Item 1. Business
Fluor Corporation was incorporated in Delaware in September, 2000. However, through our predecessors, we have been in business for over a century.
Our common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "FLR".
Fluor Corporation is a holding company that owns a number of subsidiaries, as well as interests in joint ventures. Acting through these entities, we are one of the largest professional services firms providing engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication and modularization, operations, maintenance and asset integrity, as well as project management services, on a global basis. We provide these services to our clients in a diverse set of industries worldwide including oil and gas, chemicals and petrochemicals, mining and metals, infrastructure, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and advanced technologies. We are also a service provider to the U.S. federal government and governments abroad; and, we perform operations, maintenance and asset integrity activities globally for major industrial clients.
At December 31, 2020, we operated our business through six principal segments. The six segments were: Energy & Chemicals; Mining & Industrial; Infrastructure & Power; Government; Diversified Services; and Other. Fluor Constructors International, Inc., which is organized and operates separately from the rest of our business, provides unionized management and construction services in the United States and Canada, both independently and as a subcontractor on projects in each of our segments.
In January 2021, we introduced our new strategy, "Building a Better Future" during a Strategy Day event with investors. At our Strategy Day, we outlined four strategic priorities for driving value creation for our shareholders:
•Drive growth across our portfolio, by growing markets outside of the traditional oil and gas sector, including energy transition, advanced technology and life sciences, high-demand metals, infrastructure and mission solutions;
•Pursue contracts with fair and balanced commercial terms that reward value, with a bias towards reimbursable contracts;
•Reinforce financial discipline, maintaining a solid balance sheet by generating predictable cash flow and earnings; and
•Foster a high-performance culture with purpose, by advancing our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and promoting social progress and sustainability.
Competitive Strengths
As a world-class provider of our services, we believe that we bring capital efficient business solutions that combine excellence in execution, safety, cost containment and experience to our clients. In that regard, we believe that our business strengths and global positioning provide us with significant competitive advantages:
Safety. One of our core values is our constant focus on safety. Maintaining a safe and secure workplace is a key business driver for us and our clients. In our experience, whether in an office or at a jobsite, a safe environment decreases risks, assures a proper environment for all workers, enhances morale, improves productivity, reduces project cost and generally improves client relations. We believe that our commitment to safety is one of our most distinguishing features.
Global Execution Platform. As one of the larger publicly-traded EPC companies, we have a global footprint with employees situated throughout the world. Our global presence allows us to build local relationships to capitalize on opportunities near these locations. We believe it also allows us to mobilize quickly to project sites around the world and to draw on our local knowledge and talent pools. We continue to form strategic alliances with local partners, leverage our supply chain expertise and emphasize local training programs. We also provide services from our distributed execution centers on a cost-efficient basis.
Excellence in Execution. We believe that our ability to execute, maintain and manage complex projects, often in geographically challenging locations, gives us a distinct competitive advantage. We strive to complete our projects meeting or exceeding all client specifications. We have continued to shift toward data-driven execution, which we expect will enhance our ability to meet our clients' needs.
Market Diversity. We serve multiple markets across a broad spectrum of industries around the globe. We feel that our market diversity helps to mitigate the impact of the cyclicality in the markets we serve. Just as important, our concentrated
attention on market diversification should allow us to achieve more consistent growth and deliver solid financial returns. We believe that maintaining a good mixture within our entire business portfolio permits us to both focus on our more stable business markets and to capitalize on cyclical markets when the timing is appropriate.
Client Relationships. We actively pursue relationships with new clients while also building on our long-term relationships with existing clients. We believe that long-term relationships with existing clients serve us well by allowing us to better understand and be more responsive to their requirements. Regardless of whether our clients are new or have been with us for many decades, our ability to successfully foster relationships is a key strength.
Risk Management. In combination with our new pursuit criteria and guidelines we believe we have enhanced our ability to assess, mitigate and manage project risk, especially in difficult locations or circumstances. We have an experienced management team, and utilize a systematic and disciplined approach towards identifying, assessing and managing risks. We believe that our risk management approach helps us control costs and meet clients' schedules.
General Operations
Our services fall into six broad categories (outlined below). Our services can range from basic consulting activities, often at the early stages of a project, to complete design-build, operations and maintenance contracts.
•In engineering and design, we develop solutions to address our clients’ most complex problems. Our engineering services range from traditional engineering disciplines such as piping, mechanical, electrical, control systems, civil, structural and architectural to advanced engineering specialties including process engineering, chemical engineering, simulation, integrated automation processes and interactive 3-D modeling. Through our design solutions, we can provide clients with varied offerings which can include front-end engineering, conceptual design, estimating, feasibility studies, permitting, process simulation, technology and licensing evaluation, scope definition and siting.
•Our procurement offerings include procurement and supply chain solutions aimed at improving product quality and performance while also reducing project cost and schedule. Our clients draw upon our global sourcing and supply expertise, global purchasing power, technical knowledge, processes, systems and experienced global resources. Our procurement activities include strategic sourcing, material management, contracts management, buying, expediting, supplier quality inspection and logistics.
•In construction, we mobilize, execute, commission and demobilize projects on a self-perform or subcontracted basis. Generally, we are responsible for the completion of a project, often in difficult locations and under challenging circumstances. We are frequently designated as a program manager, and serve as such without regard to whether the client has facilities in multiple locations, complex phases in a single project location, or a large-scale investment in a facility.
