Acquisitions

6 Months Ended

Mar. 30, 2025

Business Combination, Asset Acquisition, and Joint Venture Formation [Abstract]

In the second quarter of fiscal 2025, we acquired Carron + Walsh ("CAW"), based in the Republic of Ireland. CAW delivers project and cost management solutions for large-scale commercial, life science, residential and infrastructure programs across Europe. CAW has valued relationships and framework agreements with life science clients, public sector bodies, housing

authorities, financial lenders and private development companies. CAW is a financially immaterial acquisition with an initial purchase price of €5.3 million ($5.7 million) and is included in our Commercial/International Services Group ("CIG") segment. As a result, no additional disclosures have been provided.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2024, we acquired LS Technologies ("LST"), an innovative U.S. federal enterprise technology services and management consulting firm based in Fairfax, Virginia. LST provides high-end consulting and engineering services including advanced data analytics, cybersecurity and digital transformation solutions to U.S. government clients. In the third quarter of fiscal 2024, we also acquired Convergence Controls & Engineering ("CCE"), an industry leader in process automation and systems integration solutions. Both LST and CCE are included in our Government Services Group ("GSG") segment. The aggregate fair value of the purchase price of these two acquisitions was $120 million. This amount consisted of $93 million in initial cash payments, $4 million of cash holdback related to a tax reserve, and $23 million for the estimated fair value of contingent earn-out obligations, with a maximum of $60 million, based upon the achievement of specified operating income targets in each of the three years following the acquisition dates. The $120 million purchase price was allocated $12 million to net tangible assets, $23 million to identifiable intangible assets, and $85 million to goodwill. All of these acquisitions were not considered material, individually or in aggregate, to our consolidated financial statements. As a result, no pro forma information has been provided.

The fiscal 2025 goodwill addition from the CAW acquisition relates to anticipated synergies related to proven systems and technology in program management, cost management and project controls which will provide superior project outcomes to defense, government and commercial customers, as delivered by a workforce with extensive technical expertise. Our fiscal 2024 goodwill additions from the LST and CCE acquisitions reflect the extensive technical knowledge of the acquired workforces, the anticipated synergies in data analytics, cybersecurity and digital transformation services, and collective reputations of these acquisitions in providing mission critical solutions to both commercial and government customers. The fiscal 2024 goodwill additions are deductible for tax purposes, and the fiscal 2025 goodwill addition is not.

Intangible assets with finite lives arise from business acquisitions and are amortized based on the period over which the contractual or economic benefit of the intangible assets are expected to be realized on a straight-line basis over the useful lives of the underlying assets, ranging from one to 12 years. These consist of client relations, backlog and trade names. For detailed information regarding our intangible assets, see Note 5, “Goodwill and Intangible Assets”.

Most of our acquisition agreements include contingent earn-out agreements, which are generally based on the achievement of future operating income thresholds. The contingent earn-out arrangements are based on our valuations of the acquired companies and reduce the risk of overpaying for acquisitions if the projected financial results are not achieved. The fair values of any earn-out arrangements are included as part of the purchase price of the acquired companies on their respective acquisition dates. For each transaction, we estimate the fair value of contingent earn-out payments as part of the initial purchase price and record the estimated fair value of contingent consideration as a liability in “Current contingent earn-out liabilities” and “Non-current contingent earn-out liabilities” on the consolidated balance sheets. We consider several factors when determining that contingent earn-out liabilities are part of the purchase price, including the following: (1) the valuation of our acquisitions is not supported solely by the initial consideration paid, and the contingent earn-out formula is a critical and material component of the valuation approach to determining the purchase price; and (2) the former owners of acquired companies that remain as key employees receive compensation other than contingent earn-out payments at a reasonable level compared with the compensation of our other key employees. The contingent earn-out payments are not affected by employment termination.

We measure our contingent earn-out liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis using significant unobservable inputs classified within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. We use a probability-weighted discounted income approach as a valuation technique to convert future estimated cash flows to a single present value amount. The significant unobservable inputs used in the fair value measurements are operating income projections over the earn-out period (generally three to five years) and the probability outcome percentages we assign to each scenario. Significant increases or decreases to either of these inputs in isolation would result in a significantly higher or lower liability, with a higher liability capped by the contractual maximum of the contingent earn-out obligation. Ultimately, the liability will be equivalent to the amount paid, and the difference between the fair value estimate and amount paid will be recorded in earnings. The amount paid that is less than or equal to the contingent earn-out liability on the acquisition date is reflected as cash used in financing activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows. Any amount paid in excess of the contingent earn-out liability on the acquisition date is reflected as cash used in operating activities in our consolidated statements of cash flows.

We review and reassess the estimated fair value of contingent consideration on a quarterly basis, and the updated fair value could differ materially from the initial estimates. Changes in the estimated fair value of our contingent earn-out liabilities related to the time component of the present value calculation are reported in interest expense. Adjustments to the estimated fair value related to changes in all other unobservable inputs are reported in operating income. In the first half of fiscal 2025, we evaluated our estimates for contingent consideration liabilities for the remaining earn-out periods for each individual acquisition, which included a review of their financial results to-date, the status of ongoing projects in their RUPO and the inventory of prospective new contract awards.

The following table summarizes the changes in the fair value of estimated contingent consideration (in thousands):


	Three Months Ended				Six Months Ended
	March 30, 2025		March 31, 2024		March 30, 2025		March 31, 2024

Beginning balance	$	46,160	$	55,604	$	48,746	$	73,422
Estimated earn-out liabilities for acquisitions	5,516		21,900		5,516		21,900
Payments of contingent consideration	(19,000)		(3,250)		(21,865)		(22,112)
Adjustments to fair value recorded in earnings	(1,931)		14		(2,297)		(22)
Interest accretion expense	519		444		1,164		915
Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes	6		(133)		6		476
Ending balance	$	31,270	$	74,579	$	31,270	$	74,579

At March 30, 2025, there was a total potential maximum of $90.6 million of outstanding contingent consideration related to acquisitions.