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Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

2.

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies     

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the accounts of Parsons Corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates which it controls. Interests in joint ventures that are controlled by the Company, or for which the Company is otherwise deemed to be the primary beneficiary, are consolidated. For joint ventures in which the Company does not have a controlling interest, but exerts significant influence, the Company applies the equity method of accounting. Intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation.

 

    

   

Fiscal Year

The Company reports results of operations based on a calendar year end date of December 31 starting in 2018. Prior to 2018, the Company reported results of operations based on a 52- or 53-week periods ending the last Friday on or before December 31. For 2017, this date was December 29, 2017, and 2017 was comprised of 52 weeks.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual amounts could differ from those estimates. The Company’s most significant estimates and judgments involve revenue recognition with respect to the determination of the costs to complete contracts and transaction price; determination of self-insurance reserves; valuation of the Company’s fair value of common stock prior to the conclusion of the 180-day lock-up period on November 3, 2019; useful lives of property and equipment and intangible assets; calculation of allowance for doubtful accounts; valuation of deferred income tax assets and uncertain tax positions, among others.

ESOP

The Company maintains a non-leveraged ESOP for eligible employees, for which the Company contributes shares of its own stock to the ESOP trust each year. Shares held by the ESOP or committed to be contributed to the ESOP were presented as temporary equity at December 31, 2018 as they included a cash redemption feature that was not solely within the Company’s control. At the IPO date, shares held by the ESOP were subject to a 180-day lock-up period. At the conclusion of the 180-day lock-up period ESOP distributions are no longer made in cash.  Shares held by the ESOP have been reclassified from temporary equity to permanent equity at December 31, 2019.

Throughout the year, as employee services are rendered, the Company records compensation expense based on salaries of eligible employees. At each reporting period, the shares held within the ESOP or committed to be contributed to the ESOP are adjusted to their redemption value through an offsetting charge or credit to accumulated deficit.

Treasury Stock

The Company records treasury stock purchases under the cost method whereby the entire cost of the acquired stock is recorded as treasury stock. The Company records the reissuance of treasury stock using the first-in, first-out method of accounting. Contributions of 1,790,496 shares, 1,874,988 shares and 1,345,198 shares of common stock were made to the ESOP in fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. In fiscal 2017, 2018 and 2019 the Company repurchased 5,843,211 shares, 5,553,891 shares and 191,331 shares of common stock from the ESOP, respectively, in connection with the redemption of ESOP participants’ interests in the ESOP for $111.4 million, $125.8 million and $6.3 million, respectively.

Earnings per Share

Basic earnings per common share (“EPS”) is calculated by dividing Net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year. Diluted earnings per common share is calculated by dividing net income by adjusted weighted average outstanding shares, assuming conversion of all potentially dilutive securities. Upon contribution to the ESOP, the shares become outstanding and are included within the earnings per share computations.

Revenue Recognition

On December 30, 2017, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers”, and the related ASU’s subsequently issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”) (“ASC 606”) using the modified retrospective method. As a result, the Company revised its accounting policy on revenue recognition and the results for reporting periods beginning after December 29, 2017 are presented under ASC 606. In accordance with ASC 606, the Company follows the five-step process in ASC 606 to recognize revenue:

 

1.

Identify the contract

 

2.

Identify performance obligations

 

3.

Determine the transaction price

 

4.

Allocate the transaction price

 

5.

Recognize revenue

Contracts—Revenue is derived from long-term contracts with customers whereby the Company provides planning, design, engineering, technical, and construction and program management services. The Company has contracts with the United States federal government that contain provisions requiring compliance with the United States Federal Acquisition Regulation (“FAR”) and the United States Cost Accounting Standards (“CAS”). These regulations are generally applicable to all of the Company’s federal government contracts and are partially or fully incorporated in some local and state agency contracts. Most of the Company’s federal government contracts are subject to termination at the convenience of the client. These contracts typically provide for reimbursement of costs incurred and payment of fees earned through the date of such termination.

The Company enters into the following types of contracts with its customers:

Cost-Plus—Under cost-plus contracts, the Company is reimbursed for allowable or otherwise defined costs incurred, plus a fee. The contracts may also include incentives for various performance criteria, including quality, timeliness, safety and cost-effectiveness. In addition, costs are generally subject to review by clients and regulatory audit agencies, and such reviews could result in costs being disputed as nonreimbursable under the terms of the contract.

Time-and-Materials—Under time-and-materials contracts, hourly billing rates are negotiated and charged to clients based on the actual time spent on a project. In certain cases, these contracts may be subject to maximum contract values. In addition, clients reimburse actual out-of-pocket costs for materials and other direct incidental expenditures that are incurred in connection with the performance under the contract.

Fixed-Price—The Company enters into two types of fixed-price contracts: firm fixed-price (“FFP”) and fixed-price per unit (“FPPU”). Under FFP contracts, clients pay an agreed fixed-amount negotiated in advance for a specified scope of work.

Contract Costs—Contract costs consist of direct costs on contracts, including labor and materials, amounts payable to subcontractors, direct overhead costs and equipment expense (primarily depreciation, fuel, maintenance and repairs). All contract costs are recorded as incurred. Changes to estimated contract costs, either due to unexpected events or revisions to management’s initial estimates, for a given project are recognized in the period in which they are determined as estimated at the contract level. Pre-contract costs are expensed as incurred unless they are expected to be recovered from the client, generate or enhance resources that will be used in satisfying performance obligations in the future and directly relate to an existing or anticipated contract. Costs to mobilize equipment and labor to a job site, prior to substantive work beginning (“mobilization costs”) are capitalized as incurred and amortized over the expected duration of the contract. Additionally, the Company may incur incremental costs to obtain certain contracts, such as selling and market costs, bid and proposal costs, sales commissions, and legal fees, certain of which can be capitalized if they are recoverable under the contract. Capitalized contract costs are included in other current assets on the consolidated balance sheets and were not material as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019.

Performance Obligations—A performance obligation is a promise in a contract to transfer a distinct good or service to the customer and is the unit of account in ASC 606. The transaction price of a contract is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. To the extent a contract is deemed to have multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the transaction price of the contract to each performance obligation using our best estimate of the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract. The Company determines the relative standalone selling price utilizing observable prices for the sale of the underlying goods or services. Contracts are considered to have a single performance obligation if the promise to transfer the individual goods or services is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts or is not distinct in the context of the contract, which is mainly because the Company provides a significant service of integrating a complex set of tasks and components into a single project or capability. Engineering and construction contracts are generally accounted for as a single performance obligation while our engineering and construction supervision contracts are accounted for as two separate performance obligations. When providing construction supervision services, the Company is not liable for the construction of the asset, but has an overall responsibility to oversee, coordinate, measure, and evaluate the quality of construction work and the performance of the construction contractor on behalf of the customer.  Customers are generally billed as the Company satisfies its performance obligations and payment terms typically range from 30 to 120 days from the invoice date. Billings under certain fixed-price contracts may be based upon the achievement of specified milestones, while some arrangements may require advance customer payment. The Company’s contracts generally do not include a significant financing component.

Variable Consideration—The transaction price for the Company’s contracts may include variable consideration, which includes increases to transaction price for approved and unpriced change orders, claims and incentives, and reductions to transaction price for liquidated damages. Change orders, claims and incentives are generally not distinct from the existing contract due to the significant integration service provided in the context of the contract and are accounted for as a modification of the existing contract and performance obligation. The Company estimates variable consideration for a performance obligation utilizing one of the two prescribed methods, depending on which method better predicts the amount of consideration to which the Company will be entitled (or the amount the Company expects to incur in the case of liquidated damages). Such methods are: (a) the expected value method, whereby the amount of variable consideration to be recognized represents the sum of probability weighted amounts in a range of possible consideration amounts, and (b) the most likely amount method, whereby the amount of variable consideration to be recognized represents the single most likely amount in a range of possible consideration amounts. When applying these methods, the Company considers all information that is reasonably available, including historical, current and estimates of future performance. The expected value method is utilized in situations where a contract contains a large number of possible outcomes, while the most likely amount method is utilized in situations where a contract has only two possible outcomes.