•We also provide a variety of fabrication and modularization services, including integrated engineering and modular fabrication and assembly, as well as modular construction and asset support services to clients around the globe from our joint venture yards. By operating our own fabrication yards in key regions of the world, our off-site fabrication solutions can help our clients achieve cost and schedule savings by reducing on-site craft needs and shifting work to inherently safer and more controlled work environments.
•We offer operations, maintenance and asset integrity services intended to improve the performance and extend the life of our clients’ facilities. This may include the global delivery of total maintenance services, facility management, plant readiness, commissioning, start-up and maintenance technology, small capital projects, and turnaround and outage services. Among other things, we can provide key management, staffing and management skills to clients on-site at their facilities. These activities also include routine and outage/turnaround maintenance services, general maintenance and asset management, emissions reduction technologies and services, and restorative, repair, predictive and prevention services.
•Project management involves managing all aspects of the effort to deliver projects on schedule and within budget, and is critical on every project. We are often hired as the overall program manager on large complex projects where various contractors and subcontractors are involved and multiple activities need to be integrated to ensure the success of the overall project. Our services include logistics, development of project execution plans, detailed schedules, cost forecasts, progress tracking and reporting, and the integration of EPC efforts. Project management is accountable to the client to deliver the safety, functionality and financial performance requirements of the project.
Business Segments (as of December 31, 2020)
Energy & Chemicals
Our Energy & Chemicals segment focuses on opportunities in the upstream, midstream, downstream, chemical, petrochemical, offshore and onshore oil and gas production, LNG and pipeline markets. We have long served a broad spectrum of industries offering a full range of design, engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication and project management services. While we perform projects that range greatly in size and scope, we believe that one of our distinguishing features is that we are one of the few companies that have the global strength and experience to perform extremely large projects in difficult locations. As the locations of large scale energy and chemicals projects have become more challenging geographically, geopolitically or otherwise, we believe that clients will continue to look to us based upon our size, strength, global reach, experience and track record to manage their complex projects.
With each specific project, our role can vary. We may be involved in providing front-end engineering, program management and final design services, construction management services, self-perform construction, or oversight of other contractors, and we may also assume responsibility for the procurement of materials, equipment and subcontractors. We have the capacity to design, fabricate and construct new facilities, upgrade, modernize and expand existing facilities, and rebuild facilities following fires and explosions. We also provide consulting services ranging from feasibility studies to process assessments to project finance structuring and studies.
In the upstream sector, our clients need to develop additional and new sources of supply. Our typical projects in the upstream sector revolve around the production, processing and transporting of oil and gas resources, including the development of infrastructure associated with major new fields and pipelines. We are also involved in offshore production facilities and in conventional and unconventional gas projects in various geographic locations.
In the downstream sector, our clients have been modernizing and modifying existing refineries to increase capacity, improve margins and improve environmental performance. We continue to play a key role in each of these markets. We are also focused on sustainable markets, such as clean fuels, green energy and carbon sequestration, where an increasing number of clients and countries are implementing stronger environmental standards and goals.
We have been very active for several decades in the chemicals and petrochemicals market, with major projects involving the expansion of ethylene-based derivatives as well as specialty chemicals. The most active markets have been in the United States, Middle East and Asia, where there is significant demand for chemical products.
Mining & Industrial
The Mining & Industrial segment provides design, engineering, procurement, construction and project management services to the mining and metals, life sciences, advanced manufacturing and advanced technologies sectors.
In mining and metals, we provide a full range of services to our clients who produce a variety of commodities, including bauxite, copper, gold, iron ore, diamond, nickel, alumina, aluminum and phosphates. Our services include conceptual and feasibility studies through detailed engineering, design, procurement, construction, commissioning and startup support. Many of these opportunities are being developed in remote and logistically challenging environments, such as the Andes Mountains, Western Australia and Africa. We believe we are one of the few companies with the size, regional presence and experience to execute large scale mining and metals projects in these difficult and remote locations.
For the advanced manufacturing and technologies market, we provide design, engineering, procurement, construction and construction management services to a wide variety of industries on a global basis. We specialize in designing projects that incorporate lean manufacturing concepts while also satisfying client sustainability goals. Our experience spans a wide variety of market segments ranging from traditional manufacturing to advanced technology projects, such as data centers.
In life sciences, we provide design, engineering, procurement, construction and construction management services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. We also specialize in providing validation and commissioning services where we not only bring new facilities into production, but we also keep existing facilities operating. We believe the ability to complete projects on a large scale basis, especially in a business where time to market is critical, enables us to better serve our clients and is a key competitive advantage.
Infrastructure & Power
The Infrastructure & Power segment provides design, engineering, procurement, construction and project management services to the infrastructure sector.
We are an industry leader in developing infrastructure projects such as roads, highways, bridges and rail for governments, with particular interest in large, complex projects. We provide a broad range of services including consulting, design, planning, financial structuring, engineering and construction. We also provide long-term operation and maintenance services for transit and highway projects. Our projects may involve the use of public/private partnerships, which allow us to develop and finance deals in concert with public entities for projects such as toll roads and rail lines that would not have otherwise been undertaken with public funding alone. The replacement and expansion of aging infrastructure in North America continues to drive project opportunities.
Historically, we have also offered a full range of services including engineering, procurement, construction, program management, startup and commissioning and technical services to utilities, independent power producers, original equipment manufacturers and other third parties.
