we currently do not anticipate. If we fail to comply with any environmental, health, or safety laws or regulations, whether actual or alleged, we could be exposed to fines, penalties or potential litigation liabilities, including costs, settlements and judgments, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, we and many of our clients operate in highly regulated environments, which may require us or our clients to obtain, and to comply with, federal, state, and local government permits and approvals. Any of these permits or approvals may be subject to denial, revocation or modification under various circumstances. Failure to obtain or comply with, or the loss or modification of, the conditions of permits or approvals may subject us to penalties or other liabilities, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and result of operations.
If we fail to comply with federal, state, local or foreign governmental requirements, our business may be adversely affected.
We are subject to U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations that affect our business. For example, our global operations require importing and exporting goods and technology across international borders. Although we have policies and procedures to comply with U.S. and foreign international trade laws, the violation of such laws could subject the Company and its employees to civil or criminal penalties, including substantial monetary fines, or other adverse actions including denial of import or export privileges or debarment from participation in U.S. government contracts, and could damage our reputation and our ability to do business.
Employee, agent or partner misconduct or our overall failure to comply with laws or regulations could weaken our ability to win contracts, which could result in reduced revenues and profits.
Misconduct, fraud, non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations, or other improper activities by one of our employees, agents or partners could have a significant negative impact on our business and reputation. Such misconduct could include the failure to comply with government procurement regulations, regulations regarding the protection of classified information, regulations prohibiting bribery and other corrupt practices, regulations regarding the pricing of labor and other costs in government contracts, regulations on lobbying or similar activities, regulations pertaining to the internal controls over financial reporting, regulations pertaining to export control, environmental laws, and any other applicable laws or regulations. For example, we routinely provide services that may be highly sensitive or that relate to critical national security matters; if a security breach were to occur, our ability to procure future government contracts could be severely limited. The precautions we take to prevent and detect these activities may not be effective, and we could face unknown risks or losses. Our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations or acts of misconduct could subject us to fines and penalties, cancellation of contracts, loss of security clearance, and suspension or debarment from contracting, which could weaken our ability to win contracts and result in reduced revenues and profits and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, including the requirements to maintain accurate information and internal controls. We operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and in certain circumstances; strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Despite our training and compliance programs, there is no assurance that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from acts committed by our employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for FCPA or other violations (either due to our own acts or our inadvertence, or due to the acts or inadvertence of others), we could suffer from civil and criminal penalties or other sanctions, including contract cancellations or debarment, and loss of reputation, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
The loss of or a significant reduction in business from one or a few customers could have a material adverse impact on us.
A few clients have in the past and may in the future account for a significant portion of our revenue and/or backlog in any one year or over a period of several consecutive years. For example, in fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, approximately
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21.4%, 21.7%, and 17.8%, respectively, of our revenue was earned directly or indirectly from agencies of the U.S. federal government. Although we have long-standing relationships with many of our significant clients, our clients may unilaterally reduce, delay, or cancel their contracts at any time. Our loss of or a significant reduction in business from a significant client could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our international operations are exposed to additional risks and uncertainties, including unfavorable political developments and weak foreign economies.
For fiscal 2016, approximately 43.0% of our revenue was earned from clients outside the U.S. Our business is dependent on the continued success of our international operations, and we expect our international operations to continue to account for a significant portion of our total revenues. Our international operations are subject to a variety of risks, including:
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Recessions and other economic crises in other regions, such as Europe, or specific foreign economies and the impact on our costs of doing business in those countries; |
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Difficulties in staffing and managing foreign operations, including logistical and communication challenges; |
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Unexpected changes in foreign government policies and regulatory requirements; |
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Potential non-compliance with a wide variety of laws and regulations, including anti-corruption, export control and anti-boycott laws and similar non-U.S. laws and regulations; |
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Lack of developed legal systems to enforce contractual rights; |
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Expropriation and nationalization of our assets in a foreign country; |
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Renegotiation or nullification of our existing contracts; |
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The adoption of new, and the expansion of existing, trade or other restrictions; |
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Embargoes; |
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Changes in labor conditions; |
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Acts of war, civil unrest, force majeure, and terrorism; |
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The ability to finance efficiently our foreign operations; |
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Social, political, and economic instability; |
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Expropriation of property; |
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Tax increases; |
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Currency exchanges rate fluctuations; |
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Limitations on the ability to repatriate foreign earnings; and |
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U.S. government policy changes in relation to the foreign countries in which we operate, including embargoes or other trade restrictions. |
The lack of a well-developed legal system in some of these countries may make it difficult to enforce our contractual rights. In addition, military action or continued unrest, particularly in the Middle East, could impact the supply or pricing of oil, disrupt our operations in the region and elsewhere. To the extent our international operations are affected by unexpected or adverse economic, political and other conditions, our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We work in international locations where there are high security risks, which could result in harm to our employees or unanticipated cost.
Some of our services are performed in high-risk locations, where the country or location is subject to political, social or economic risks, or war or civil unrest. In those locations where we have employees or operations, we may expend significant efforts and incur substantial security costs to maintain the safety of our personnel. Despite these activities, in these locations, we cannot guarantee the safety of our personnel and we may suffer future losses of employees and subcontractors. Acts of terrorism and threats of armed conflicts in or around various areas in which we operate could limit or disrupt markets and our
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operations, including disruptions resulting from the evacuation of personnel, cancellation of contracts, or the loss of key employees, contractors or assets.
Foreign exchange risks may affect our ability to realize a profit from certain projects.
Our reported financial condition and results of operations are exposed to the effects (both positive and negative) that fluctuating exchange rates have on the process of translating the financial statements of our international operations, which are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, into the U.S. dollar. While we generally attempt to denominate our contracts in the currencies of our expenditures, we do enter into contracts that expose us to currency risk, particularly to the extent contract revenue is denominated in a currency different than the contract costs. We attempt to minimize our exposure from currency risks by obtaining escalation provisions for projects in inflationary economies or entering into derivative (hedging) instruments, when there is currency risk exposure that is not naturally mitigated via our contracts. These actions, however, may not always eliminate currency risk exposure. The governments of certain countries have or may in the future impose restrictive exchange controls on local currencies and it may not be possible for us to engage in effective hedging transactions to mitigate the risks associated with fluctuations in a particular currency. Based on fluctuations in currency, the U.S. dollar value of our backlog may from time to time increase or decrease significantly. We may also be exposed to limitations on our ability to reinvest earnings from operations in one country to fund the financing requirements of our operations in other countries.
Our operations may be impacted by the United Kingdom’s proposed exit from the European Union.