The Company includes variable consideration in the estimated transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur or when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved. The Company’s estimates of variable consideration and determination of whether to include estimated amounts in transaction price are based largely on an assessment of anticipated performance and all information (historical, current and forecasted) that is reasonably available. The effect of variable consideration on the transaction price of a performance obligation is recognized as an adjustment to revenue on a cumulative catch-up basis.

Change Orders—Change orders, which are a normal and recurring part of business, may include changes in specifications or design, manner of performance, facilities, equipment, materials, sites and period of completion of the work. The Company or customer may initiate change orders. Most change orders are not distinct from the existing contract and are accounted for as part of that existing contract. The effect of a change order on the transaction price and measure of progress for the performance obligation to which it relates is recognized as an adjustment to revenues (either as an increase in or a reduction of revenues) on a cumulative catch-up basis. Revenues from unpriced change orders are recognized to the extent of the amounts the Company expects to recover, consistent with the variable consideration policy discussed above. If it is probable that a reversal of revenues will occur, the costs attributable to change orders are treated as contract costs without incremental revenues. To the extent change orders included in the price are not resolved in the Company’s favor, there could be reductions in, or reversals of previously reported amounts of, revenues and profits, and charges against current earnings, which could be material.

Claims Revenue—Claims are amounts in excess of agreed contract prices that the Company seeks to collect from clients or others for customer-caused delays, errors in specifications and designs, contract terminations, change orders that are in dispute, or other causes of unanticipated additional contract costs, including factors outside of our control, and therefore the Company believes it is entitled to additional compensation. Claims revenue, when recorded, is only recorded to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur. The Company includes certain claims in the transaction price when the claims are legally enforceable, the Company considers collection to be probable and believes it can reliably estimate the ultimate value. The Company continues to engage in negotiations with its customers on outstanding claims. However, these claims may be resolved at amounts that differ from current estimates, which could result in increases or decreases in future estimated contract profits or losses.

Warranties—In most cases, contracts include assurance-type warranties that the Company’s performance is free from material defect and consistent with the specifications of the Company’s contracts, which do not give rise to a separate performance obligation. To the extent the warranty terms provide the customer with an additional service, such as extended maintenance services, such warranty is accounted for as a separate performance obligation.

Revenue recognized over time—The Company’s performance obligations are generally satisfied over time as work progresses because of continuous transfer of control to the customer and the Company has the right to bill the customer as costs are incurred. Typically, revenue is recognized over time using an input measure (i.e.’ costs incurred to date relative to total estimated costs at completion) to measure progress. The Company generally uses the cost-to-cost measure of progress method because it best depicts the transfer of control to the customer which occurs as the Company incurs costs on its contracts. Under the cost-to-cost measure of progress method, the extent of progress towards completion is measured based on the ratio of total costs incurred to-date to the total estimated costs at completion of the performance obligation. Revenues, including estimated fees or profits, are recorded proportionally as costs are incurred. Any expected losses on construction-type contracts in progress are charged to earnings, in total, in the period the losses are identified. The Company recognizes adjustments in estimated profit on contracts under the cumulative catch-up method. Under this method, the impact of the adjustment on profit recorded to date is recognized in the period the adjustment is identified. Revenue and profit in future periods of contract performance is recognized using the adjusted estimate. If at any time the estimate of contract profitability indicates an anticipated loss on the contract, the Company recognizes the total loss in the period it is identified.

Right to invoice practical expedient—For performance obligations satisfied over time where the Company has a right to consideration from a customer in an amount that corresponds directly with the value of the Company’s performance to-date, the Company recognizes revenue in the amount to which it has a right to invoice. For the Company’s reimbursable services contracts, revenue is recognized using the right to invoice practical expedient, or on a cost-to-cost measure of progress method. The Company will select the method that best represents progress on a project.

Revenue recognized at a point in time—For performance obligations satisfied at a point in time, revenue is recognized when the services are performed, control is transferred, and the performance obligation is complete. The Company recognizes revenue at a point in time for vehicle inspection services. Revenue related to the inspection service is recognized for each vehicle inspection at the point the Company has completed the inspection.