Government
The Government segment provides engineering and construction services, logistics and life-support, as well as contingency operations support, to the defense sector. We support military logistical and infrastructure needs around the world, including life-support, engineering, procurement, construction and logistical augmentation services to the U.S. military and coalition forces in various international locations. This segment also provides full life-cycle infrastructure support to the U.S. intelligence community globally.
The Government segment also provides support to the U.S. Department of Energy and National Nuclear Security Administration that includes management, mission operations, environmental remediation, decommissioning, engineering and construction services that address the many environmental and regulatory challenges associated with legacy and operational nuclear sites.
We also provide support to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This includes supporting the U.S. government’s rapid response capabilities to address security issues and disaster relief, the latter primarily through our long-standing relationship with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and in support of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Diversified Services
The Diversified Services segment provides a wide array of asset maintenance, asset integrity and staffing services. These services are provided around the world during both the project delivery phase as well as to new or existing client production assets.
Through our subsidiary, Stork, we provide asset maintenance and asset integrity services to the oil and gas, chemicals, life sciences, power, mining and metals, consumer products and manufacturing industries. We focus on asset management solutions, as well as providing asset services in areas such as electrical, instrumentation, mechanical and piping. We also provide asset integrity services, including new asset readiness solutions, inspection of existing assets, and asset turnaround and modification solutions. This business, driven by our clients' annual operating expenditures, often benefits from large projects that originate in another of our segments, which can lead to long-term operations or maintenance opportunities. Our long-term maintenance contracts can also lead to larger capital projects for our other business segments when those needs arise. Our goal is to help clients improve the performance of their assets, including late-life management solutions. In the first quarter of 2021, we announced a plan to sell Stork, which we expect will be reported as a discontinued operation beginning with the first quarter of 2021.
The segment's staffing services are provided through TRS Staffing Solutions®. TRS is a global enterprise of staffing specialists that provides the company and third party clients with technical, professional and craft resources either on a contract or permanent placement basis.
Other
Our Other segment includes the financial information for NuScale, as well as two lump-sum projects for which the U.S. government is either the client or ultimate client.
NuScale, a small modular nuclear reactor (“SMR”) technology company, is a leader in the development of light water, passively safe SMRs, which we believe will provide us with significant future project opportunities. NuScale received final design certification by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in August 2020.
Discontinued Operations
In the third quarter of 2019, we implemented a number of strategic initiatives and organizational changes to strengthen our financial position and improve operational performance. Among those initiatives, we committed to a plan to sell substantially all of our AMECO business, which is reported as a discontinued operation for all periods presented.
AMECO provides integrated construction equipment, tool, scaffolding and fleet service solutions to the company and third party clients in a focused number of locations around the world for construction projects and client production assets.
Business Segments (as of January 1, 2021)
At December 31, 2020, we operated our business through six principal business segments described above. In the first quarter of 2021, we announced an updated organizational and reporting structure. Beginning in the first quarter of 2021, we will operate through three business segments: Energy Solutions, Urban Solutions and Mission Solutions. Energy Solutions will focus on energy transition, chemicals and traditional oil and gas opportunities. Urban Solutions will focus on mining, metals, advanced technologies, manufacturing, life sciences, infrastructure and our professional staffing services. Mission Solutions will focus on delivering solutions to federal agencies across the U.S. government and to select international opportunities.
Other Matters
Backlog
Backlog represents the total amount of revenue we expect to record in the future based upon contracts that have been awarded to us. Backlog is stated in terms of gross revenues and may include significant estimated amounts of third-party, subcontracted and pass-through costs.
Backlog in the engineering and construction industry is a measure of the value of work to be performed on contracts already awarded and those in progress.
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December 31, 2020
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December 31, 2019
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(in millions)
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Energy & Chemicals
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$
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11,021
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$
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14,129
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Mining & Industrial
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3,980
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5,384
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Infrastructure & Power
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5,244
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6,079
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Government
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2,780
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|
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3,556
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Diversified Services(1)
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2,425
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2,542
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Other
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119
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244
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Total Backlog(2)(3)
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$
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25,569
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$
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31,934
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_______________________________________________________________________________
(1)With respect to our ongoing operations and maintenance and asset integrity contracts in the Diversified Services segment, backlog includes the amount of revenue we expect to recognize for the remainder of the current year renewal period plus up to three additional years if we consider renewal to be probable. The equipment and temporary staffing businesses in the Diversified Services segment do not report backlog or new awards.
(2)Includes backlog of $1.8 billion and $1.7 billion for projects in a loss position as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
(3)For projects related to proportionately consolidated joint ventures, we include only our percentage ownership of each joint venture's backlog.
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(in millions)
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December 31, 2020
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December 31, 2019
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North America
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$
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17,438
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$
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19,205
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Asia Pacific (including Australia)
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1,604
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|
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2,627
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Europe
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3,199
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5,739
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Central and South America
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2,469
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|
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3,210
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Middle East and Africa
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859
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|
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1,153
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Total Backlog
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$
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25,569
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$
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31,934
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_______________________________________________________________________________
Although backlog reflects business that we consider to be firm, cancellations, deferrals or scope adjustments may occur. Backlog is adjusted to reflect any known project cancellations, revisions to project scope and cost, foreign currency exchange fluctuations and project deferrals, as appropriate. The terms and conditions of some contracts include elements of both lump-sum and reimbursable contracts. Also, certain contracts may be converted from reimbursable to lump-sum. Due to additional factors outside of our control, such as changes in project schedules, we cannot accurately predict the exact timing that our December 31, 2020 backlog will be earned as revenue. Accordingly, backlog is not necessarily indicative of future earnings or revenues and no assurances can be provided that we will ultimately realize revenue on our backlog.