In June 2016, the U.K. held a referendum in which voters approved an exit from the E.U., commonly referred to as “Brexit.” As a result of the referendum, there may be greater restrictions on imports and exports between the U.K. and E.U. countries and increased regulatory complexities. These changes may adversely affect our relationships with our existing and future customers, suppliers, employees, and subcontractors, or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Brexit may also create global economic uncertainty, which may cause our customers to closely monitor their costs, terminate or reduce the scope of existing contracts, decrease or postpone currently planned contracts, or negotiate for more favorable deal terms, each of which may have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business strategy relies in part on acquisitions to sustain our growth. Acquisitions of other companies present certain risks and uncertainties.
Our business strategy involves growth through, among other things, the acquisition of other companies. Acquiring companies presents a number of risks, including:
|
• |
Assumption of liabilities of an acquired business, including liabilities that were unknown at the time the acquisition was negotiated; |
|
• |
Valuation methodologies may not accurately capture the value of the acquired business; |
|
• |
Failure to realize anticipated benefits, such as cost savings and revenue enhancements; |
|
• |
Difficulties relating to combining previously separate entities into a single, integrated, and efficient business; |
|
• |
The effects of diverting management’s attention from day-to-day operations to matters involving the integration of acquired companies; |
|
• |
Potentially substantial transaction costs associated with business combinations; |
|
• |
Potential impairment resulting from the overpayment for an acquisition or post-acquisition deterioration in an acquired business; |
|
• |
Difficulties relating to assimilating the personnel, services, and systems of an acquired business and to assimilating marketing and other operational capabilities; |
|
• |
Difficulties retaining key personnel of an acquired business; |
|
• |
Increased burdens on our staff and on our administrative, internal control and operating systems, which may hinder our legal and regulatory compliance activities; |
|
• |
Difficulties in applying and integrating our system of internal controls to an acquired business; |
Page 26
|
• |
Increased financial and accounting challenges and complexities in areas such as tax planning, treasury management, financial reporting and internal controls; and |
|
• |
The potential requirement for additional equity or debt financing, which may not be available, or if available, may not have favorable terms. |
While we may obtain indemnification rights from the sellers of acquired businesses, such rights may be difficult to enforce, the losses may exceed any dedicated escrow funds, and the indemnitors may not have the ability to financially support the indemnity.
If our management is unable to successfully integrate acquired companies or implement our growth strategy, our operating results could be harmed. In addition, even if the operations of an acquisition are integrated successfully, we may not realize the full benefits of an acquisition, including the synergies, cost savings, or sales or growth opportunities that we expect. These benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame, or at all. Moreover, we cannot assure that we will continue to successfully expand or that growth or expansion will result in profitability.
In addition, there is no assurance that we will continue to locate suitable acquisition targets or that we will be able to consummate any such transactions on terms and conditions acceptable to us. Existing cash balances and cash flow from operations, together with borrowing capacity under our credit facilities, may be insufficient to make acquisitions. Future acquisitions may require us to obtain additional equity or debt financing, which may not be available on attractive terms, or at all. Acquisitions may also bring us into businesses we have not previously conducted and expose us to additional business risks that are different than those we have traditionally experienced.
In the event we issue stock as consideration for certain acquisitions we may make, we could dilute share ownership.
One method of acquiring companies or otherwise funding our corporate activities is through the issuance of additional equity securities. If we issue additional equity securities, such issuances could have the effect of diluting our earnings per share as well as our existing shareholders’ individual ownership percentages in the Company.
Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly, which could have a material negative effect on the price of our common stock.
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly, which could cause our operating results to fall below the expectations of securities analysts and have a material negative effect on the price of our common stock. Fluctuations are caused by a number of factors, including:
|
• |
Fluctuations in the spending patterns of our government and commercial customers; |
|
• |
The number and significance of projects executed during a quarter; |
|
• |
Unanticipated changes in contract performance, particularly with contracts that have funding limits; |
|
• |
The timing of resolving change orders, requests for equitable adjustments, and other contract adjustments; |
|
• |
Delays incurred in connection with a project; |
|
• |
Changes in prices of commodities or other supplies; |
|
• |
Changes in foreign currency exchange rates; |
|
• |
Weather conditions that delay work at project sites; |
|
• |
The timing of expenses incurred in connection with acquisitions or other corporate initiatives; |
|
• |
The decision by the Board of Directors to begin or cease paying a dividend, and the expectation that if the Company pays dividends, it would declare dividends at the same or higher levels in the future; |
|
• |
Natural disasters or other crises; |
|
• |
Staff levels and utilization rates; |
|
• |
Changes in prices of services offered by our competitors; and |
|
• |
General economic and political conditions. |
Page 27
Our actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions used to prepare our financial statements.
In preparing our financial statements, our management is required under U.S. GAAP to make estimates and assumptions as of the date of the financial statements. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported values of assets, liabilities, revenue, and expenses and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Areas requiring significant estimates by our management include:
|
• |
Recognition of contract revenue, costs, profit or losses in applying the principles of percentage of completion accounting; |
|
• |
Estimated amounts for expected project losses, warranty costs, contract close-out or other costs; |
|
• |
Recognition of recoveries under contract change orders or claims; |
|
• |
Collectability of billed and unbilled accounts receivable and the need and amount of any allowance for doubtful accounts; |
|
• |
Estimates of other liabilities, including litigation and insurance revenues/reserves and reserves necessary for self-insured risks; |
|
• |
Accruals for estimated liabilities, including litigation reserves; |
|
• |
Valuation of assets acquired, and liabilities, goodwill, and intangible assets assumed, in acquisitions; |
|
• |
Valuation of stock-based compensation; |
|
• |
The determination of liabilities under pension and other post-retirement benefit programs; and |
|
• |
Income tax provisions and related valuation allowances. |
Our actual business and financial results could differ from our estimates of such results, which could have a material negative impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
We may be adversely impacted by, or unable to fully realize the benefits of, our corporate reorganization.
In the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we reorganized the Company’s operating units into four lines of business, each of which is a separate reportable segment. We may be unable to realize the anticipated longer term efficiency benefits of the reorganization. Furthermore, our reorganization into four reportable segments, which also represent the Company’s reporting units, may have a material impact on the risk that an impairment charge of goodwill will occur. In the past, with a single reportable segment the Company had two reporting units. Following the reorganization, our number of reporting units has increased to four reporting units. Our goodwill was allocated amongst the new reporting units, for purposes of goodwill impairment testing, on the basis of Enterprise Fair Values. This allocation of goodwill to the four new reporting units could make it more likely that the Company will have an impairment charge in the future, in circumstances where an impairment charge may not have been necessary prior to the reorganization. An impairment charge to one of our reporting units could have an impact on our results of operations.
An impairment charge of goodwill could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Because we have grown in part through acquisitions, goodwill and intangible assets represent a substantial portion of our assets. Under U.S. GAAP, we are required to test goodwill carried in our Consolidated Balance Sheets for possible impairment on an annual basis based upon a fair value approach. As of September 30, 2016, we had $3.1 billion of goodwill, representing 41.8% of our total assets of $7.4 billion. We have chosen to perform our annual impairment reviews of goodwill at the end of the third quarter of our fiscal year. We also are required to test goodwill for impairment between annual tests if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce our enterprise fair value below its book value. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in the business climate, including a significant sustained decline in a reporting unit’s market value, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, sale or disposition of a significant portion of our business, potential government actions toward our facilities, and other factors.