In the Company’s industry, recognition of profit on long-term contracts requires the use of assumptions and estimates related to total contract revenue, total cost at completion, and the measurement of progress towards completion. Estimates are continually evaluated as work progresses and are revised when necessary. When a change in estimate is determined to have an impact on contract profit, the Company records a positive or negative adjustment to the consolidated statements of income.   

Refer to the Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements for discussion of the differences between the current revenue recognition criteria under ASC 606 and the Company’s previous recognition practices under ASC 605, Revenue Recognition.

Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of less than three months to be cash equivalents. Cash equivalent investments are carried at cost, which approximates fair value, and consist primarily of United States Treasuries, time deposits, and other forms of short-term fixed income investments.

Restricted Cash and Investments

Restricted cash and investments held in trust accounts represent collateral for certain incentive programs.

Accounts Receivable, Net

Accounts receivable includes billed and unbilled amounts and are recognized in the period when the Company’s rights to receive consideration are unconditional.

The Company establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the assessment of the clients’ ability to pay. In addition to such allowances, there are often items in dispute or being negotiated that may require us to make an estimate as to the ultimate outcome. Past due receivable balances are written off when internal collection efforts have been unsuccessful in collecting the amounts due.

Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities

In connection with the adoption of ASC 606 on December 30, 2017, the Company revised its policy related to contract assets and contract liabilities.

Projects with performance obligations recognized over time that have revenue recognized to-date in excess of cumulative billings and unbilled accounts receivable are reported on our consolidated balance sheets as “Contract assets”. Contract retentions, included in contract assets, represent amounts withheld by clients, in accordance with underlying contract terms, until certain conditions are met or the project is completed. The operating cycle for certain long-term contracts may extend beyond one year, and, accordingly, collection of retainage on those contracts may extend beyond one year. Contract assets are reclassified to accounts receivable when the right to consideration becomes unconditional.

Contract liabilities on uncompleted contracts represent the excess of cash collected from clients and billings to clients on contracts in advance of work performed over the amount of revenue recognized and provisions for losses. The majority of these amounts are expected to be earned within 12 months and are classified as current liabilities.

Refer to the Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements for further discussion of the impact of adopting ASC 606.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivables. The Company’s cash is primarily held with major banks and financial institutions throughout the world. At times, cash balances may be in excess of the amount insured.

The Company is involved in a significant volume of contracts with the United States federal government and state and local governments. Approximately 36%, 42% and 48% of consolidated revenues for the years ended December 29, 2017, December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, respectively, and approximately 29% and 18% of accounts receivable as of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 2019, respectively, were derived from contracts with the United States federal government. No other customers represented 10% or more of consolidated revenues or accounts receivable in any of the periods presented.

In order to mitigate the credit risk associated with customers, the Company performs periodic credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost and are shown net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. Depreciation of leasehold improvements is computed using the straight-line method over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or the remaining term of the lease.

The cost of assets retired or otherwise disposed of and the related accumulated depreciation are eliminated from the accounts, and any gain or loss thereon is included in net income. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred. Property and equipment are reviewed for impairment when events or circumstances change that indicate they may not be recoverable. Impairment losses are recognized when estimated future cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition are less than their carrying amount, in which case the asset is written down to its fair value.

Leases

  The Company determines if an arrangement is a lease at inception. Operating leases are included in operating lease ROU assets and current and long-term operating lease liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Finance leases are included in other noncurrent assets, accrued expenses and other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.  

ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, incremental borrowing rates are used based on the information available at commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The operating lease ROU asset also includes any lease payments made and excludes lease incentives.  Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise that option. Lease expense for operating lease payments is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term.

We have lease agreements with lease and non-lease components where the lease consideration is allocated between the components based on relative standalone prices.  For real property leases, allocations of lease consideration between lease and non-lease components are immaterial. For certain equipment leases, such as vehicles, we account for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component. Additionally, for certain equipment leases, we apply a portfolio approach to effectively account for the operating lease ROU assets and liabilities.