The following table sets forth our changes in consolidated backlog:
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2020
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2019
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(in millions)
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Backlog at beginning of year
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$
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31,934
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$
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40,051
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New awards
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9,005
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12,563
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Adjustments and cancellations, net(1)
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188
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(3,583)
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Work performed
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(15,558)
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(17,097)
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Backlog at end of year
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$
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25,569
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$
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31,934
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_______________________________________________________________________________
(1)Adjustments and cancellations during 2019 included the cancellation of two infrastructure projects as well as the suspension of certain contracts associated with our joint venture in Mexico.
In 2021, we expect to perform approximately 50% of our total backlog reported as of December 31, 2020, which is in line with the last three years.
Types of Contracts
While the basic terms and conditions of the contracts that we perform may vary considerably, we typically perform our work under two types of contracts: (a) reimbursable contracts and (b) lump-sum or guaranteed maximum contracts. In some markets, we are seeing hybrid contracts containing both lump-sum and reimbursable elements. As of December 31, 2020, the following table summarizes contract type within our ending backlog:
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December 31, 2020
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(in millions)
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(percentage)
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Reimbursable
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$
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11,621
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|
45
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%
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Lump-Sum and Guaranteed Maximum
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13,948
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|
55
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%
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In accordance with industry practice, most of our contracts are subject to termination at the discretion of our client. In such situations, our contracts typically provide for the payment of fees earned through the date of termination and the reimbursement of costs incurred including demobilization costs.
Under reimbursable contracts, the client reimburses us based upon negotiated rates and pays us a pre-determined fee, or a fee based upon a percentage of the cost incurred in completing the project. Our profit may be in the form of a fee, a simple markup applied to labor cost incurred in performing the contract, or a combination of the two. The fee element may also vary. The fee may be an incentive fee based upon achieving certain performance factors, milestones or targets; it may be a fixed amount in the contract; or it may be based upon a percentage of the cost incurred. In some cases, reimbursable contracts may be converted into lump-sum contracts.
Our Government segment, primarily acting as a prime contractor or a major subcontractor for a number of government programs, generally performs its services under reimbursable contracts subject to applicable statutes and regulations. In many cases, these contracts include incentive fee arrangements. The programs may span many years and may be implemented by awards under multiple contracts. Some of our government contracts are known as indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (“IDIQ”) agreements. Under these arrangements, we work closely with the government to define the scope and amount of work required based upon an estimate of the maximum amount that the government desires to spend. While the scope is often not initially fully defined or does not require any specific amount of work, once the project scope is determined, additional work may be awarded to us without the need for further competitive bidding.
Under lump-sum contracts, we typically bid based upon specifications provided by the client. This type of contracting presents risks because it requires us to predetermine the work to be performed, the project execution schedule and all costs
associated with the work. Another type of lump-sum contract is a negotiated fixed-price contract, under which we are selected as contractor first, and then we negotiate price with the client. Negotiated fixed-price contracts frequently occur in single-responsibility arrangements where we perform some of the work before negotiating the total price for the project. Another type of lump-sum contract is a unit price contract under which we are paid a set amount for every “unit” of work performed. If we perform well under these types of contracts, we can benefit from cost savings. However, if the project does not proceed as originally planned, we may not be able to recover cost overruns except in certain situations.
Guaranteed maximum price contracts are reimbursable contracts except that the total fee plus the total cost cannot exceed an agreed upon guaranteed maximum price. We can be responsible for some or all of the total cost of the project if the cost exceeds the guaranteed maximum price. Where the total cost is less than the negotiated guaranteed maximum price, we may receive the benefit of the cost savings based upon a negotiated agreement with the client.
Some of our contracts, regardless of type, may operate under joint ventures or other teaming arrangements. Typically, we enter into these arrangements with reputable companies with whom we have worked previously. These arrangements are generally made to strengthen our market position or technical skills, or where the size, scale or location of the project directs the use of such arrangements.
Competition
We are one of the world’s larger providers of engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication and modularization, operations, maintenance and asset integrity, and project management services. The markets served by our business are highly competitive and, for the most part, require substantial resources and highly skilled and experienced technical personnel. A large number of companies compete against us, including U.S.-based companies such as AECOM, Bechtel Group, Inc., EMCOR Group, Inc., Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., KBR, Inc., Kiewit Corporation, Granite Construction, Inc. and Quanta Services, Inc., and international-based companies such as ACS Actividades de Construccion y Servicios, Balfour Beatty plc, Chiyoda Corporation, Hyundai Engineering & Construction Company, Ltd., JGC Corporation, McDermott International, Inc., Petrofac Limited, SNC-Lavalin Group, Inc., Samsung Engineering, Stantec Inc., TechnipFMC plc, Wood Group plc, and WorleyParsons Limited.
Competition for our Energy & Chemicals, Mining & Industrial and Infrastructure & Power segments is based on an ability to provide the design, engineering, planning, management and project execution skills required to complete complex projects in a safe, timely and cost-efficient manner. We believe our engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction business derives its competitive strength from our diversity, excellence in execution, reputation for quality, technology, cost-effectiveness, worldwide procurement capability, project management expertise, geographic coverage, ability to meet client requirements by performing construction on either a union or an open shop basis, ability to execute complex projects of varying sizes, strong safety record and lengthy experience with a wide range of services and technologies.
The various markets served by the Diversified Services segment, while having some similarities to other segments, tend also to have discrete issues impacting individual business lines. Each of the markets we serve has a large number of competing companies. In the operations and maintenance markets, barriers to entry are both financially and logistically low, resulting in a fragmented industry with no single company being dominant. Competition in those markets is generally driven by reputation, price and the capacity to perform. Temporary staffing is a highly fragmented market with over 1,000 companies competing globally. The key competitive factors in this business line are price, service, quality, client relationships, breadth of service and the ability to identify and retain qualified personnel and geographic coverage.
In the Government segment, key competitive factors are primarily centered on performance, reputation and the ability to provide the design, engineering, planning, management and project execution skills required to complete complex projects in a safe, timely, cost-efficient and compliant manner.
The AMECO business, which operates in numerous markets, is highly fragmented and very competitive, with a large number of competitors mostly operating in specific geographic areas. The competition in the equipment business for larger capital project services is more narrow and limited to only those capable of providing comprehensive equipment, tool and management services.
Raw Materials
The principal products we use in our business include structural steel, metal plate, concrete, cable and various electrical and mechanical components. These products and components are subject to raw material (aluminum, copper, nickel, iron ore, etc.) availability and pricing fluctuations, which we monitor on a regular basis. We have access to numerous global supply sources, and we do not foresee any unavailability of these items that would have a material adverse effect on our business in the near term. However, the availability of these products, components and raw materials may vary significantly from year to year due to various factors including client demand, producer capacity, market conditions and specific material shortages.
Compliance with Government Regulations, Including Environmental, Safety and Health Matters
We provide services at sites throughout the world. Work at some of these sites involves activities related to nuclear facilities, hazardous waste, hydrocarbon production, distribution and transport, the military and infrastructure. Some of our work can be performed adjacent to environmentally sensitive locations such as wetlands, lakes and rivers. We also contract with governments to remediate hazardous materials, including chemical agents and weapons, as well as to decontaminate and decommission nuclear sites. These activities can require us to manage, handle, remove, treat, transport and dispose of toxic, radioactive or hazardous substances, and are subject to many environmental, health and safety laws and regulations.
We believe that we are generally compliant with all environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. We further believe that any accruals with respect to future environmental costs are adequate and that any future costs will not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations. Some factors, however, could result in additional expenditures or the provision of additional accruals in expectation of such expenditures. These include the imposition of more stringent requirements under environmental laws or regulations, new developments or changes regarding site cleanup costs or the allocation of such costs among potentially responsible parties, or a determination that we are potentially responsible for the release of hazardous substances at sites other than those currently identified.
Human Capital Management
We promote a high performance culture with purpose and foster a diverse and inclusive workplace as a business imperative because we consider people to be our single greatest asset. A high performance culture, where everyone is treated fairly and respectfully and has equal access to opportunities based on capabilities and performance, regardless of background, raises both the individual and collective performance of our company. Our culture drives employee engagement, productivity and a sustainable competitive advantage.
The following summarizes our human capital information as of December 31, 2020:
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Number of
Employees
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Salaried Employees
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24,203
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Craft and Hourly Employees
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16,514
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TRS Agency
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3,000
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Total
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43,717
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The number of craft and hourly employees can vary in relation to the number, size and phase of execution of our projects. We have employees in the following regions:
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Region
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% of Global Workforce
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North America
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36
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%
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Europe, Africa and Middle East
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27
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%
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Central and South America
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25
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%
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Asia Pacific (includes Australia)
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|
12
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%
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Health and Safety
Safety is one of our core values. We are committed to taking care of our employees and preventing injuries in our offices and project locations. Our robust programs and procedures help us mitigate the hazards inherent in the work we do. We are committed to fostering a caring, preventative culture founded on proactive action by engaged employees. We call this Safer TogetherSM. Our 2020 safety performance resulted in a total case incident rate of 0.38 (calculated in accordance with OSHA record keeping requirements), outperforming our goal of less than 0.40 and well below the comparable industry benchmarks. From 2019 to 2020, we also experienced reductions in the number of work-related life-altering injuries, lost time injuries and injuries requiring medical treatment or work restriction.
In response to COVID-19, we implemented a number of measures to protect the well-being of our employees and mitigate COVID-19 transmission within our offices and on our projects. We established a global COVID-19 task force in January 2020 and implemented actions to empower remote working, restrict non-essential business travel, enhance sanitation at our offices and project sites, and other return-to-work measures. We have an employee assistance program to support employee well-being with a focus on mental health. We also created a Workplace Flexibility global task force to define the workplace of the future.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
We are committed to advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ("DE&I"). We believe that every voice matters, and we value DE&I at every level. We embrace different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds. We listen actively, respect one another and foster an environment with a deep sense of pride and belonging. We are focused on four key impact pillars to advance DE&I:
•Champion an inclusive culture;
•Recruit, develop and retain talent;
•Enhance employee experience; and
•Improve social progress and impact.
We engage and partner with select organizations that represent and support gender, racial and ethnic diversity in the engineering profession, and we work with a variety of university student associations to reach targeted populations. We extend our job postings to the appropriate state workforce agencies as well as a syndicated network of partner sites, in order to reach a diverse pool of candidates.
Development Opportunities
One of our top priorities is to provide ongoing training and development for our employees through multiple venues, including Fluor University, our online learning platform. Employees can select from among a wide variety of self-paced, online training courses and have options to sign up for location-specific, instructor-led and virtual courses. Topics range from discipline-specific and targeted technical learning to general knowledge topics, such as leadership, business acumen, communication and inclusive management. In 2020, our employees earned more than 98,000 credit hours through Fluor University.
We have also developed several programs to help employees advance their careers, including Fluor Fellows for our technical experts and Mentoring Circles. In addition, we currently have three employee resource groups: Growing Representation & Opportunity for Women ("GROW"), Graduates Advancing to Professionalism ("GAP") and Emerging Leaders Group ("ELG").
Community Responsibility
Part of building a high-performance culture with purpose is offering employees robust and enriching opportunities to help build a better future through volunteerism and philanthropy. For more than 40 years, our employee volunteer program, Fluor Cares, has given employees a conduit for giving back to the communities where we live and work. In 2020, employees volunteered more than 24,000 hours to charitable organizations and causes. Additionally, employees pledged $3.6 million, which included a 25 percent company match, through our North America employee giving campaign.
We remained true to our legacy of giving back even as COVID-19 continued to impact lives and communities in far-reaching and profound ways. Our employees continued to exhibit compassion and generosity for those affected by the virus. Local community relations teams directed financial resources to the most significant COVID-19 relief efforts in their local communities with contributions exceeding $0.7 million to local COVID-19 relief funds organized by our community partners in support of meal service charities, critical human needs and schools.
Information about our Executive Officers
The following information is being furnished with respect to our executive officers as of January 31, 2021:
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Name
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Age
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Position with the Company(1)
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Alan L. Boeckmann
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72
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Executive Chairman
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Joseph L. Brennan
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53
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Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
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James R. Breuer
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52
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Group President, Energy Solutions
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Alvin C. Collins III
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47
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Group President, Corporate Development and Sustainability
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David E. Constable
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59
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Chief Executive Officer
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Thomas P. D'Agostino
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62
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Group President, Mission Solutions
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Stacy L. Dillow
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47
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Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
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Mark E. Fields
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62
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Group President, Project Execution
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John C. Regan
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51
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Executive Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer
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John R. Reynolds
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64
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Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
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Terry W. Towle
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60
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Group President, Urban Solutions
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_______________________________________________________________________________
(1)All references are to positions held with Fluor Corporation. All officers serve in their respective capacities at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.
Alan L. Boeckmann
Mr. Boeckmann has been Executive Chairman since 2019. Prior to his retirement in 2012, he previously served as non-executive Chairman of the company from 2011 to 2012 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company from 2002 to 2011. Mr. Boeckmann first joined the company in 1974.
Joseph L. Brennan
Mr. Brennan has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since July 2020. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Operations Controller in 2020, Senior Vice President and Segment Controller — Energy & Chemicals from 2018 to 2020 and Vice President and Segment Controller — Energy & Chemicals from 2016 to 2018 and as the general manager of the company's Southern California operations from 2013 to 2016. Mr. Brennan joined the company in 1991.
James R. Breuer
Mr. Breuer has been Group President, Energy Solutions since January 2021. Prior to that, he was President, Downstream — Energy & Chemicals from 2019 to 2021, Vice President and General Manager, South America — Mining & Metals from 2017 to 2019 and Director of Operations, ICA Fluor from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Breuer joined the company in 1993.
Alvin C. Collins III
Mr. Collins has been Group President, Corporate Development and Sustainability since January 2021. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President, Operations — Energy & Chemicals from 2019 to 2021, Senior Vice President, Global Business Development — Energy & Chemicals in 2019, Senior Vice President, Operations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East — Energy & Chemicals from 2016 to 2019. Mr. Collins joined the company in 1994.
David E. Constable
Mr. Constable has been Chief Executive Officer since January 2021, after serving as a member of Fluor's Board of Directors since 2019. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer (from 2011) and Chief Executive Officer and President (from 2014) of Sasol Ltd., an integrated energy and chemical company, until 2016. Prior to that, he was Group President, Project Operations at the company from 2009 to 2011 and Group President, Power from 2005 to 2009. Mr. Constable first joined the company in 1982.
Thomas P. D'Agostino
Mr. D'Agostino has been Group President, Mission Solutions since January 2021. Prior to that, he was Group President, Government from 2017 to 2021, Senior Vice President, Sales —Government from 2015 to 2017 and Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning and Development — Government from 2013 to 2015. Mr. D'Agostino joined the company in 2013.
Stacy L. Dillow
Ms. Dillow has been Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer since 2019. Prior to that, she was Head of Supply Chain Transformation, Southeast Asia and Australasia at Unilever, a consumer goods company, from 2018 to 2019. Prior to that, she was Senior Project Director — Energy & Chemicals at the company from 2014 to 2017. Ms. Dillow first joined the company in 1996.
Mark E. Fields
Mr. Fields has been Group President, Project Execution since January 2021. Prior to that, he was Group President, Energy & Chemicals from 2019 to 2021, Senior Vice President, Energy & Chemicals Americas from 2017 to 2019 and Senior Vice President, Project Director — Energy & Chemicals from 2009 to 2017. Mr. Fields joined the company in 1981.