If our market capitalization drops significantly below the amount of net equity recorded on our balance sheet, it might indicate a decline in our fair value and would require us to further evaluate whether our goodwill has been impaired. If the fair value of our reporting units is less than their carrying value, we could be required to record an impairment charge. The
Page 28
amount of any impairment could be significant and could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations for the period in which the charge is taken. For a further discussion of goodwill impairment testing, please see Item 7— Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations below.
We may be required to contribute additional cash to meet any underfunded benefit obligations associated with retirement and post-retirement benefit plans we manage.
We have various employee benefit plan obligations that require us to make contributions to satisfy, over time, our underfunded benefit obligations, which are generally determined by calculating the projected benefit obligations minus the fair value of plan assets. For example, as of September 30, 2016 and October 2, 2015, our defined benefit pension and post-retirement benefit plans were underfunded by $403.1 million and $413.1 million, respectively. See Note 6— Pension Plans of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional disclosure. In the future, our benefit plan obligations may increase or decrease depending on changes in the levels of interest rates, pension plan asset performance and other factors. If we are required to contribute a significant amount of the deficit for underfunded benefit plans, our cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.
Rising inflation, interest rates, and/or construction costs could reduce the demand for our services as well as decrease our profit on our existing contracts, in particular with respect to our fixed-price contracts.
Rising inflation, interest rates, or construction costs could reduce the demand for our services. In addition, we bear all of the risk of rising inflation with respect to those contracts that are fixed-price. Because a significant portion of our revenues are earned from cost-reimbursable type contracts (approximately 82% during fiscal 2016), the effects of inflation on our financial condition and results of operations over the past few years have been generally minor. However, if we expand our business into markets and geographic areas where fixed-price and lump-sum work is more prevalent, inflation may have a larger impact on our results of operations in the future. Therefore, increases in inflation, interest rates or construction costs could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may be affected by market or regulatory responses to climate change.
Growing concerns about climate change may result in the imposition of additional environmental regulations. For example, there is a growing consensus that new and additional regulations may be enacted concerning, among other things, greenhouse gas emissions could result in increased compliance costs for us and our clients. Legislation, international protocols, regulation or other restrictions on emissions could also affect our clients, including those who are involved in the exploration, production or refining of fossil fuels, emit greenhouse gases through the combustion of fossil fuels or emit greenhouse gases through the mining, manufacture, utilization or production of materials or goods. Such policy changes could increase the costs of projects for our clients or, in some cases, prevent a project from going forward, thereby potentially reducing the need for our services, which would in turn have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. However, these changes could also increase the pace of projects, such as carbon capture or storage projects, that could have a positive impact on our business. We cannot predict when or whether any of these various proposals may be enacted or what their effect will be on us or on our customers.
Our effective tax rate may increase or decrease.
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are regularly under audit by tax authorities. Although we believe that our tax estimates and tax positions are reasonable, they could be materially affected by many factors including the final outcome of tax audits and related litigation, the introduction of new tax accounting standards, legislation, regulations, and related interpretations, our global mix of earnings, the realizability of deferred tax assets and changes in uncertain tax positions. An increase or decrease in our effective tax rate could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Systems and information technology interruption or failure and data security breaches could adversely impact our ability to operate or expose us to significant financial losses and reputational harm.
We rely heavily on computer, information, and communications technology and related systems in order to properly operate our business. From time to time, we experience occasional system interruptions and delays. In the event we are unable to regularly deploy software and hardware, effectively upgrade our systems and network infrastructure, and take other
Page 29
steps to maintain or improve the efficiency and efficacy of our systems, the operation of such systems could be interrupted or result in the loss, corruption, or release of data. In addition, our computer and communication systems and operations could be damaged or interrupted by natural disasters, force majeure events, telecommunications failures, power loss, acts of war or terrorism, computer viruses, malicious code, physical or electronic security breaches, intentional or inadvertent user misuse or error, or similar events or disruptions. Any of these or other events could cause interruptions, delays, loss of critical and/or sensitive data or similar effects, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, protection of intellectual property, and results of operations, as well as those of our clients.
In addition, we face the threat to our computer systems of unauthorized access, computer hackers, computer viruses, malicious code, organized cyber-attacks and other security problems and system disruptions, including possible unauthorized access to and disclosure of our and our clients’ proprietary or classified information. We rely on industry accepted security measures and technology to securely maintain all confidential and proprietary information on our computer systems, but they may still be vulnerable to these threats. As a result, we may be required to expend significant resources to protect against the threat of these system disruptions and security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these disruptions and breaches. Any of these events could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We continuously evaluate the need to upgrade and/or replace our systems and network infrastructure to protect our computing environment, to stay current on vendor supported products and to improve the efficiency of our systems and for other business reasons. The implementation of new systems and information technology could adversely impact our operations by imposing substantial capital expenditures, demands on management time and risks of delays or difficulties in transitioning to new systems. And, our systems implementations may not result in productivity improvements at the levels anticipated. Systems implementation disruption and any other information technology disruption, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could have an adverse effect on our business.
We may not be able to protect our intellectual property or that of our clients.
Our technology and intellectual property provide us, in certain instances, with a competitive advantage. Although we protect our property through patent registrations, license restrictions, and similar mechanisms, we may not be able to successfully preserve our rights and they could be invalidated, circumvented, challenged or become obsolete. Our employees and contractors are subject to confidentiality obligations, but this protection may be inadequate to deter or prevent misappropriation of our confidential information and/or infringement of our intellectual property. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries in which we operate do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the U.S. If we are unable to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights or if there are any successful intellectual property challenges or infringement proceedings against us, our ability to differentiate our service offerings could be reduced. Litigation to determine the scope of intellectual property rights, even if ultimately successful, could be costly and could divert management’s attention away from other aspects of our business.
In addition, if our intellectual property rights or work processes become obsolete, we may not be able to differentiate our service offerings and some of our competitors may be able to offer more attractive services to our customers. Our competitors may independently attempt to develop or obtain access to technologies that are similar or superior to our technologies.
Our clients or other third parties may also provide us with their technology and intellectual property. There is a risk we may not sufficiently protect our or their information from improper use or dissemination and, as a result, could be subject to claims and litigation and resulting liabilities, loss of contracts or other consequences that could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our businesses could be materially and adversely affected by events outside of our control.
