Restructuring and Related Costs

3 Months Ended

Jan. 31, 2020

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

RESTRUCTURING AND RELATED COSTS

We may periodically engage in various restructuring activities intended to drive long-term profitable growth and increase operational efficiency, which can include streamlining and realigning our overall organizational structure and reallocating resources. These activities may result in restructuring costs related to employee severance, other project fees, external support fees, lease exit costs, and asset impairment charges. Recently, our significant restructuring activities have been primarily associated with integrating our acquisition of GCA Services Group (“GCA”) and implementing our 2020 Vision initiative, as described below.

GCA Restructuring and Other Initiatives

During the first quarter of 2018, we initiated a restructuring program to achieve cost synergies following the acquisition of GCA. We incurred the majority of our severance expense associated with this restructuring program in the first half of 2018. During 2019, our restructuring activities primarily related to the continued integration of GCA and other initiatives, including standardizing our financial systems and streamlining our operations by migrating and upgrading several key management platforms, such as our human resources information systems, enterprise resource planning system, and labor management system. We also continued consolidating our real estate leases. Severance and other expenses associated with our Healthcare reorganization during 2019 were immaterial. As we continue our technology-based modernization efforts, including standardizing our financial systems, we expect to incur additional charges related to these initiatives in 2020.

2020 Vision Restructuring

During the fourth quarter of 2015, we initiated a restructuring plan as part of a comprehensive strategy intended to have a positive transformative effect on ABM (the “2020 Vision”). These actions were substantially completed by the end of fiscal 2019 at a cumulative cost of $66.5 million.

Rollforward of Restructuring and Related Liabilities


(in millions)	Balance, October 31, 2019		Costs Recognized⁽¹⁾		Payments		Non-Cash Items		Balance, January 31, 2020
Employee severance	$	3.0	$	0.2	$	(1.0)	$	—	$	2.2
Other project fees	0.7		3.0		(2.6)		(0.2)		1.0
Lease exit costs and asset impairment	2.7		—		(0.2)		(2.2)		0.4
External support fees	0.5		—		(0.5)		—		—
Total	$	7.0	$	3.1	$	(4.3)	$	(2.3)	$	3.5

⁽¹⁾We include these costs within corporate expenses.

Cumulative Restructuring and Related Charges


(in millions)	External Support Fees		Employee Severance		Other Project Fees		Lease Exit Costs		Asset Impairment		Total
GCA and Other	$	3.5	$	18.2	$	15.4	$	0.7	$	—	$	37.7
2020 Vision	30.0		13.0		10.7		7.7		5.2		66.5
Total	$	33.4	$	31.2	$	26.0	$	8.4	$	5.2	$	104.2