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Revenue from Contract with Customer Revenue from Contract with Customer
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenue from Contract with Customers
Revenues from Contracts with Customers
 
Most of Registrant's revenues are accounted for under the revenue recognition accounting standard, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers - (Topic 606)." The adoption of this accounting standard effective January 1, 2018 did not have a material impact on Registrant's measurement or timing of revenue recognition.
GSWC provides water and electric utility services to customers as specified by the CPUC. The transaction prices for water and electric revenues are based on tariff rates authorized by the CPUC, which include both quantity-based and flat charges. Tariff revenues represent the adopted revenue requirement authorized by the CPUC intended to provide GSWC with an opportunity to recover its costs and earn a reasonable return on its net capital investment. The annual revenue requirements are comprised of operation and maintenance costs, administrative and general costs, depreciation and taxes in amounts authorized by the CPUC and a return on rate base consistent with the capital structure authorized by the CPUC.
Water and electric revenues are recognized over time as customers simultaneously receive and use the utility services provided. Water and electric revenues include amounts billed to customers on a cyclical basis, nearly all of which are based on meter readings for services provided. Customer bills also include surcharges for cost-recovery activities, which represent CPUC-authorized balancing and memorandum accounts that allow for the recovery of previously incurred operating costs. Revenues from these surcharges result in no impact to earnings as they are offset by corresponding increases in operating expenses to reflect the recovery of the associated costs. Customer payment terms are approximately 20 business days from the billing date. Unbilled revenues are amounts estimated to be billed for usage since the last meter-reading date to the end of the accounting period. Historical customer usage forms the basis for estimating unbilled revenue.
GSWC bills certain sales and use taxes levied by state or local governments to its customers. Included in these sales and use taxes are franchise fees, which GSWC pays to various municipalities and counties (based on their ordinances) in order to use public rights of way for utility purposes. GSWC bills these franchise fees to its customers based on a CPUC-authorized rate for each ratemaking area as applicable. These franchise fees, which are required to be paid regardless of GSWC’s ability to collect them from its customers, are accounted for on a gross basis. GSWC’s franchise fees billed to customers and recorded as operating revenue were approximately $1.0 million for each of the three months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, and $2.8 million for each of the nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017. When GSWC acts as an agent, and a tax is not required to be remitted if it is not collected from customers, the tax is accounted for on a net basis.
GSWC revenues tracked under the Water Revenue Adjustment Mechanism (“WRAM”) regulatory accounts for its water segment, and the Base Revenue Requirement Adjustment Mechanism ("BRRAM") regulatory account for its electric segment, are alternative revenue programs accounted for under Accounting Standards Codification ("ASC") Topic 980, Regulated Operations.
For ASUS, performance obligations consist of (i) performing ongoing operation and maintenance of the water and/or wastewater systems and treatment plants for each military base served, and (ii) performing construction activities (including renewal and replacement capital work) on each military base served. The transaction price for each performance obligation is either delineated in, or initially derived from, the applicable 50-year contract and/or any subsequent contract modifications. Depending on the state in which operations are conducted, the Military Utility Privatization Subsidiaries are also subject to certain state non-income tax assessments, which are accounted for on a gross basis and have been immaterial to date.
The ongoing performance of operation and maintenance of the water and/or wastewater systems and treatment plants is viewed as a single performance obligation for each 50-year contract with the U.S. government. Registrant recognizes revenue for operations and maintenance fees monthly using the "right to invoice" practical expedient under ASC Topic 606. ASUS has a right to consideration from the U.S. government in an amount that corresponds directly to the value to the U.S. government of ASUS’s performance completed to date. The contractual operations and maintenance fees are firm-fixed, and the level of effort or resources expended in the performance of the operations-and-maintenance-fees performance obligation is largely consistent over the 50-year term. Therefore, Registrant has determined that the monthly amounts invoiced for operations and maintenance performance are a fair reflection of the value transferred to the U.S. government. Invoices to the U.S. government for operations and maintenance service, as well as construction activities, are due upon receipt.
ASUS's construction activities consist of various projects to be performed. Each of these projects' transaction prices is delineated either in the 50-year contract or through a specific contract modification for each construction project, which includes the transaction price for that project. Each construction project is viewed as a separate, single performance obligation. Therefore, it is generally not necessary to allocate a construction transaction price to more than one construction performance obligation. Revenues for construction activities are recognized over time, with progress toward completion measured based on the input method using costs incurred relative to the total estimated costs (cost-to-cost method). Due to the nature of these construction projects, Registrant has determined the cost-to-cost input measurement to be the best method to measure progress towards satisfying its construction contract performance obligations, as compared to using an output measurement such as units produced. Changes in job performance, job site conditions, change orders and/or estimated profitability may result in revisions to costs and income for ASUS, and are recognized in the period in which any such revisions are determined. Pre-contract costs for ASUS, which consist of design and engineering labor costs, are deferred if recovery is probable, and are expensed as incurred if recovery is not probable.  Deferred pre-contract costs have been immaterial to date.
Contracted services revenues recognized during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 from performance obligations satisfied in previous periods were not material.
Although GSWC has a diversified base of residential, commercial, industrial and other customers, revenues derived from residential and commercial customers account for approximately 90% of total water revenues, and 90% of total electric revenues. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, disaggregated revenues from contracts with customers by segment are as follows:
(dollar in thousands)
 