Extraordinary or force majeure events beyond our control, such as natural or man-made disasters, could negatively impact our ability to operate. As an example, from time to time we face unexpected severe weather conditions which may result in weather-related delays that are not always reimbursable under a fixed-price contract; evacuation of personnel and curtailment of services; increased labor and material costs in areas resulting from weather-related damage and subsequent increased demand for labor and materials for repairing and rebuilding; inability to deliver materials, equipment and personnel to jobsites in accordance with contract schedules; and loss of productivity. We may remain obligated to perform our services after any such natural or man-made event, unless a force majeure clause or other contractual provision provides us with relief from our contractual obligations. If we are not able to react quickly to such events, or if a high concentration of our projects
Page 30
are in a specific geographic region that suffers from a natural or man-made catastrophe, our operations may be significantly affected, which could have a negative impact on our operations. In addition, if we cannot complete our contracts on time, we may be subject to potential liability claims by our clients which may reduce our profits.
We are subject to professional standards, duties and statutory obligations on professional reports and opinions we issue, which could subject us to monetary damages.
We issue reports and opinions to clients based on our professional engineering expertise as well as our other professional credentials that subject us to professional standards, duties and obligations regulating the performance of our services. For example, we issue opinions and reports to government clients in connection with securities offerings. If a client or another third party alleges that our report or opinion is incorrect or it is improperly relied upon and we are held responsible, we could be subject to significant monetary damages. In addition, our reports and other work product may need to comply with professional standards, licensing requirements, securities regulations and other laws and rules governing the performance of professional services in the jurisdiction where the services are performed. We could be liable to third parties who use or rely upon our reports and other work product even if we are not contractually bound to those third parties. These events could in turn result in monetary damages and penalties.
Delaware law and our charter documents may impede or discourage a takeover or change of control.
We are a Delaware corporation. Certain anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware general corporation law impose restrictions on the ability of others to acquire control of us. In addition, certain provisions of our charter documents may impede or discourage a takeover. For example:
|
• |
Only our Board of Directors can fill vacancies on the board; |
|
• |
There are various restrictions on the ability of a shareholder to nominate a director for election; and |
|
• |
Our Board of Directors can authorize the issuance of preferred shares. |
These types of provisions, as well as our ability to adopt a shareholder rights agreement in the future, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders. Accordingly, shareholders may be limited in the ability to obtain a premium for their shares.
None.
Our properties consist primarily of office space within general, commercial office buildings located in major cities primarily in the following countries: United States; Australia; Austria; Belgium; Canada; Chile; China; Finland; Germany; Greece; India; Italy; Malaysia; Mexico; Morocco; The Netherlands; Oman; The Philippines; Puerto Rico; Peru; Republic of Ireland; Saudi Arabia; South Africa; Singapore; Spain; Sweden; United Arab Emirates; and the United Kingdom. Such space is used for operations (providing technical, professional, and other home office services), sales, and administration. Most of our properties are leased. In addition, we have fabrication facilities located in Canada in Pickering, Ontario and Edmonton and Lamont, Alberta. The total amount of space used by us for all of our operations is approximately 7.6 million square feet.
We also lease smaller, project offices located throughout the U.S., the U.K., and in certain other countries. We also rent most of our construction equipment on a short-term basis.
The information required by this Item 3 is included in Note 12 — Contractual Guarantees, Litigation, Investigations, and Insurance of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
Page 31
Section 1503 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) requires domestic mine operators to disclose violations and orders issued under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (the “Mine Act”) by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. Under the Mine Act, an independent contractor, such as Jacobs, that performs services or construction of a mine is included within the definition of a mining operator. We do not act as the owner of any mines.
Information concerning mine safety violations or other regulatory matters required by Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act and Item 104 of Regulation S-K is included in Exhibit 95.
Page 32
Item 5. |
MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES |
Market Information
Jacobs’ common stock is listed on the NYSE and trades under the symbol JEC. We provided to the NYSE, without qualification, the required annual certification of our Chief Executive Officer regarding compliance with the NYSE’s corporate governance listing standards. The following table sets forth the low and high sales prices of a share of our common stock during each of the fiscal quarters presented, based on the NYSE Composite Price History:
|
|
Low Sales |
|
|
High Sales |
|
||
|
|
Price |
|
|
Price |
|
||
Fiscal 2016: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First quarter |
|
$ |
37.51 |
|
|
$ |
45.41 |
|
Second quarter |
|
|
34.76 |
|
|
|
44.77 |
|
Third quarter |
|
|
40.93 |
|
|
|
53.33 |
|
Fourth quarter |
|
|
48.13 |
|
|
|
55.89 |
|
Fiscal 2015: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First quarter |
|
$ |
39.78 |
|
|
$ |
49.94 |
|
Second quarter |
|
|
37.87 |
|
|
|
45.49 |
|
Third quarter |
|
|
41.68 |
|
|
|
48.25 |
|
Fourth quarter |
|
|
36.05 |
|
|
|
44.64 |
|
Shareholders
According to the records of our transfer agent, there were 1,073 shareholders of record as of November 18, 2016.
Share Repurchases
On July 23, 2015, the Board of Directors approved a program to repurchase up to $500 million of the Company’s common stock over the next three years. Share repurchases may be executed through various means including, without limitation, open market transactions or otherwise. The share repurchase program, which expires on July 22, 2018, does not oblige the Company to purchase any shares. The authorization for the share repurchase program may be terminated, increased, or decreased by the Company’s Board of Directors in its discretion at any time. The timing of our share repurchases may depend upon the market conditions, other uses of capital, and other factors.
A summary of repurchases of our common stock each fiscal month during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 is as follows (in thousands, except per-share amounts):
Period |
|
Total Number of Shares Purchased |
|
|
Average Price Paid per Share (1) |
|
|
Total Numbers of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs |
|
|
Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs ($ in thousands) |
|
||||
July 2 through July 29, 2016 |
|
|
227 |
|
|
$ |
52.30 |
|
|
|
227 |
|
|
$ |
385,665 |
|
July 30 through August 26, 2016 |
|
|
213 |
|
|
$ |
53.77 |
|
|
|
213 |
|
|
$ |
374,211 |
|
August 27 through September 30, 2016 |
|
|
522 |
|
|
$ |
51.32 |
|
|
|
522 |
|
|
$ |
347,451 |
|
Total |
|
|
962 |
|
|
$ |
52.10 |
|
|
|
962 |
|
|
$ |
347,451 |
|
(1) |
Includes commissions paid and calculated at the average price per share since the repurchase program authorization date. |
Page 33
Dividends
Our current policy is to use cash flows from operations to fund future growth, pay down debt, and, subject to market conditions, repurchase common stock under a stock buy-back program approved by our Board of Directors. During fiscal 2016, the Company undertook a strategic review to evaluate, among other things, how to invest its resources and maximize returns. As part of that evaluation, management has been reviewing and considering the continued use of the share repurchase program and the possible initiation of a cash dividend. The Company expects to present its strategy and corporate goals at its Investor Day, to be held on December 1, 2016.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.
None.
Performance Graph
The following graph and table shows the changes over the past five-year period in the value of $100 invested at the end of fiscal 2011 in (1) the common stock of Jacobs Engineering Group Inc., (2) the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, and (3) the Dow Jones Heavy Construction Group Index. The values of each investment are based on share price appreciation, with reinvestment of all dividends, provided any were paid. The investments are assumed to have occurred at the beginning of the period presented. The stock performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.
|
|
2011 |
|
|
2012 |
|
|
2013 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
2016 |
|
||||||
Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. |
|
|
100.00 |
|
|
|
125.21 |
|
|
|
180.18 |
|
|
|
151.19 |
|
|
|
115.92 |
|
|
|
160.17 |
|
S&P 500 |
|
|
100.00 |
|
|
|
130.20 |
|
|
|
155.39 |
|
|
|
186.05 |
|
|
|
184.91 |
|
|
|
213.44 |
|
Dow Jones US Heavy Construction |
|
|
100.00 |
|
|
|
131.89 |
|
|
|
166.14 |
|
|
|
158.59 |
|
|
|
117.78 |
|
|
|
133.61 |
|
Note: The above information was provided by Research Data Group, Inc.
Page 34
The following table presents selected financial data for each of the last five fiscal years. This selected financial data should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Dollar amounts are presented in thousands, except for per share information:
|
|
2016 (a) |
|
|
2015 (b) |
|
|
2014 (c) |
|
|
2013 |
|
|
2012 (d) |
|
|||||
Results of Operations: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenues |
|
$ |
10,964,157 |
|
|
$ |
12,114,832 |
|
|
$ |
12,695,157 |
|
|
$ |
11,818,376 |
|
|
$ |
10,893,778 |
|
Net earnings attributable to Jacobs |
|
|
210,463 |
|
|
|
302,971 |
|
|
|
328,108 |
|
|
|
423,093 |
|
|
|
378,954 |
|
Financial Position: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current ratio |
|
1.61 to 1 |
|
|
1.58 to 1 |
|
|
1.58 to 1 |
|
|
2.07 to 1 |
|
|
1.99 to 1 |
|
|||||
Working capital |
|
|
1,081,784 |
|
|
|
1,141,512 |
|
|
|
1,372,332 |
|
|
|
2,020,853 |
|
|
|
1,722,656 |
|
Current assets |
|
|
2,864,470 |
|
|
|
3,122,678 |
|
|
|
3,722,178 |
|
|
|
3,908,473 |
|
|
|
3,469,708 |
|
Total assets |
|
|
7,360,022 |
|
|
|
7,785,926 |
|
|
|
8,453,659 |
|
|
|
7,274,144 |
|
|
|
6,839,433 |
|
Cash |
|
|
655,716 |
|
|
|
460,859 |
|
|
|
732,647 |
|
|
|
1,256,405 |
|
|
|
1,032,457 |
|
Long-term debt |
|
|
385,330 |
|
|
|
584,434 |
|
|
|
764,075 |
|
|
|
415,086 |
|
|
|
528,260 |
|
Total Jacobs stockholders’ equity |
|
|
4,265,276 |
|
|
|
4,291,745 |
|
|
|
4,469,255 |
|
|
|
4,213,097 |
|
|
|
3,722,473 |
|
Return on average equity |
|
|
4.92 |
% |
|
|
6.92 |
% |
|
|
7.56 |
% |
|
|
10.66 |
% |
|
|
10.77 |
% |
Backlog: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Technical professional services |
|
|
12,013,121 |
|
|
|
11,692,404 |
|
|
|
12,607,029 |
|
|
|
11,118,400 |
|
|
|
10,266,500 |
|
Field services |
|
|
6,747,408 |
|
|
|
7,114,166 |
|
|
|
5,773,005 |
|
|
|
6,099,500 |
|
|
|
5,643,200 |
|
Total |
|
|
18,760,529 |
|
|
|
18,806,570 |
|
|
|
18,380,034 |
|
|
|
17,217,900 |
|
|
|
15,909,700 |
|
Per Share Information: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic earnings per share |
|
|
1.75 |
|
|
|
2.42 |
|
|
|
2.51 |
|
|
|
3.27 |
|
|
|
2.97 |
|
Diluted earnings per share |
|
|
1.73 |
|
|
|
2.40 |
|
|
|
2.48 |
|
|
|
3.23 |
|
|
|
2.94 |
|
Stockholders’ equity |
|
|
35.26 |
|
|
|
34.85 |
|
|
|
33.92 |
|
|
|
32.00 |
|
|
|
28.65 |
|
Average Number of Shares of Common Stock and Common Stock Equivalents Outstanding (Diluted) |
|
|
121,483 |
|
|
|
126,110 |
|
|
|
132,371 |
|
|
|
130,945 |
|
|
|
128,692 |
|
Common Shares Outstanding At Year End |
|
|
120,951 |
|
|
|
123,153 |
|
|
|
131,753 |
|
|
|
131,639 |
|
|
|
129,936 |
|
___________
(a) |
Includes costs of $135.6 million or $1.12 per diluted share, related to the Company's restructuring initiatives in the first, second, third and fourth quarter of fiscal 2016. Also included in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 are (i) a loss on sale of our French subsidiary of $17.1 million or $0.14 per diluted share; and (ii) a non-cash write-off on an equity investment of $10.4 million or $0.09 per diluted share. |
(b) |
Includes costs of $107.9 million or $0.86 per diluted share, related to the Company's restructuring initiatives in the second, third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2015. |
(c) |
Includes costs of $109.2 million or $0.82 per diluted share, related to the Company's restructuring initiatives in the third and fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. |
(d) |
Includes a one-time, after-tax gain of $4.0 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, related to the sale of the Company's intellectual property for iron ore pelletizing and certain other related assets. |
Page 35
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
In order to understand better the changes that occur to key elements of our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows, a reader of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) should be aware of the critical accounting policies we apply in preparing our consolidated financial statements.
The consolidated financial statements contained in this report were prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements and the financial statements of any business performing long-term engineering and construction-type contracts requires management to make certain estimates and judgments that affect both the entity’s results of operations and the carrying values of its assets and liabilities. Although our significant accounting policies are described in Note 2 – Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following discussion is intended to highlight and describe those accounting policies that are especially critical to the preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue Accounting for Contracts and Use of Joint Ventures —In general, we recognize revenues at the time we provide services. Depending on the commercial terms of the contract, we recognize revenues either when costs are incurred, or using the percentage-of-completion method of accounting by relating contract costs incurred to date to the total estimated costs at completion. This method of revenue recognition requires us to prepare estimates of costs to complete contracts in progress as of the balance sheet dates. In making such estimates, judgments are required to evaluate the possible effects of variances in schedule, the costs of materials and labor, productivity, and the impact of change orders, claims, contract disputes, and achievement of contractual performance standards. Many of our engineering and construction contracts provide for reimbursement of costs plus a fixed or percentage fee. For contracts containing incentive fee arrangements, fees are frequently based on achievement of target completion dates, target costs, and/or other performance criteria. Failure to meet these targets or increases in contract costs can result in unrealized incentive fees or non-recoverable costs, which could exceed revenues recognized from the project.