John C. Regan
Mr. Regan has been Executive Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer since June 2020. Prior to joining the company, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Alta Mesa Resources, Inc., an upstream exploration and production company, from 2019 to 2020, and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Vine Oil and Gas LP and Brix Oil and Gas LP, private companies focused on natural gas exploration, from 2015 to 2018. Alta Mesa
Resources, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in September 2019.
John R. Reynolds
Mr. Reynolds has been Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer since 2019 and Secretary since 2020. Prior to that, he was Vice President and Senior Managing General Counsel from 2017 to 2019 and Managing General Counsel from 2005 to 2017. Mr. Reynolds joined the company in 1985.
Terry W. Towle
Mr. Towle has been Group President, Urban Solutions since January 2021. Prior to that, he was Group President, Infrastructure & Power from 2019 to 2021, Senior Vice President, Project Director — Infrastructure from 2015 to 2019 and Senior Vice President, Business Line President — Infrastructure from 2014 to 2015. Mr. Towle joined the company in 1985.
Available Information
Our website address is www.fluor.com. You may obtain free electronic copies of our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports on the “Investor Relations” portion of our website, under the heading “SEC Filings” filed under “Financial Information.” These reports are available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with the SEC. These reports, and any amendments to them, are also available at the Internet website of the SEC, http://www.sec.gov. We also use our investor relations website as a channel of distribution for important company information. Investors and others can receive notifications of new information posted on our investor relations website in real time by signing up for e-mail alerts and RSS feeds. We also maintain various documents related to our corporate governance including our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Board Committee Charters and our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for Members of the Board of Directors on the “Sustainability” portion of our website under the heading “Corporate Governance Documents” filed under “Governance.”
Item 1A. Risk Factors
We operate in a complex and rapidly changing global environment that involves numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and stock price. The risks described below highlight some of the factors that have affected and could affect us in the future. We may also be affected by unknown risks or risks that we currently think are immaterial. If any such events actually occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and stock price could be materially adversely affected.
Summary Risk Factors
The following summarizes the risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operation and stock price. You should read this summary together with the more detailed description of each risk factor contained below.
Risks Related to our Operations
•COVID-19 has had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our business operations, results of operations and financial position.
•We are vulnerable to the cyclical nature of the markets we serve.
•Our revenue and earnings are largely dependent on the award of new contracts, which is driven by our clients.
•The nature of our contracts, particularly our lump-sum contracts, subject us to risks associated with delays and cost overruns, which may not be recoverable and may result in reduced profits or losses that could have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
•Intense competition in the global EPC industry can reduce our revenue and profits.
•The success of our use of teaming arrangements and joint ventures depends on the satisfactory performance by our venture partners over whom we may have little or no control, and the failure of those partners to perform their obligations could impose additional obligations on us that could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
•Cybersecurity breaches of our systems and information technology could adversely impact our ability to operate.
•We have international operations that are subject to foreign economic and political uncertainties and risks. Unexpected and adverse changes in the foreign countries in which we operate could result in project disruptions, increased cost and potential losses.
•Our backlog is subject to unexpected adjustments and cancellations.
•Our employees work on projects that are inherently dangerous and in locations where there are high security risks, and a failure to maintain a safe work site could result in significant losses.
•Our businesses could be materially and adversely affected by events outside of our control.
•Our actual results could differ from the assumptions and estimates used to prepare our financial statements.
•If we experience delays and/or defaults in client payments, we could suffer liquidity problems or we could be unable to recover all expenditures.
•We are dependent upon suppliers and subcontractors to complete many of our contracts.
•Our U.S. government contracts and contracting rights may be terminated or otherwise adversely impacted at any time, and our inability to win or renew government contracts during regulated procurement processes could harm our operations and reduce our projects and revenues.
•Our continued success requires us to hire and retain qualified personnel.
•Our effective tax rate and tax positions may vary.
•Systems and information technology interruption, as well as new systems implementation, could adversely impact our ability to operate and our operating results.
•It can be very difficult and expensive to obtain the insurance we need for our business operations.
•If we do not have adequate indemnification for our nuclear services, it could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
•Foreign currency risks could have an adverse impact on revenue, earnings and/or backlog.
•The loss of one or a few clients could have an adverse effect on us.
•Damage to our reputation could in turn cause damage to our business.
•Our business may be negatively impacted if we are unable to adequately protect intellectual property rights.
•Our results of operations could be adversely affected as a result of asset impairments.
Risks Related to Financial Reporting
•We identified material weaknesses in our ICFR in 2019, which were remediated in 2020. If we identify material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately and timely report our financial results.
•Our prior failure to prepare and timely file our periodic reports with the SEC limits our access to the public markets to raise debt or equity capital and restricts our ability to issue equity securities.
•We restated certain of our previously issued financial statements during 2020, which resulted in unanticipated costs and may affect investor confidence and raise reputational issues.
Risks Related to Indebtedness and other Credit Related Risks
•Adverse credit and financial market conditions could impair our, our clients' and our partners' borrowing capacity, which could negatively affect our business operations, profits and growth objectives.
•Our indebtedness could lead to adverse consequences or adversely affect our financial position and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under such indebtedness, and any refinancing of this debt could be at significantly higher interest rates.
