Leases

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2022

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

Leases

The Company’s leasing activities are primarily for facilities under cancelable and non-cancelable lease agreements expiring during 2022 and through 2038. These facilities support our executive and administrative activities, sales, systems support, operations, and other functions. The Company also has leases for office equipment and other assets, which are not significant. Certain of these lease agreements include (i) renewal options to extend the lease term for up to ten years and/or (ii) options to terminate the agreement within one year. Additionally, certain of the Company’s lease agreements provide standard recurring escalations of lease payments for, among other things, increases in a lessor’s maintenance costs and taxes. Under some lease agreements, the Company may be entitled to allowances, free rent, lessor-financed tenant improvements and other incentives. The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

The Company subleases certain office space that it does not intend to occupy. Such sublease arrangements expire during 2022 and through 2032 and primarily relate to facilities in Arlington, Virginia. Certain of the Company’s sublease agreements: (i) include renewal and termination options; (ii) provide for customary escalations of lease payments in the normal course of business; and (iii) grant the subtenant certain allowances, free rent, Gartner-financed tenant improvements and other incentives.

All of the Company’s leasing and subleasing activity is recognized in Selling, general and administrative expense in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The table below presents the Company’s net lease cost and certain other information related to the Company’s leasing activities as of and for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands).

	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
Description:	2022		2021
Operating lease cost (1)	$	30,364	$	32,865
Variable lease cost (2)	4,268		4,302
Sublease income	(10,925)		(10,339)
Total lease cost, net (3) (4)	$	23,707	$	26,828
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating  lease liabilities	$	34,817	$	34,927
Cash receipts from sublease arrangements	$	11,164	$	10,095
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease  liabilities	$	6,930	$	7,046

(1)Included in operating lease cost was $10.5 million and $10.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, for costs related to subleasing activities.

(2)These amounts are primarily variable lease and nonlease costs that are not fixed at the lease commencement date or are dependent on something other than an index or a rate.

(3)The Company did not capitalize any operating lease costs during any of the periods presented.

(4)Amount excludes an impairment charge of lease related assets totaling $23.9 million, as discussed below.

The table below indicates where the discounted operating lease payments from the above table are classified in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands).

	March 31,		December 31,
Description:	2022		2021
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	90,836	$	89,754
Operating lease liabilities	677,616		697,766
Total operating lease liabilities included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets	$	768,452	$	787,520

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, as a result and in consideration of the changing nature of the Company’s use of office space for its workforce and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company continued to evaluate its existing real estate lease portfolio. This evaluation included the decision to abandon a portion of one leased office space and the cease-use of certain other leased office spaces that the Company intends to sublease. In connection with this evaluation, the Company reviewed certain of its right-of-use assets and related other long-lived assets for impairment under ASC 360.

As a result of the evaluation, the Company recognized an impairment loss during the three months ended March 31, 2022 of $23.9 million, which is included as a component of Selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The impairment loss recorded includes $17.7 million related to right-of-use assets and $6.2 million related to other long-lived assets, primarily leasehold improvements.

The fair values for the asset groups relating to the impaired long-lived assets were estimated primarily using discounted cash flow models (income approach) with Level 3 inputs. The significant assumptions used in estimating fair value include the expected downtime prior to the commencement of future subleases, projected sublease income over the remaining lease periods and discount rates that reflect the level of risk associated with receiving future cash flows.

Leases

Leases

The Company’s leasing activities are primarily for facilities under cancelable and non-cancelable lease agreements expiring during 2022 and through 2038. These facilities support our executive and administrative activities, sales, systems support, operations, and other functions. The Company also has leases for office equipment and other assets, which are not significant. Certain of these lease agreements include (i) renewal options to extend the lease term for up to ten years and/or (ii) options to terminate the agreement within one year. Additionally, certain of the Company’s lease agreements provide standard recurring escalations of lease payments for, among other things, increases in a lessor’s maintenance costs and taxes. Under some lease agreements, the Company may be entitled to allowances, free rent, lessor-financed tenant improvements and other incentives. The Company’s lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants.

The Company subleases certain office space that it does not intend to occupy. Such sublease arrangements expire during 2022 and through 2032 and primarily relate to facilities in Arlington, Virginia. Certain of the Company’s sublease agreements: (i) include renewal and termination options; (ii) provide for customary escalations of lease payments in the normal course of business; and (iii) grant the subtenant certain allowances, free rent, Gartner-financed tenant improvements and other incentives.

All of the Company’s leasing and subleasing activity is recognized in Selling, general and administrative expense in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The table below presents the Company’s net lease cost and certain other information related to the Company’s leasing activities as of and for the periods indicated (dollars in thousands).

	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
Description:	2022		2021
Operating lease cost (1)	$	30,364	$	32,865
Variable lease cost (2)	4,268		4,302
Sublease income	(10,925)		(10,339)
Total lease cost, net (3) (4)	$	23,707	$	26,828
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of operating  lease liabilities	$	34,817	$	34,927
Cash receipts from sublease arrangements	$	11,164	$	10,095
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease  liabilities	$	6,930	$	7,046

(1)Included in operating lease cost was $10.5 million and $10.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, for costs related to subleasing activities.

(2)These amounts are primarily variable lease and nonlease costs that are not fixed at the lease commencement date or are dependent on something other than an index or a rate.

(3)The Company did not capitalize any operating lease costs during any of the periods presented.

(4)Amount excludes an impairment charge of lease related assets totaling $23.9 million, as discussed below.

The table below indicates where the discounted operating lease payments from the above table are classified in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands).

	March 31,		December 31,
Description:	2022		2021
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	$	90,836	$	89,754
Operating lease liabilities	677,616		697,766
Total operating lease liabilities included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets	$	768,452	$	787,520

During the three months ended March 31, 2022, as a result and in consideration of the changing nature of the Company’s use of office space for its workforce and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company continued to evaluate its existing real estate lease portfolio. This evaluation included the decision to abandon a portion of one leased office space and the cease-use of certain other leased office spaces that the Company intends to sublease. In connection with this evaluation, the Company reviewed certain of its right-of-use assets and related other long-lived assets for impairment under ASC 360.

As a result of the evaluation, the Company recognized an impairment loss during the three months ended March 31, 2022 of $23.9 million, which is included as a component of Selling, general and administrative expenses in the accompanying

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The impairment loss recorded includes $17.7 million related to right-of-use assets and $6.2 million related to other long-lived assets, primarily leasehold improvements.

The fair values for the asset groups relating to the impaired long-lived assets were estimated primarily using discounted cash flow models (income approach) with Level 3 inputs. The significant assumptions used in estimating fair value include the expected downtime prior to the commencement of future subleases, projected sublease income over the remaining lease periods and discount rates that reflect the level of risk associated with receiving future cash flows.