We provide for contract losses in their entirety in the period they become known without regard to the percentage of completion. For multiple contracts with a single customer, we account for each contract separately.
The nature of our business sometimes results in clients, subcontractors or vendors presenting claims to us for recovery of costs they incurred in excess of what they expected to incur, or for which they believe they are not contractually responsible. In those situations where a claim against us may result in additional costs to the contract, we include in the total estimated costs of the contract (and therefore, the estimated amount of margin to be earned under the contract) an estimate, based on all relevant facts and circumstances available, of the additional costs to be incurred. Similarly, and in the normal course of business, we may present claims to our clients for costs we have incurred for which we believe we are not contractually responsible. In those situations where we have presented such claims to our clients, we include in revenues the amount of costs incurred, without profit, to the extent it is probable that the claims will result in additional contract revenue, and the amount of such additional revenue can be reliably estimated. Costs associated with unapproved change orders are included in revenues using substantially the same criteria used for claims.
Certain cost-reimbursable contracts with government customers as well as many commercial clients provide that contract costs are subject to audit and adjustment. In this situation, revenues are recorded at the time services are performed based upon the amounts we expect to realize upon completion of the contracts. In those situations where an audit indicates that we may have billed a client for costs that are not allowable under the terms of the contract, we estimate the amount of such nonbillable costs and adjust our revenues accordingly.
As is common to the industry, we execute certain contracts jointly with third parties through various forms of joint ventures and consortiums. Although the joint ventures own and hold the contracts with the clients, the services required by the contracts are typically performed by us and our joint venture partners, or by other subcontractors under subcontracting agreements with the joint ventures. The assets of our joint ventures, therefore, consist almost entirely of cash and receivables (representing amounts due from clients), and the liabilities of our joint ventures consist almost entirely of amounts due to the joint venture partners (for services provided by the partners to the joint ventures under their individual subcontracts) and other subcontractors. In general, at any given time, the equity of our joint ventures represents the undistributed profits earned on contracts the joint ventures hold with clients. Very few of our joint ventures have employees. None of our joint ventures have third-party debt or credit facilities. Our joint ventures, therefore, are simply mechanisms used to deliver engineering and construction services to clients. Generally they do not, in and of themselves, present any risk of loss to us or to our partners
Page 36
separate from those that we would carry if we were performing the contract on our own. We may, however, be exposed to additional risk through the use of joint ventures. See Item 1A – Risk Factors above. Under U.S. GAAP, our share of losses associated with the contracts held by the joint ventures, if and when they occur, has always been reflected in our Consolidated Financial Statements.
In evaluating the Company's joint ventures (also referred to as "variable interest entities", or "VIEs") for accounting and consolidation purposes, we perform a qualitative analysis to determine whether or not the Company has a “controlling financial interest” in the VIE. The Company is deemed to have a controlling financial interest in a VIE if it has (i) the power to direct the activities of the VIE that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance; and (ii) the right to receive benefits, or obligation to absorb losses, that could potentially be significant to the VIE. In making our qualitative analysis, the Company assesses each VIE to determine those activities that most significantly impact the VIE's economic performance and whether the Company, another entity, or multiple entities have the power to direct those activities.
If we determine that we have the power to direct those activities of the VIE that most significantly impact its financial performance and have the right or obligation to receive benefits or absorb losses that could potentially be significant to the VIE, then we are the primary beneficiary of the VIE and we consolidate the VIE. If we determine that we do not have the power to direct the most significant activities of the VIE or power is shared by two or more unrelated parties, then we are not the primary beneficiary and we do not consolidate the VIE.
For the Company's unconsolidated joint ventures, we use either the equity method of accounting or proportional consolidation. The Company does not currently participate in any significant VIEs in which it has a controlling financial interest. There were no changes in facts and circumstances in the period that caused the Company to reassess the method of accounting for its VIEs.
Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees and Others — We measure the cost of employee services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the estimated grant-date fair value of the award. We estimate the fair value of stock options granted to employees and directors using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Like all option-pricing models, the Black-Scholes model requires the use of subjective assumptions including (i) the expected volatility of the market price of the underlying stock, and (ii) the expected term of the award, among others. Accordingly, changes in assumptions and any subsequent adjustments to those assumptions can cause different fair values to be assigned to our stock option awards. For restricted stock units containing service and performance conditions with measures external to the Company, compensation expense is based on the fair value of such units determined using Monte Carlo Simulations.
Accounting for Pension Plans — the accounting for pension plans requires the use of assumptions and estimates in order to calculate periodic pension cost and the value of the plans’ assets and liabilities. These assumptions include discount rates, investment returns, and projected salary increases, among others. The actuarial assumptions used in determining the funded statuses of the plans are provided in Note 7 – Pension Plans of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The expected rates of return on plan assets for fiscal 2017 range from 3.5% to 8.5% compared to 3.5% to 8.5% for the prior year. We believe the range of rates selected for fiscal 2017 reflects the long-term returns expected on the plans’ assets, considering recent market conditions, projected rates of inflation, the diversification of the plans’ assets, and the expected real rates of market returns. The discount rates used to compute plan liabilities were changed from a range of 1.6% to 7.8% in fiscal 2015 to a range of 0.7% to 7.0% in fiscal 2016. These assumptions represent the Company’s best estimate of the rates at which its pension obligations could be effectively settled.
Changes in the actuarial assumptions often have a material effect on the values assigned to plan assets and liabilities, and the associated pension expense. For example, if the discount rate used to value the net pension benefit obligation (“PBO”) at September 30, 2016, was higher (lower) by 0.5%, the PBO would have been lower (higher) at that date by approximately $124.4 million for non-U.S. plans, and by approximately $9.1 million for U.S. plans. If the expected return on plan assets was higher (lower) by 1.0%, the net periodic pension cost for fiscal 2017 would be lower (higher) by approximately $10.0 million for non-U.S. plans, and by approximately $1.3 million for U.S. plans. Differences between actuarial assumptions and actual performance (i.e., actuarial gains and losses) that are not recognized as a component of net periodic pension cost in the period in which such differences arise are recorded to accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and are recognized as part of net periodic pension cost in future periods in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Management monitors trends in the marketplace within which our pension plans operate in an effort to assure the fairness of the actuarial assumptions used.
Page 37
Contractual Guarantees, Litigation, Investigations, and Insurance — In the normal course of business, we are subject to certain contractual guarantees and litigation. The guarantees to which we are a party generally relate to project schedules and plant performance. Most of the litigation in which we are involved has us as a defendant in workers’ compensation; personal injury; environmental; employment/labor; professional liability; and other similar lawsuits. We maintain insurance coverage for various aspects of our business and operations. We have elected, however, to retain a portion of losses that occur through the use of various deductibles, limits, and retentions under our insurance programs. This situation may subject us to some future liability for which we are only partially insured, or completely uninsured, and we intend to mitigate any such future liability by continuing to exercise prudent business judgment in negotiating the terms and conditions of our contracts.
