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SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 27, 2013
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Principles of Consolidation The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Willdan Group, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Willdan Engineering, Willdan Energy Solutions, Public Agency Resources, Willdan Financial Services and Willdan Homeland Solutions. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Fiscal Years The Company operates and reports financial results on a fiscal year of 52 or 53 weeks ending on the Friday closest to December 31, with consideration of business days. Our fiscal year ended December 27, 2013 contained 52 weeks. Fiscal years 2012 and 2011 contained 52 weeks. All references to years in the notes to consolidated financial statements represent fiscal years. Cash, Cash Equivalents and Liquid Investments All highly liquid investments purchased with a remaining maturity of three months or less are considered to be cash equivalents. Outstanding checks in excess of cash on deposit have been classified as current liabilities. Cash and cash equivalents, including restricted cash consisted of the following:
|  | December 27, 2013 |  | December 28, 2012 |
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Wells Fargo Stage Coach Sweep Investment Account |  | $ | 1,103,000 |  | $ | 8,484,000 |
Wells Fargo Money Market Mutual Fund |  |  | 1,002,000 |  |  | 1,001,000 |
Wells Fargo Advantage Heritage Fund |  |  | 48,000 |  |  | 48,000 |
Wells Fargo Collateral Investment Account |  |  | 5,003,000 |  |  | — |
Cash on hand in business checking accounts |  |  | 978,000 |  |  | 473,000 |
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
|  | $ | 8,134,000 |  | $ | 10,006,000 |
​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​ | ​
The Company's balance of $5.0 million in the Wells Fargo Collateral Investment Account represents restricted cash. The Company from time to time may be exposed to credit risk with its bank deposits in excess of the FDIC insurance limits and with uninsured money market investments. The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts and believes it is not exposed to any significant credit risk on cash and cash equivalents. Fair Value of Financial Instruments As of December 27, 2013 and December 28, 2012, the carrying amounts of the Company's cash, cash equivalents, including restricted cash, accounts receivable, costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts, other receivables, prepaid expenses and other current assets, excess of outstanding checks over bank balance, accounts payable, accrued liabilities and billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts, approximate their fair values because of the relatively short period of time between the origination of these instruments and their expected realization or payment. The carrying amounts of debt obligations approximate their fair values since the terms are comparable to terms currently offered by local lending institutions for loans of similar terms to companies with comparable credit risk. Segment Information Willdan Group, Inc. ("WGI") is a holding company with six wholly owned subsidiaries. The Company presents segment information externally consistent with the manner in which the Company's chief operating decision maker reviews information to assess performance and allocate resources. WGI performs administrative functions on behalf of its subsidiaries, such as treasury, legal, accounting, information systems, human resources and certain business development activities, and earns revenue that is only incidental to the activities of the enterprise. As a result, WGI does not meet the definition of an operating segment. Three of the six WGI subsidiaries are aggregated into one reportable segment as they have similar economic characteristics including the nature of services, the methods used to provide services and the type of customers. The remaining three subsidiaries each comprise separate reporting segments. See Note 13. Off-Balance Sheet Financings and Liabilities Other than lease commitments, legal contingencies incurred in the normal course of business, and employment contracts, the Company does not have any off-balance sheet financing arrangements or liabilities. In addition, the Company's policy is not to enter into derivative instruments, futures or forward contracts. Finally, the Company does not have any majority-owned subsidiaries or any interests in, or relationships with, any special-purpose entities that are not included in the consolidated financial statements. Accounting for Contracts The Company enters into contracts with its clients that contain three principal types of pricing provisions: fixed price, time-and-materials, and unit-based. Revenue on fixed price contracts is recognized on the percentage-of-completion method based generally on the ratio of direct costs (primarily exclusive of depreciation and amortization costs) incurred to date to estimated total direct costs at completion. Revenue on time-and-materials and unit-based contracts is recognized as the work is performed in accordance with the specific terms of the contract. Contracts that provide for multiple services or deliverables are evaluated as multiple element arrangements to determine the appropriate unit of accounting, allocation of contract value, and method of revenue recognition for each element. Revenue for amounts that have been billed but not earned is deferred and such deferred revenue is referred to as billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Service-related contracts, including operations and maintenance services and a variety of technical assistance services, are accounted for over the period of performance, in proportion to the costs of performance. Adjustments to contract cost estimates are made in the periods in which the facts requiring such revisions become known. When the revised estimate indicates a loss, such loss is provided for currently in its entirety. Claims revenue is recognized only upon resolution of the claim. Change orders in dispute are evaluated as claims. Costs related to un-priced change orders are expensed when incurred and recognition of the related contract revenue is based on an evaluation of the probability of recovery of the costs. Estimated profit is recognized for un-priced change orders if realization of the expected price of the change order is probable. Applying the percentage-of-completion method of recognizing revenue requires the Company to estimate the outcome of its long-term contracts. The Company forecasts such outcomes to the best of its knowledge and belief of current and expected conditions and its expected course of action. Differences between the Company's estimates and actual results often occur resulting in changes to reported revenue and earnings. Such changes could have a material effect on future consolidated financial statements. Direct costs of contract revenue consist primarily of that portion of technical and nontechnical salaries and wages that has been incurred in connection with revenue producing projects. Direct costs of contract revenue also include production expenses, subcontractor services and other expenses that are incurred in connection with revenue producing projects. Direct costs of contract revenue exclude that portion of technical and nontechnical salaries and wages related to marketing efforts, vacations, holidays and other time not spent directly generating revenue under existing contracts. Such costs are included in general and administrative expenses. Additionally, payroll taxes, bonuses and employee benefit costs for all Company personnel are included