Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 31, 2019

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Consolidation, Variable Interest Entities and Equity Method Investment

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of EEI and its consolidated wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries. All intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

Variable Interest Entities (“VIE”)

The Company’s majority owned subsidiaries are deemed to be VIEs when, on a stand-alone basis, they lack sufficient capital to finance the activities of the VIE. The Company consolidates investments in VIEs if the Company is the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The Company uses a qualitative approach to determine if the Company is the primary beneficiary of the VIE, which considers factors that indicate the Company has significant influence and control over the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance. These factors include representation on the investee’s board of directors, management representation, authority to make decisions, substantive participating rights of the minority shareholders and ownership interest.

Equity Method Investments

VIEs for which the Company is not the primary beneficiary, and other investee companies over which the Company does not influence or control the activities that most significantly impact the investee company’s economic performance, are not consolidated and are accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Under the equity method of accounting, an investee company’s accounts are not reflected within the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and statements of operations. The Company’s share of the earnings of the investee company is reported as earnings from equity method investment in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. The Company’s carrying value in an equity method investee is reported as equity method investment on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The Company’s carrying value in an equity method investee is reduced by the Company’s share of dividends declared by an investee company.

If the Company’s carrying value in an equity method investee company is reduced to zero, no further losses are recorded in the Company’s consolidated financial statements unless the Company guaranteed obligations of the investee company or has committed additional funding. When the investee company subsequently reports income, the Company will not record its share of such income until it equals the amount of its share of losses not previously recognized.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions as of the date of the financial statements, which affect the reported values of assets and liabilities and revenue and expenses and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

Investment Securities

Prior to August 1, 2018, unrealized gains or losses related to investment securities were recorded in the consolidated balance sheets and statements of comprehensive income. Subsequent to adoption of ASU 2016-01 effective August 1, 2018 (refer to Note 2 of these consolidated financial statements), unrealized gains or losses related to investment securities are recorded in the consolidated statements of operations. The cost basis of securities sold is based on the specific identification method. Reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive income resulting from disposition of investment securities are included within other income (expense) in the consolidated statements of operations.

Investment securities include mutual funds that are valued at the net asset value (“NAV”) of shares held by the Company at period end. Mutual funds held by the Company are open-end mutual funds that are registered with the SEC. These funds are required to publish their daily NAV and to transact at that price. The mutual funds held by the Company are deemed to be actively traded.

Revenue Recognition and Contract Receivables

Substantially all of the Company’s revenue is derived from environmental consulting work, which is principally derived from the sale of labor hours. Revenue reflected in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations represent services rendered for which the Company maintains a primary contractual relationship with its customers. Included in revenue are certain services outside the Company’s normal operations which the Company has elected to subcontract to other contractors.

The Company’s consulting work is performed under a mix of time and materials, fixed price and cost-plus contracts.

The Company accounts for time and material contracts over the period of performance, predominately based on labor hours incurred. Under time and materials contracts, there is no predetermined fee. Instead, the Company negotiates hourly billing rates and charges the clients based upon actual hours expended on a project. In addition, any direct project expenditures are passed through to the client and are typically reimbursed. Time and materials contracts may contain “not to exceed” provisions that effectively cap the amount of revenue that the Company can bill to the client. In order to record revenue that exceeds the billing cap, the Company must obtain approval from the client for expanded scope or increased pricing.

The Company accounts for fixed price contracts over time, based on progress determined by the ratio of efforts expended to date in proportion to total efforts expected to be expended over the life of a contract. This revenue recognition method requires the use of estimates and judgment regarding a project’s expected revenue and the extent of progress towards completion. The Company makes periodic estimates of progress towards project completion by analyzing efforts expended to date, plus an estimate of the amount of effort expected to be incurred until the completion of the project. Revenue is then calculated on a cumulative basis (project-to-date) as the proportion of efforts-expended. The revenue for the current period is calculated as cumulative revenue less project revenue already recognized. If an estimate of efforts expended at completion on any contract indicates that a loss will be incurred, the entire estimated loss is charged to operations in the period the loss becomes evident.

Cost-plus contracts provide for payment of allowable incurred efforts expended, to the extent prescribed in the contract, plus fees that are recorded as revenue. These contracts establish an estimate of total efforts to be expended and an invoicing ceiling that the contractor may not exceed without the approval of the client. Revenue earned from cost-plus contracts is recognized over the period of performance.