In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we record in our Consolidated Balance Sheets amounts representing our estimated liability relating to such guarantees, litigation, and insurance claims. We include any adjustments to such liabilities in our consolidated results of operations.
In addition, as a contractor providing services to the U.S. federal government and several of its agencies, we are subject to many levels of audits, investigations, and claims by, or on behalf of, the U.S. federal government with respect to contract performance, pricing, costs, cost allocations, and procurement practices. We adjust revenues based upon the amounts we expect to realize considering the effects of any client audits or governmental investigations.
Testing Goodwill for Possible Impairment — The goodwill carried on our Consolidated Balance Sheets is tested annually for possible impairment. In performing the annual impairment test, we evaluate our goodwill at the reporting unit level. The Company performs the annual goodwill impairment test for the reporting units at the end of the third quarter of our fiscal year. The Company will test goodwill for impairment between annual tests if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying amount.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we reorganized our operations around four global lines of business. The four global lines, which represent our reporting units, are: Petroleum & Chemicals, Buildings & Infrastructure, Aerospace & Technology, and Industrial. Previously, the Company had two reporting units “Europe” and “Non-Europe”.
In conjunction with the aforementioned reorganization, we performed a quantitative impairment test and we allocated goodwill among our new reporting units based on the relative fair value of the four reporting units. As a result, in the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we performed a quantitative assessment of goodwill for each of the Company’s reporting units (both immediately before and after the reorganization). Based on this quantitative assessment, the fair value of each of the reporting units (pre and post reorganization) exceeded their respective net book values, and accordingly, no impairment charge was necessary as a result of the reorganization.
U.S. GAAP does not prescribe a specific valuation method for estimating the fair value of reporting units. The valuation technique used to estimate the fair value of the reporting units requires the use of significant estimates and assumptions, including revenue growth rates, operating margins, discount rates and future market conditions, among others.
We used both an income approach and a market approach to test our goodwill for possible impairment. Such approaches require us to make estimates and judgments. Under the income approach, fair value is determined by using the discounted cash flows of our reporting units. The Company’s discount rate reflects a weighted average cost of capital (“WACC”) for a peer group of companies representative of the Company’s respective reporting units. Under the market approach, the fair value of our reporting units is determined by reference to guideline companies that are reasonably comparable to our reporting units; the fair values are estimated based on the valuation multiples of the invested capital associated with the guideline companies. In assessing whether there is an indication that the carrying value of goodwill has been impaired, we utilize the results of both valuation techniques and consider the range of fair values indicated. The fair values for each reporting unit exceeded the respective book values ranging from 28% to 90%.
It is possible that changes in market conditions, economy, facts and circumstances, judgments, and assumptions used in estimating the fair value could change, resulting in possible impairment of goodwill in the future. The fair values resulting from the valuation techniques used are not necessarily representative of the values we might obtain in a sale of the reporting units to willing third parties.
In performing the Company’s annual impairment test as of the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2016 the Company performed a qualitative assessment, and determined that it was more likely than not that the fair value of its reporting units exceeded their carrying amounts. As a result, the Company is not required to proceed to a quantitative impairment assessment.
Page 38
We have determined that the fair value of our reporting units substantially exceeded their respective carrying values for the Balance Sheets presented.
Fiscal 2016
During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we reorganized our operating and reporting structure around four lines of business (“LOB”). This reorganization is intended to better serve our global clients, leverage our workforce, help streamline operations, and provide enhanced growth opportunities. The four global LOBs are: Petroleum & Chemicals, Buildings & Infrastructure, Aerospace & Technology, and Industrial. Previously, the Company operated its business as a single segment.
The 2015 Restructuring and Other Events Affecting Fiscal 2016
During the second quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company commenced a series of initiatives intended to improve operational efficiency, reduce costs, and better position itself to drive growth of the business in the future (the " 2015 Restructuring"). The 2015 Restructuring was not completed in fiscal 2015, and actions related to the 2015 Restructuring continued throughout fiscal 2016. Actions related to the 2015 Restructuring completed during the fiscal year include involuntary terminations, the abandonment of certain leased offices, combining operational organizations, and the co-location of employees into other existing offices. The Company's consolidated results of operations for fiscal 2016 include a $187.9 million pre-tax impact relating to costs associated with the 2015 Restructuring. The majority of the costs of the 2015 Restructuring are included in selling, general, and administrative expense in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Earnings.
The Company previously announced on July 15, 2016 that it had sold its Jacobs France subsidiary. The sale is part of the Company’s strategy to streamline our overall operational efficiency in regions that fit within our target markets and geographies. The loss on the sale of our French subsidiary was $17.1 million, or $0.14 per diluted share.
In addition to the 2015 Restructuring and the sale of our French subsidiary, the Company’s consolidated results of operations for fiscal 2016 also include a non-cash write-off on an equity investment of $10.4 million, or $0.09 per share. The write off of the equity investment and the loss on sale of our French subsidiary are included in Loss on Disposal of Business and Investments on the Consolidated Statements of Earnings.
The following table summarizes the effects of the 2015 Restructuring and other events on the Company's consolidated results of operations for fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015 (in thousands, except for earnings per share):
|
|
Year Ended |
|
|||||||||
|
|
September 30, 2016 |
|
|||||||||
|
|
U.S. GAAP |
|
|
Effects of 2015 Restructuring and other items |
|
|
Without 2015 Restructuring and other items |
|
|||
Selling, general and administrative |
|
$ |
1,429,233 |
|
|
$ |
(187,630 |
) |
|
$ |
1,241,603 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings Before Taxes |
|
|
286,723 |
|
|
|
(229,317 |
) |
|
|
516,040 |
|
Income Tax Benefit (Expense) |
|
|
(72,208 |
) |
|
|
66,225 |
|
|
|
(138,433 |
) |
Net earnings of the Group |
|
|
214,515 |
|
|
|
(163,092 |
) |
|
|
377,607 |
|
Net Earnings Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests |
|
|
(4,052 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(4,052 |
) |
Net earnings Attributable to Jacobs |
|
$ |
210,463 |
|
|
$ |
(163,092 |
) |
|
$ |
373,555 |
|
Diluted Earnings per share |
|
$ |
1.73 |
|
|
$ |
(1.35 |
) |
|
$ |
3.08 |
|
Page 39
|
|
Year Ended |
|
|||||||||
|
|
October 2, 2015 |
|
|||||||||
|
|
U.S. GAAP |
|
|
Effects of 2015 Restructuring |
|
|
Without 2015 Restructuring |
|
|||
Selling, general and administrative |
|
$ |
1,522,811 |
|
|
$ |
(154,283 |
) |
|
$ |
1,368,528 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earnings Before Taxes |
|
$ |
430,137 |
|
|
$ |
(157,192 |
) |
|
$ |
587,329 |
|
Income Tax Benefit (Expense) |
|
|
(101,255 |
) |
|
|
49,278 |
|
|
|
(150,533 |
) |
Net earnings of the Group |
|
|
328,882 |
|
|
|
(107,914 |
) |
|
|
436,796 |
|
Net Earnings Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests |
|
|
(25,911 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(25,911 |
) |
Net earnings Attributable to Jacobs |
|
$ |
302,971 |
|
|
$ |
(107,914 |
) |
|
$ |
410,885 |
|
Diluted Earnings per share |
|
$ |
2.40 |
|
|
$ |
(0.86 |
) |
|
$ |
3.26 |
|
The 2015 Inter-company Debt Refinancing
During the third quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company completed the refinancing of certain international inter-company debt (the "2015 Inter-company Debt Refinancing"). The 2015 Inter-company Debt Refinancing resulted in a one-time tax benefit of $23.1 million, or $0.18 per share.