Three Months Ended September 30, 2018
 
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018
Water:
 
 
 
 
Tariff-based revenues
 
$
87,204

 
$
223,230

CPUC-approved surcharges (cost-recovery activities)
 
937

 
2,458

Other
 
486

 
1,381

Water revenues from contracts with customers
 
88,627

 
227,069

WRAM under-collection (alternative revenue program)
 
(938
)
 
1,765

Total water revenues
 
87,689

 
228,834

 
 
 
 
 
Electric:
 
 
 
 
Tariff-based revenues
 
8,207

 
26,021

CPUC-approved surcharges (cost-recovery activities)
 
62

 
172

Electric revenues from contracts with customers
 
8,269

 
26,193

BRRAM over-collection (alternative revenue program)
 
(394
)
 
(645
)
Total electric revenues
 
7,875

 
25,548

 
 
 
 
 
Contracted services:
 
 
 
 
Water
 
16,909

 
44,134

Wastewater
 
11,709

 
27,295

Contracted services revenues from contracts with customers
 
28,618

 
71,429

 
 
 
 
 
Total revenues
 
$
124,182

 
$
325,811


The opening and closing balances of the receivable from the U.S. government, contract assets and contract liabilities from contracts with customers, which related entirely to ASUS, are as follows:    
(dollar in thousands)
 
September 30, 2018
 
January 1, 2018
 
 
 
 
 
Receivable from the U.S. government
 
$
54,968

 
$
40,150

Contract assets
 
$
19,043

 
$
30,388

Contract liabilities
 
$
8,942

 
$
3,911


As a result of the adoption of ASC Topic 606, amounts previously reported under "Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on contracts" are now reflected as either "Receivable from U.S. government" or "Contract assets," depending on whether receipt of these amounts is conditional on something other than the passage of time. Amounts previously reported under "Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on contracts" are now reflected as "Contract liabilities."
Contract Assets - Contract assets are those of ASUS and consist of unbilled revenues recognized from work-in-progress construction projects where the right to payment is conditional on something other than the passage of time. The classification of this asset as current or noncurrent is based on the timing of when ASUS expects to bill these amounts.
Contract Liabilities - Contract liabilities are those of ASUS and consist of billings in excess of revenue recognized. The classification of this liability as current or noncurrent is based on the timing of when ASUS expects to recognize revenue.
Revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 that were included in contract liabilities at the beginning of the period were $3.4 million and $3.7 million, respectively.
As of September 30, 2018, Registrant's aggregate remaining performance obligations, all of which are for the contracted services segment, was $3.2 billion. Registrant expects to recognize revenue on these remaining performance obligations over the remaining terms of each of the 50-year contracts, which range from 36 to 50 years. Each of the contracts with the U.S. government is subject to termination, in whole or in part, prior to the end of its 50-year term for the convenience of the U.S. government.