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Accounting Policies, by Policy (Policies)
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Accounting Policies [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]
Basis of Presentation

Sterling Construction Company, Inc. (“Sterling” or “the Company”), a Delaware corporation, is a leading heavy civil construction company that specializes in the building and reconstruction of transportation and water infrastructure projects in Texas, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, Hawaii and other states in which there are construction opportunities. Our transportation infrastructure projects include highways, roads, bridges and light rail, and our water infrastructure projects include water, wastewater and storm drainage systems.

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of subsidiaries and construction joint ventures in which the Company has a greater than 50% ownership interest or otherwise controls such entities, and all significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. For all periods presented, the Company had no subsidiaries where its ownership interests were less than 50%.

Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), the Company must determine whether each entity, including joint ventures in which it participates, is a variable interest entity.  This determination focuses on identifying which owner or joint venture partner, if any, has the power to direct the activities of the entity and the obligation to absorb losses of the entity or the right to receive benefits from the entity disproportionate to its interest in the entity, which could have the effect of requiring us to consolidate the entity in which we have a non-majority variable interest.

We determined that Myers and Sons Construction, L.P., a company in which we have a 50% limited partner interest (“Myers”), is a variable interest entity. As discussed further in Note 3 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 (“2013 Form 10-K”), the Company determined that it exercises primary control over activities of the partnership and it is exposed to more than 50% of potential losses from the partnership.  Therefore, the Company consolidates this partnership in the condensed consolidated financial statements and includes the other partners’ interests in the equity and net income of the partnership in the balance sheet line item “Noncontrolling interests” in “Equity” and the condensed statement of operations line item “Noncontrolling owners’ interests in earnings of subsidiaries and joint ventures,” respectively.

Where the Company is a noncontrolling joint venture partner, its share of the operations of such construction joint venture is accounted for on a pro rata basis in the consolidated statements of operations and as a single line item (“Receivables from and equity in construction joint ventures”) in the condensed consolidated balance sheets.  Refer to Note 3 for further information regarding the Company’s construction joint ventures, including those where the Company does not have a controlling ownership interest.

The condensed consolidated financial statements included herein have been prepared by Sterling, without audit, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and should be read in conjunction with the 2013 Form 10-K.  Certain information and note disclosures prepared in accordance with GAAP have been either condensed or omitted pursuant to SEC rules and regulations.  The condensed consolidated financial statements reflect, in the opinion of management, all normal recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly the Company’s financial position at March 31, 2014 and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented.  The December 31, 2013 condensed consolidated balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but, as discussed above, does not include all disclosures required by GAAP.  Interim results may be subject to significant seasonal variations, and the results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year or subsequent quarters.
Revenue Recognition, Percentage-of-Completion Method [Policy Text Block]
revenue recognition
· valuation of property and equipment, goodwill and other long-lived assets
· construction joint ventures
· income taxes
· segment reporting

There have been no material changes to significant accounting policies since December 31, 2013.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Certain of the Company’s accounting policies require higher degrees of judgment than others in their application. These include the recognition of revenue and earnings from construction contracts under the percentage-of-completion method, the valuation of long-term assets (including goodwill), and income taxes.  Management continually evaluates all of its estimates and judgments based on available information and experience; however, actual amounts could differ from those estimates.

Construction Revenue Recognition

The Company is a general contractor which engages in various types of heavy civil construction projects principally for public (government) owners. Credit risk is minimal with public owners since the Company ascertains that funds have been appropriated by the governmental project owner prior to commencing work on such projects. While most public contracts are subject to termination at the election of the government entity, in the event of termination the Company is entitled to receive the contract price for completed work and reimbursement of termination-related costs. Credit risk with private owners is minimized because of statutory mechanics liens, which give the Company high priority in the event of lien foreclosures following financial difficulties of private owners.

Revenues are recognized on the percentage-of-completion method, measured by the ratio of costs incurred up to a given date to estimated total costs for each contract.  Our contracts generally take 12 to 36 months to complete.

Contract costs include all direct material, labor, subcontract and other costs and those indirect costs related to contract performance, such as indirect salaries and wages, equipment repairs and depreciation, insurance and payroll taxes. Administrative and general expenses are charged to expense as incurred. Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are made in the period in which such losses are determined. Changes in job performance, job conditions and estimated profitability, including those changes arising from contract penalty provisions and final contract settlements may result in revisions to costs and income and are recognized in the period in which the revisions are determined.  Changes in estimated gross margin during the three months ended March 31, 2014 resulted in a net gain of $2.7 million included in operating income or $0.16 per diluted share attributable to Sterling common stockholders.
Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Certain of the Company’s accounting policies require higher degrees of judgment than others in their application. These include the recognition of revenue and earnings from construction contracts under the percentage-of-completion method, the valuation of long-term assets (including goodwill), and income taxes.  Management continually evaluates all of its estimates and judgments based on available information and experience; however, actual amounts could differ from those estimates.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Financial Instruments and Fair Value

The fair value of financial instruments is the amount at which the instrument could be exchanged in a current transaction between willing parties.  The Company’s financial instruments are cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, short-term and long-term contract receivable, derivatives, accounts payable, mortgage and notes payable, a credit facility with Comerica Bank (“Credit Facility”), the buy/sell agreement related to certain noncontrolling owners’ interests in subsidiaries which was converted to a mandatorily redeemable long-term liability on December 30, 2013 and an earn-out liability related to the acquisition of J. Banicki Construction, Inc. (“JBC”).  The recorded values of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, short-term contracts receivable and accounts payable approximate their fair values based on their short-term nature.  We currently have one long-term contract receivable which is discounted at 4.25% and recorded at fair value.  Interest earned related to the long-term contract receivable was $0.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2014. The recorded value of the Credit Facility debt approximates its fair value, as interest approximates market rates.  Refer to Note 5 regarding the fair value of derivatives and Note 9 regarding the fair value of a certain earn-out liability and the change to the mandatorily redeemable long-term liability.  The Company had one mortgage outstanding at March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 with a remaining balance of $0.2 million in both periods.  The mortgage was accruing interest at 3.50% at both March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and contains pre-payment penalties.  At March 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013, the fair value of the mortgage approximated book value. The Company also has long-term notes payable of $0.4 million related to machinery and equipment purchased which have payment terms ranging from 3 to 5 years and associated interest rates ranging from 4.24% to 6.29%.  The fair value of the notes payable approximates their book value.  The Company does not have any off-balance sheet financial instruments other than operating leases (refer to Note 14 of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in the 2013 Form 10-K).

In order to assess the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments, the Company uses the fair value hierarchy established by GAAP which prioritizes the inputs used in valuation techniques into the following three levels:

Level 1 Inputs –Based upon quoted prices for identical assets in active markets that the Company has the ability to access at the measurement date.

Level 2 Inputs – Based upon quoted prices (other than Level 1) in active markets for similar assets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities and default rates and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3 Inputs – Based on unobservable inputs reflecting the Company’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset based on the best information available.

For each financial instrument, the Company uses the highest priority level input that is available in order to appropriately value that particular instrument.  In certain instances, Level 1 inputs are not available and the Company must use Level 2 or Level 3 inputs.  In these cases, the Company provides a description of the valuation techniques used and the inputs used in the fair value measurement.
New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standard Update (“ASU”) 2013-11, "Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists." This ASU clarifies the financial statement presentation of unrecognized tax benefits in certain circumstances. ASU 2013-11 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013 and should be applied prospectively to all unrecognized tax benefits that exist at the effective date. The adoption of ASU 2013-11 did not have an impact on the Company's condensed consolidated financial statements as the Company did not have an unrecognized tax benefit at the reporting date.

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-04, “Obligations Resulting from Joint and Several Liability Arrangements for Which the Total Amount of the Obligation Is Fixed at the Reporting Date.”  This ASU provides guidance for the recognition, measurement and disclosure of obligations resulting from joint and several liability arrangements for which the total amount of the obligation is fixed at the reporting date, except for obligations addressed within existing GAAP guidance.  ASU 2013-04 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2013 and is applied retrospectively to all prior periods presented.  The adoption of ASU 2013-04 did not have an impact on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements as no such liabilities existed at the reporting date.