2016 Overview
The Company's GAAP net earnings for fiscal 2016 decreased by $92.5 million, or 30.5%, when compared to fiscal 2015. The Company’s results for fiscal 2016 when compared to the prior year were negatively impacted by the 2015 Restructuring, the loss on sale of our French subsidiary of $17.1 million, and the non-cash write-off on an equity investment of $10.4 million mentioned above. Excluding the effects of the 2015 Restructuring and these other events, the Company's adjusted net earnings for fiscal 2016 decreased by $37.3 million, or 9.1%, compared to the prior year.
Also influencing the comparability of the Company’s fiscal 2016 consolidated results to fiscal 2015 were (i) a $0.09 per diluted share tax benefit related to an international tax matter recorded in first quarter of fiscal 2016; (ii) a $0.03 net benefit per diluted share benefit related to several items, including the release of a foreign tax reserve and a one-time benefit in noncontrolling interests relating to certain work performed by one of our partially owned subsidiaries; partially off-set by the impact of a customer bankruptcy and a litigation settlement in the second quarter of fiscal 2016; (iii) a one-time tax related and other items of $4.1 million, or $0.03 per share in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016; and (iv) a one-time tax benefit of $23.1 million, or $0.18 per share related to the 2015 Inter-company Debt Refinancing recorded in the second quarter of fiscal 2015.
Backlog at September 30, 2016 was $18.8 billion, and is essentially flat year over year. Backlog remains near record levels despite the negative effects on backlog stemming from the effects of foreign exchange rate changes. New prospects and new sales remain strong and the Company continues to have a positive outlook for many of the industry groups and markets in which our clients operate.
During fiscal 2016, the Company repurchased and retired 3.4 million shares of its common stock under its share repurchase program. Total cash spent for the shares repurchased during fiscal 2016 was $152.5 million. As of October 2, 2015, the Company exhausted the $500 million approved by the Board of Directors on August 19, 2014. On July 23, 2015, the Board of Directors approved another program to purchase an additional $500 million of the Company's common stock over the next three years. At the end of fiscal 2016, $347.5 million remained available under the current plan.
Business Combinations Completed Between Fiscal 2014 and Fiscal 2016
During fiscal year 2016, the Company acquired J.L. Patterson & Associates and The Van Dyke Technology Group, Inc. These acquisitions were not material to the Company’s consolidated results for fiscal 2016.
We also completed a number of other acquisitions during fiscal 2014 including Federal Network Systems LLC ("FNS", formerly a subsidiary of Verizon); Eagleton Engineering, LLC; FMHC Corporation; Stobbarts (Nuclear) Limited; Trompeter Enterprises; and MARMAC Field Services, Inc. The results of operations of these other acquisitions were not material, individually or in the aggregate, to the Company's consolidated results of operations for fiscal 2014. During fiscal 2014, we also acquired an additional 15% interest in Jacobs, Zamel and Turbag Consulting Engineers Company ("ZATE"). This transaction brought the Company's ownership in ZATE to 75%.
Page 40
Consistent with other business combinations we have completed in the past, we began integrating businesses we acquired last year into our existing operations almost immediately after each business was acquired. Accordingly, it is not practicable to provide complete financial information for fiscal 2016 on a stand-alone basis for any of the businesses we acquired last year.
Results of Operations
During the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we reorganized our operating and reporting structure around four lines of business (“LOB”). This reorganization is intended to better serve our global clients, leverage our workforce, help streamline operations, and provide enhanced growth opportunities. The four global LOBs are: Petroleum & Chemicals, Buildings & Infrastructure, Aerospace & Technology, and Industrial, which are the Company’s reportable segments. Previously, the Company operated its business as a single segment.
Reconciliation of Segment Operating Profit to Total Operating Profit
The following table reconciles segment operating profit to total operating profit by including certain corporate-level items (in thousands).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|
2014 |
|
|||
Segment Operating Profit |
$ |
586,328 |
|
|
$ |
615,549 |
|
|
$ |
600,815 |
|
Unallocated corporate items |
|
(60,100 |
) |
|
|
(15,739 |
) |
|
|
20,583 |
|
Restructuring Charges |
|
(187,630 |
) |
|
|
(154,283 |
) |
|
|
(93,330 |
) |
Total Operating Profit |
$ |
338,598 |
|
|
$ |
445,527 |
|
|
$ |
528,068 |
|
Included in “unallocated corporate items” in the above table are costs and expenses, which relate to general corporate activities as well as corporate-managed benefit and insurance programs. Such costs and expenses include: (i) those elements of SG&A expenses relating to the business as a whole; (ii) those elements of the Company’s cash and equity incentive plans relating to corporate personnel whose other compensation costs are not allocated to the LOBs; (iii) the amortization of intangible assets acquired as part of purchased business combinations; (iv) the quarterly variances between the Company’s actual costs of certain of its self-insured integrated risk and employee benefit programs and amounts charged to the LOBs; and (v) certain adjustments relating to costs associated with the Company’s international defined benefit pension plans. In addition, “unallocated corporate items” includes adjustments to contract margins (both positive and negative) associated with projects where it has been determined, in the opinion of management, that such adjustments are not indicative of the performance of the related LOB and therefore should not be attributed to the LOB.
Segment Operating Results
In evaluating the Company’s performance by operating segment, the Chief Operating Decision Maker reviews various metrics and statistical data for each LOB but focuses primarily on revenues and operating profit. As discussed above, segment operating profit includes not only local SG&A expenses but also the SG&A expenses of the Company’s support groups that have been allocated to the segments. In addition, the Company allocates portions of the Company’s cash and equity incentive plans to the LOBs. The revenues of certain LOBs are more affected by pass-through revenues than other LOBs. The methods for recognizing revenue, incentive fees, project losses, and change orders are consistent among the LOBs.
Aerospace & Technology
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
|
|
2015 |
|
|