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Accounts Receivable
 3 Months Ended
Apr. 30, 2014
Receivables [Abstract]  
Accounts Receivable

NOTE 4—ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

Amounts retained by project owners under construction contracts and included in accounts receivable at April 30, 2014 and January 31, 2014 were approximately $27.5 million and $22.7 million, respectively. Such retainage amounts represent funds withheld by construction project owners until a defined phase of a contract or project has been completed and accepted by the project owner. The lengths of retention periods may vary, but for material amounts outstanding as of April 30, 2014, the remaining periods range between seven and twenty-six months. Retainage amounts related to active contracts are classified as current assets regardless of the term of the applicable contract and are generally collected by the completion of the contract.

The amount of the allowance for doubtful accounts at both April 30, 2014 and January 31, 2014 was approximately $5.5 million. In fiscal year 2010, the balance of the accounts receivable from the owner of a partially completed construction project was written down to $5.5 million, the amount of the net proceeds remaining from a public auction of the facility. As the amount that the Company may ultimately receive in a distribution of the auction proceeds, if any, is not known at this time, the accounts receivable balance was and remains fully reserved. There were no provisions for accounts receivable losses recorded during the three-month periods ended April 30, 2014 or 2013.