Equity-Based Compensation

The Company measures the value of services received from employees and directors in exchange for an equity-based award based on the grant date fair value.  The Company issues equity-based awards that settle in either cash or shares of the Company’s common stock. Cash settled awards are subsequently remeasured to an updated fair value at each reporting period until the award is settled. Awards containing performance measures are adjusted at each reporting period for the number of shares expected to be earned.  Compensation cost for cash settled and performance awards are trued-up at each reporting period for changes in fair value and expected shares pro-rated for the portion of the requisite service period rendered.  The Company recognizes compensation costs for these awards on either a straight-line or accelerated basis over the vesting period of the award in indirect, general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of income.

Business Combinations

The Company accounts for business combinations using the acquisition method, under which the purchase price of an acquired company is allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and the liabilities assumed on the basis of their fair values at the date of acquisition. Any excess of purchase price over the fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed is allocated to goodwill. The determination of fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires the Company to make estimates and use valuation techniques when a market value is not readily available. The Company adjusts the preliminary purchase price allocation, as necessary, during the measurement period of up to one year after the acquisition closing date as the Company obtains more information as to facts and circumstances existing at the acquisition date. Acquisition-related costs are recognized separate from the acquisition and are expensed as incurred.

Consolidation of Joint Ventures and Variable Interest Entities

The Company participates in joint ventures, which include partnerships and partially owned limited liability corporations, to bid, negotiate and complete specific projects. The Company is required to consolidate these joint ventures if it holds the majority voting interest or if the joint venture is determined to be a variable interest entity (“VIE”) for which the Company is the primary beneficiary, as described below.

A VIE is an entity with one or more of the following characteristics: (a) the total equity investment at risk is not sufficient to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional financial support; (b) as a group, the holders of the equity investment at risk lack the ability to make certain decisions, the obligation to absorb expected losses or the right to receive expected residual returns; or (c) an equity investor has voting rights that are disproportionate to its economic interest and substantially all of the entity’s activities are on behalf of the investor with disproportionately low voting rights. The Company’s VIEs may be funded through contributions, loans and/or advances from the joint venture partners or by advances and/or letters of credit provided by clients. Certain VIEs are directly governed, managed, operated and administered by the joint venture partners. Others have no employees and, although these entities own and hold the contracts with the clients, the services required by the contracts are typically performed by the joint venture partners or by other subcontractors.

The Company is considered the primary beneficiary and required to consolidate a VIE if it has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact that VIE’s economic performance, and the obligation to absorb losses or the right to receive benefits of that VIE that could potentially be significant to the VIE. In determining whether the Company is the primary beneficiary, significant assumptions and judgments include the following: (1) identifying the significant activities and the parties that have the power to direct them; (2) reviewing the governing board composition and participation ratio; (3) determining the equity, profit and loss ratio; (4) determining the management-sharing ratio; (5) reviewing employment terms, including which joint venture partner provides the project manager; and (6) reviewing the funding and operating agreements. Examples of significant activities currently being performed by the Company’s significant consolidated and unconsolidated joint ventures include engineering and design services; management consulting services; procurement and construction services; program management; construction management; and operations and maintenance services. If the Company determines that the power to direct the significant activities is shared by two or more joint venture parties, then there is no primary beneficiary and no party consolidates the VIE. In making the shared-power determination, the Company analyzes the key contractual terms, governance, related party and de facto agency as they are defined in the accounting standard, and other arrangements.

Goodwill

In 2019, the Company changed the date of its annual goodwill impairment testing from November 30 to October 1. This change is results in better alignment of the Company's annual impairment test with the Company’s annual budgeting cycle and provides a more reliable measurement using the Company’s interim closing processes.  The change had no effect on the Company’s financial statements for the current or historical periods.

The Company performs an additional review at year end to address the interim period.