Substantially all of the Company’s cost-plus contracts are with federal governmental agencies and, as such, are subject to audits after contract completion. Government audits have been completed and final rates have been negotiated through fiscal year 2014. The Company records an allowance for project disallowances in other accrued liabilities for potential disallowances resulting from government audits (refer to Note 14 of these consolidated financial statements). Allowances for project disallowances are recorded as adjustments to revenue when the amounts are estimable. Resolution of these amounts is dependent upon the results of government audits and other formal contract close-out procedures.

Change orders can occur when changes in scope are made after project work has begun and can be initiated by either the Company or its clients. Claims are amounts in excess of the agreed contract price which the Company seeks to recover from a client for customer delays and/or errors or unapproved change orders that are in dispute. The Company recognizes costs related to change orders and claims as incurred. Revenue and profit are recognized on change orders when it is probable that the change order will be approved, and the amount can be reasonably estimated. Revenue is recognized only up to the amount of costs incurred on contract claims when realization is probable, estimable and reasonable support from the customer exists.

The Company expenses all bid and proposal and other pre-contract costs as incurred. Out of pocket expenses such as travel, meals, field supplies, and other costs billed direct to contracts are included in both revenue and cost of professional services. Sales and cost of sales within the Company’s South American operations exclude value added tax (VAT) assessments by governmental authorities, which the Company collects from its customers and remits to governmental authorities.

Billed contract receivables represent amounts billed to clients in accordance with contracted terms but not collected as of the end of the reporting period. Billed contract receivables may include: (i) amounts billed for revenue from efforts expended and fees that have been earned in accordance with contractual terms; and (ii) progress billings in accordance with contractual terms that include revenue not yet earned as of the end of the reporting period.

Unbilled contract receivables, which represent an unconditional right to payment subject only to the passage of time, represent amounts billable to clients in accordance with contracted terms that have not been billed as of the end of the reporting period. Unbilled contract receivables that are not expected to be billed and collected within one year from the balance sheet date are reported in other assets on the consolidated balance sheets.

The Company reduces contract receivables by recording an allowance for doubtful accounts to account for the estimated impact of collection issues resulting from a client’s inability or unwillingness to pay valid obligations to the Company. The resulting provision for doubtful accounts is recorded within selling, general and administrative expenses on the consolidated statements of operations.

Property, Buildings and Equipment, Depreciation and Amortization

Property, buildings and equipment are stated at the lower of depreciated or amortized cost or fair value. Land and land improvements are not depreciated or amortized. Methods of depreciation or amortization and useful lives for all other long-lived assets are summarized in the following table.

	Depreciation / Amortization Method	Useful Lives

Buildings	Straight-line	32-40 Years
Building Improvements	Straight-line	7-15 Years
Field Equipment	Straight-line	3-7 Years
Computer equipment	Straight-line	3-7 Years
Computer software	Straight-line	3-10 Years
Office furniture and equipment	Straight-line	3-7 Years
Vehicles	Straight-line	3-5 Years
Leasehold improvements	Straight-line	(a)

(a)

Leasehold improvements are amortized for book purposes over the terms of the leases or the estimated useful lives of the assets, whichever is shorter.

Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. Expenditures for improvements are capitalized when either the value or useful life of the related asset have been increased. When property or equipment is retired or sold, any gain or loss on the transaction is reflected in the current year’s earnings.

The Company capitalizes costs of software acquisition and development projects, including costs related to software design, configuration, coding, installation, testing and parallel processing. Capitalized software costs are recorded in fixed assets, net of accumulated amortization, on the consolidated balance sheets. Capitalized software costs are evaluated for recoverability/impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable.

The costs of computer software obtained or developed for internal use is amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the software. Amortization begins when the software and all related software modules on which it is functionally dependent are ready for their intended use. Amortization expense is recorded in depreciation and amortization in the consolidated statements of operations.

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the future economic benefits arising from assets acquired in a business combination that are not individually identified and separately recognized. Goodwill is included in other assets on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Goodwill is subject to an annual assessment for impairment by comparing the estimated fair values of reporting units to which goodwill has been assigned to the recorded book value of the respective reporting units. The Company estimates the fair value of reporting units using a discounted cash flows methodology that includes assumptions for future cash flows that are dependent on internal forecasts, the long-term rate of growth for the Company’s business, the life over which cash flows will occur, and the Company’s weighted average cost of capital. Goodwill is also assessed for impairment between annual assessments whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not that an impairment may have occurred.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company assesses recoverability of the carrying value of long-lived assets when events occur, or circumstances change that would more likely than not impair the value of the asset. Recoverability is assessed by estimating the future net cash flows (undiscounted) expected to result from the asset, including eventual disposition, and comparing the resulting future cash flows to the carrying value of the asset. If the future net cash flows are less than the carrying value of the asset, an impairment loss is recorded equal to the difference between the asset’s carrying value and fair value.