in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations since no allocation of these costs is made to direct costs of contract revenue. No allocation of facilities costs is made to direct costs of contract revenue. Other companies may classify as direct costs of contract revenue some of the costs that the Company classifies as general and administrative costs. The Company expenses direct costs of contract revenue when incurred. Included in revenue and costs are all reimbursable costs for which the Company has the risk or on which the fee was based at the time of bid or negotiation. No revenue or cost is recorded for costs in which the Company acts solely in the capacity of an agent and has no risks associated with such costs. Accounts receivable are carried at original invoice amount less an estimate made for doubtful accounts based upon a review of all outstanding amounts on a quarterly basis. Management determines the allowance for doubtful accounts by identifying troubled accounts and by using historical experience applied to an aging of accounts. Credit risk is generally minimal with governmental entities, but disputes may arise related to these receivable amounts. Accounts receivables are written off when deemed uncollectible. Recoveries of accounts receivables previously written off are recorded when received. The value of retainage is included in accounts receivable in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. Retainage represents the billed amount that is retained by the customer, in accordance with the terms of the contract, generally until performance is substantially complete. General and Administrative Expenses General and administrative expenses include the costs of the marketing and support staffs, other marketing expenses, management and administrative personnel costs, payroll taxes, bonuses and employee benefits for all of the Company's employees and the portion of salaries and wages not allocated to direct costs of contract revenue for those employees who provide the Company's services. General and administrative expenses also include facility costs, depreciation and amortization, professional services, legal and accounting fees and administrative operating costs. Within general and administrative expenses, "Other" includes expenses such as provision for billed or unbilled receivables, professional services, legal and accounting, computer costs, travel and entertainment and marketing costs. The Company expenses general and administrative costs when incurred. Leases All of the Company's office leases are classified as operating leases and rent expense is included in facilities expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Some of the lease terms include rent concessions and rent escalation clauses, all of which are taken into account in computing minimum lease payments. Minimum lease payments are recognized on a straight-line basis over the minimum lease term. The excess of rent expense recognized over the amounts contractually due pursuant to the underlying leases is reflected as a liability in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The cost of improvements that the Company makes to the leased office space is capitalized as leasehold improvements. The Company is subject to non-cancellable leases for offices or portions of offices for which use has ceased. For each of these abandoned leases, the present value of the future lease payments, net of estimated sublease payments, along with any unamortized tenant improvement costs, are recognized as lease abandonment expense in the Company's consolidated statements of operations with a corresponding liability in the Company's consolidated balance sheets. Equipment and Leasehold Improvements Equipment and leasehold improvements are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Equipment under capital leases is stated at the present value of the minimum lease payments as of the acquisition date. Depreciation and amortization on equipment are calculated using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives of two to five years. Leasehold improvements and assets under capital leases are amortized using the straight-line method over the shorter of estimated useful lives or the term of the related lease. Following are the estimated useful lives used to calculate depreciation and amortization:
Category |  | Estimated Useful Life |
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Furniture and fixtures |  |  | 5 years |
Computer hardware |  |  | 2 years |
Computer software |  |  | 3 years |
Automobiles and trucks |  |  | 3 years |
Field equipment |  |  | 5 years |
Equipment and leasehold improvements are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized by the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset. Goodwill Goodwill represents the excess of costs over fair value of the assets acquired. Goodwill, which has an indefinite useful life, is not amortized, but instead tested for impairment at least annually or more frequently if events and circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. Impairment losses for reporting units are recognized to the extent that a reporting unit's carrying amount exceeds its fair value. Accounting for Claims Against the Company The Company records liabilities to claimants for probable and estimable claims on its consolidated balance sheet, which is included in accrued liabilities, and records a corresponding receivable from the insurance company for the portion of the claim that is probable of being covered by insurance, which is included in other receivables. The estimated claim amount net of the amount estimated to be recoverable from the insurance company is included in general and administrative expense. Stock Options The Company accounts for stock options under the fair value recognition provisions of the accounting standard entitled "Compensation—Stock Compensation." This standard requires the measurement of compensation cost at the grant date, based upon the estimated fair value of the award, and requires amortization of the related expense over the employee's requisite service period. Income Taxes Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and tax basis of the Company's assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. A valuation allowance is recorded when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of the deferred tax assets may not be realized. The Company recognizes the tax benefit from uncertain tax positions if it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on examination by the tax authorities, based on the technical merits of the position. The tax benefit is measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. Operating Cycle In accordance with industry practice, amounts realizable and payable under contracts that extend beyond one year are included in current assets and liabilities. Use of Estimates The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements. Estimates also affect the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. New Accounting Pronouncements In July 2013, the FASB issued guidance that requires entities to present an unrecognized tax benefit, or a portion of an unrecognized tax benefit, as a reduction to a deferred tax asset for a net operating loss carryforward, a similar tax loss, or a tax credit carryforward when settlement in this manner is available under the tax law and the Company intends to use the deferred tax asset for that purpose. The amendments in this update are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 2013. The Company is currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this standard will have on its consolidated financial statements.

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