For purposes of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to the applicable reporting units based on the current reporting structure. The Company’s reporting units are operating segments or components of operating segments where discrete financial information is available and segment management regularly reviews the operating results. When evaluating goodwill for impairment, the Company may decide to first perform a qualitative assessment, or “step zero” impairment test, to determine whether it is more likely than not that impairment has occurred. If the Company does not perform a qualitative assessment, or if the Company determines that it is not more likely than not that the fair value of its reporting units exceeds their carrying amounts, the Company performs a quantitative assessment and calculates the estimated fair value of the respective reporting unit. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in the amount the carrying value exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill.

The Company’s decision to perform a qualitative impairment assessment in a given year is influenced by a number of factors, including the significance of the excess of the Company’s estimated fair value over carrying value at the last quantitative assessment date, the amount of time in between quantitative fair value assessments, and the date of its acquisitions, if any.

Intangible Assets

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 or on a straight-line basis over the useful lives of the underlying assets, ranging from one to ten years. These primarily consist of customer relationships, developed technology, backlog, and covenants not to compete. When indicators of a potential impairment exist, the Company assesses the recoverability of the unamortized balance of its intangible assets by first comparing undiscounted expected cash flows associated with the asset, or the asset group they are part of, to its carrying value. Should the review indicate that the carrying value is not fully recoverable, the excess of the carrying value over the fair value of the intangible assets would be recognized as an impairment loss.

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax liabilities and assets to reflect the tax effects of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and tax bases of the Company’s assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are evaluated for future realization and valuation allowances are established when, in our opinion, it is more likely than not that all or some portion of the asset will not be realized.

 

The Company recognizes the effect of income tax positions only if those positions are more likely than not of being sustained on examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements on a particular tax position are measured based on the largest benefit that is greater than 50 percent likely of being realized. The amount of unrecognized tax benefits (“UTB”) is adjusted as appropriate for changes in facts and circumstances, such as significant amendments to existing tax law, new regulations or interpretations by the taxing authorities, new information obtained during a tax examination, or resolution of an examination. The Company recognizes both accrued interest and penalties, where appropriate, related to UTBs in income tax expense.

Foreign Currency Translation

The Company’s reporting currency is the U.S. Dollar. The functional currency of the Company’s foreign entities is typically the currency of the primary environment in which they operate. For foreign entities whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar, the assets and liabilities are translated based on exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date, while the income and expense accounts are translated using the average exchange rates during the period. Translation gains or losses, net of income tax effects, are reflected in accumulated other comprehensive income on the consolidated balance sheets. Transaction gains and losses due to movements in exchange rates between the functional currency and the currency in which a foreign currency transaction is denominated are recognized as “Other income (expense), net” in the Company’s consolidated statements of income.

Self-Insurance

The Company typically utilizes third-party insurance subject to varying retention levels or self-insurance. The Company is self-insured for a portion of the losses and liabilities primarily associated with workers’ compensation, general, professional, automobile, employee matters, certain medical plans, and project-specific liability claims. Losses are accrued based upon the Company’s estimates of the aggregate liability for claims incurred using historical experience and certain actuarial assumptions, as provided by an independent actuary. The estimate of self-insurance liability includes an estimate of incurred but not reported claims, based on data compiled from historical experience.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

The Company adopted ASC 606 on December 30, 2017, using the modified retrospective method, which provides for a cumulative effect adjustment to beginning 2018 accumulated deficit for those uncompleted contracts impacted by the adoption of the new standard. For contracts that were modified before the beginning of the earliest reporting period presented in accordance with ASC 606, the Company has not retrospectively restated the contract for those modifications. The Company instead reflected the aggregate effect of all modifications when identifying the satisfied and unsatisfied performance obligations, determining the transaction price and allocating the transaction price. The core principle of ASC 606 is that revenue will be recognized when promised goods or services are transferred to customers in an amount that reflects consideration for which entitlement is expected in exchange for those goods or services.

Additionally, the Company began to separately present contract assets and liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. Contract assets include amounts due under contractual retainage provisions as well as revenue recognized to date in excess of cumulative billings and unconditional unbilled accounts receivable that were previously presented as unbilled accounts receivable. Contract liabilities include billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings as well as provisions for losses that were previously separately presented. The difference between the recognition criteria under ASC 606 and the Company’s previous recognition practices under the revenue recognition guidance, ASC Topic 605-35, was recognized through a cumulative effect adjustment that was made to the opening balance of accumulated deficit as of December 30, 2017. Consistent with the modified retrospective transition approach, the comparative fiscal 2017 period was not adjusted to conform to the fiscal 2018 and 2019 presentation.

The cumulative effect of adopting ASC 606 was primarily due to combining certain deliverables that were previously considered separate deliverables into a single performance obligation and the transition of certain cost-type contracts into the cost-to-cost measure of progress method.

The cumulative effect adjustment was an increase to accumulated deficit of $4.7 million as of December 30, 2017 as well as the following cumulative effect adjustments:

 

An increase to contract assets of $2.5 million;

 

An increase to deferred tax assets of $0.1 million;

 

An increase to contract liabilities of $7.2 million; and

 

An increase to non-controlling interests of $0.1 million.

 In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02 “Leases (Topic 842)”, which is a new standard related to leases intended to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by requiring the recognition of right-of-use (“ROU”) assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities on the balance sheet. Most prominent among the changes in the standard is the recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases. Under the standard, disclosures are required to meet the objective of enabling users of financial statements to assess the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases.

The Company elected to adopt the standard, and available practical expedients, effective January 1, 2019.  These practical expedients allowed the Company to keep the lease classification assessed under the previous lease accounting standard (ASC 840) without reassessment under the new standard, and allowed all separate lease components, including non-lease components, to be accounted for as a single lease component for all existing leases prior to adoption of the new standard.  Furthermore, the Company made an accounting policy election to not recognize a lease liability and ROU asset for leases with lease terms of twelve months or less.  

The Company adopted this new standard under the modified retrospective transition approach without adjusting comparative periods in the financial statements, as allowed under Topic 842, and implemented internal controls and key system functionality to enable the preparation of financial information on adoption.

The standard had a material impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets but did not have an impact on the consolidated statements of income and cash flows. The most significant impact was the recognition of ROU assets and lease liabilities for operating leases, while accounting for finance leases remained substantially unchanged.

As a result of the adoption, the Company recorded a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings of $52.6 million, net of deferred tax asset adjustment of $0.7 million, representing the unamortized portion of a deferred gain previously recorded as a sale-leaseback transaction associated with the sale of an office building in 2011. The Company concluded the transaction resulted in the transfer of control of the office building to the buyer-lessor at market terms and would have qualified as a sale under Topic 842 with gain recognition in the period the sale was recognized.

In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-09, Codification Improvements. The amendments in this ASU clarify certain aspects of the guidance related to: reporting comprehensive income, debt modification and extinguishment, income taxes related to stock compensation, income taxes related to business combinations, derivatives and hedging, fair value measurements, brokers and dealers liabilities, and plan accounting. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. The Company has adopted this ASU on a prospective basis in the first quarter of 2019 and has determined there to be no impact on its financial statements and related disclosures.

Effective January 1, 2019, the Company adopted ASU 2018-02, “Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income” under which the Company did not elect to reclassify the income tax effects stranded in accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings as a result of the enactment of comprehensive tax legislation, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.  As a result, there was no impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, “Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments,” and issued subsequent amendments to the initial guidance within ASU 2019-04 and ASU 2019-05. The amendments in ASU 2016-13 replace the incurred loss impairment methodology in current practice with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to estimate credit losses. ASU 2016-13 and its amendments are effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. This standard will be effective for the Company’s interim and annual periods beginning with the first quarter of fiscal 2020.  Management continues to assess the impact of adopting ASU 2016-13 and does not believe it will have a material effect on the company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes (“ASU 2019-12”). ASU 2019-12 was issued as a means to reduce the complexity of accounting for income taxes for those entities that fall within the scope of the accounting standard. The guidance is to be applied using a prospective method, excluding amendments related to franchise taxes, which should be applied on either a retrospective basis for all periods presented or a modified retrospective basis through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. ASU 2019-12 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the impact of ASU 2019-12 on its consolidated financial statements.