Income Taxes

The Company follows the asset and liability approach to account for income taxes. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax basis of assets and liabilities except for the enactment of changes in tax laws or rates. Although realization is not assured, management believes it is more likely than not that the recorded net deferred tax assets will be realized. Since in some cases management has utilized estimates, the amount of the net deferred tax asset considered realizable could be reduced in the near term.

Income tax expense includes U.S. and international income taxes, determined using the applicable statutory rates. A deferred tax asset is recognized for all deductible temporary differences and net operating loss carryforwards, and a deferred tax liability is recognized for all taxable temporary differences.

The Company’s deferred tax assets principally result from timing differences in the recognition of entity operating losses, contract reserves and accrued expenses. The Company periodically evaluates the likelihood of realization of deferred tax assets and provides for a valuation allowance when necessary.

U.S. GAAP prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement principles for financial statement disclosure of tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. A tax position is a position in a previously filed tax filing or a position expected to be taken in a future tax filing that is reflected in measuring current or deferred income tax assets and liabilities. Tax positions shall be recognized only when it is more likely than not (likelihood of greater than 50%), based on technical merits, that the position will be sustained. Tax positions that meet the more likely than not threshold should be measured using a probability weighted approach as the largest amount of tax benefit that is greater than 50% likely of being realized upon settlement. We recognize interest accrued related to unrecognized tax benefits in interest expense and penalties in selling, general and administrative expenses. Whether the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold is met for a tax position, is a matter of judgment based on the individual facts and circumstances of that position evaluated in light of all available evidence.

Defined Contribution Plans

EEI has a non-contributory defined contribution plan providing deferred benefits for substantially all of its U.S. employees (the “EEI Defined Contribution Plan”). The annual expense of the EEI Defined Contribution Plan is based on a percentage of eligible wages as authorized by EEI’s Board of Directors.

EEI also has a supplemental retirement plan that provides post-retirement health care coverage for EEI’s founders and their spouses. As of July 31, 2019, two founders, their spouses and the spouse of a deceased founder were receiving healthcare coverage under this plan. The annual expense associated with this plan is determined based on discounted annual cost estimates over the estimated life expectancy of the founders and their spouses.

Earnings per Share

Basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) are computed by dividing the net income attributable to EEI common shareholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. After consideration of all the rights and privileges of the Class A and Class B stockholders (defined in Note 15 of these consolidated financial statements), the Company allocates undistributed earnings between the classes on a one-to-one basis when computing earnings per share. As a result, basic and fully diluted earnings per Class A and Class B share are equal amounts.

The Company has determined that its unvested share-based payment awards that contain non-forfeitable rights to dividends or dividend equivalents (whether paid or unpaid) are participating securities. These securities are included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class method. As a result, unvested restricted shares are included in the weighted average shares outstanding calculation.

Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) represents the change in shareholders’ equity during a period, excluding changes arising from transactions with shareholders. Comprehensive income includes net income from the consolidated statements of operations, plus other comprehensive income during a reporting period. Other comprehensive income (loss) represents the net effect of accounting transactions that are recognized directly in shareholders’ equity, such as unrealized net income or losses resulting from currency translation adjustments from foreign operations and unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale securities.

Foreign Currencies and Inflation

The financial statements of foreign subsidiaries where the local currency is the functional currency are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates in effect at period end for assets and liabilities and average exchange rates during each reporting period for results of operations. Translation adjustments are deferred in accumulated other comprehensive income until the related assets and liabilities are settled or otherwise disposed of. Transaction gains and losses that arise from exchange rate fluctuations on transactions denominated in a currency other than the functional currency are included in net foreign exchange (loss) gain in the consolidated statements of operations as incurred.

The financial statements of foreign subsidiaries located in highly inflationary economies are remeasured as if the functional currency were the U.S. dollar. The remeasurement of local currencies into U.S. dollars creates transaction adjustments which are included in net income. The Company did not record any highly inflationary economy adjustments during fiscal years 2019, 2018 or 2017.

Noncontrolling Interests

The Company discloses noncontrolling interests as a separate component of consolidated shareholders’ equity on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Earnings and other comprehensive income (loss) are separately attributed to both the controlling and noncontrolling interests. The Company calculates earnings per share based on net income (loss) attributable to the Company’s controlling interests.

The Company considers acquiring additional interests in majority owned subsidiaries when noncontrolling shareholders express their intent to sell their interests. The Company settles and records acquisitions of noncontrolling interests at amounts that approximate fair value. Purchases of noncontrolling interests are recorded as reductions of shareholders’ equity on the consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity.