Basis of Presentation

Unless the context otherwise requires:


•	References herein to "Jacobs" are to Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. and its predecessors;


•	References herein to the "Company", "we", "us" or "our" are to Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries; and


•	References herein to the "Group" are to the combined economic interests and activities of the Company and the persons and entities holding noncontrolling interests in our consolidated subsidiaries.

The accompanying consolidated financial statements and financial information included herein have been prepared pursuant to the interim period reporting requirements of Form 10-Q. Consequently, certain information and note disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP") have been condensed or omitted. Readers of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should also read our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 2, 2015 ("2015 Form 10-K") as well as Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, included in our 2015 Form 10-K.

In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) necessary for a fair presentation of our consolidated financial statements at January 1, 2016, and for the three month periods ended January 1, 2016 and December 26, 2014.

Our interim results of operations are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year.

Please refer to Note 16—Definitions of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2015 Form 10-K for the definitions of certain terms used herein.

Use of Estimates and Assumptions

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to employ estimates and make assumptions that affect the reported amounts of certain assets and liabilities, the revenues and expenses reported for the periods covered by the accompanying consolidated financial statements, and certain amounts disclosed in these Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Although such estimates and assumptions are based on management's most recent assessment of the underlying facts and circumstances utilizing the most current information available and past experience, actual results could differ significantly from those estimates and assumptions. Our estimates, judgments, and assumptions are evaluated periodically and adjusted accordingly. Please refer to Note 2—Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2015 Form 10-K for a discussion of the significant estimates and assumptions affecting our consolidated financial statements.

Fair Value and Fair Value Measurements

Certain amounts included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements are presented at "fair value." Fair value is defined as the price that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants as of the date fair value is determined (the "measurement date"). When determining fair value, we consider the principal or most advantageous market in which we would transact, and we consider only those assumptions we believe a typical market participant would consider when pricing an asset or liability. In measuring fair value, we use the following inputs in the order of priority indicated:

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 - Observable inputs other than quoted prices in active markets included in Level 1, such as (i) quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; (ii) quoted prices in markets that have insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (i.e., less active markets); and (iii) model-driven valuations in which all significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated with, observable market data for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs to the valuation methodology that are significant to the fair value measurement.

Please refer to Note 2—Significant Accounting Policies of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in our 2015 Form 10-K for a more complete discussion of the various items within the consolidated financial statements measured at fair value and the methods used to determine fair value.