•We may be unable to win new contract awards if we cannot provide clients with letters of credit, bonds or other security or credit enhancements.
Legal and Regulatory Risks
•From time to time, we are involved in litigation and regulatory proceedings, potential liability claims and contract disputes that may have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
•Our failure to recover adequately on claims against project owners, subcontractors or suppliers for payment or performance could have a material effect on our financial results.
•We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.
•We could be adversely impacted if we fail to comply with domestic and international import and export laws.
•Employee, agent or partner misconduct or our overall failure to comply with laws or regulations could weaken our ability to win contracts, which could result in reduced revenues and profits.
•New or changing legal requirements, including those relating to climate change, could adversely affect our operating results.
•Past and future environmental, safety and health regulations could impose significant additional costs on us that reduce our profits.
Risks Related to Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategic Plans
•We cannot assure the successful implementation of our strategic and operational initiatives.
•Any acquisitions, dispositions or other investments are subject to various risks or uncertainties and may not be completed in accordance with the expected plans or anticipated time frame, or at all, and will involve significant time and expense, which could disrupt or adversely affect our business.
•We may be unable to successfully integrate acquisitions or investments we make into our businesses or capture the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions and investments.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
•In the event we issue additional equity securities, stockholders' ownership percentages would be diluted.
•Delaware law, our charter documents and our stockholder rights agreement may impede or discourage a takeover or change of control.
Risks Related to our Operations
COVID-19 has had and could continue to have a material adverse effect on our business operations, results of operations and financial position.
There have been extraordinary and wide-ranging actions taken by international, federal, state and local public health and governmental authorities in response to COVID-19, including quarantines, government restrictions on movement, business closures and suspensions, canceled events and activities, self-isolation, and other voluntary or mandated changes in behavior. Both the outbreak of the disease and actions in response thereto have created significant uncertainty and economic volatility and disruption, which have impacted and may continue to impact our workforce and operations and have materially adversely affected and may continue to materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial performance, including, but not limited to, the following:
•We have experienced, and may continue to experience, reductions in demand for certain of our services and the delay or abandonment of ongoing or anticipated projects due to our clients’, suppliers’ and other third parties’ diminished financial conditions or financial distress, as well as governmental budget constraints. These impacts are expected to continue or worsen if stay-at-home, social distancing, travel restrictions and other similar orders or restrictions remain in place for an extended period of time or are re-imposed after being lifted or eased.
•Some clients have been, and may in the future be, unable to meet their payment obligations to us in a timely manner, including as a result of deteriorating financial condition or bankruptcy. Further, other third parties, such as suppliers, subcontractors, joint venture partners and other outside business partners, have experienced significant disruptions in their ability to satisfy their obligations with respect to us, or they may be unable to do so in the future altogether.
•Many employers, including us, and governments continue to require all or a significant portion of employees to work remotely. While many of our employees can effectively perform their responsibilities while working remotely, some work may not be completed as efficiently as if it were performed on site. Additionally, we may be exposed to unexpected cybersecurity risks and additional information technology-related expenses as a result of these remote working requirements.
•Illness, travel restrictions or other workforce disruptions have affected, and may continue to affect, our supply chain, our ability to timely and satisfactorily complete our clients’ projects, our ability to provide services to our clients or our other business processes.
•We have furloughed certain employees and may need to further furlough or reduce the number of employees that we employ. We may experience difficulties associated with hiring additional employees or replacing employees, in particular with respect to roles that require security clearances or other special qualifications that may be limited or difficult to obtain.
•In addition to existing travel restrictions implemented in response to COVID-19, jurisdictions may continue to close borders, impose prolonged quarantines and further restrict travel and business activity, which could materially impair our ability to conduct our operations, to source supplies through the global supply chain and to identify, pursue and capture new business opportunities, and which could continue to restrict the ability of our employees to access their workplaces. We also face the possibility of increased overhead or other expenses resulting from compliance with any future government orders or other measures enacted in response to COVID-19.
•We operate in many countries around the world, and certain of those countries’ governments may be unable to effectively mitigate the financial or other impacts of COVID-19 on their economies and workforces and our operations therein.
The extent to which COVID-19 will continue to impact us depends on numerous evolving factors and future developments that we are not currently able to predict and may also exacerbate other risks discussed in this 2020 10-K, any of which could have a material adverse effect on us, our business operations, results of operations and financial position.
We are vulnerable to the cyclical nature of the markets we serve.
The demand for our services is dependent upon the existence of projects with engineering, procurement, construction, fabrication, maintenance and management needs. Our clients' interest in approving new projects, budgets for capital expenditures and need for our services have in the past been, and may in the future be, adversely affected by, among other things, poor economic conditions, low oil prices, political uncertainties and currency devaluations. Clients have been and remain selective in how they allocate and expend their capital, which has resulted in a reduction of the number of projects we may bid on and win, especially the larger scale projects in which we specialize. For example, in our Energy & Chemicals segment, capital expenditures by our clients are influenced by factors such as prevailing prices and expectations about future prices for underlying commodities, technological advances, the costs of exploration, production and delivery of product, domestic and international political, military, regulatory and economic conditions and other similar factors. As a result of the decline in oil prices in the first quarter of 2020, demand for our services in our Energy & Chemicals segment has been adversely impacted. There is no guarantee that the current recovery in oil prices will be sustained, and the timing and extent of any future improvements in demand remain uncertain. Industries served by that segment and many of the others we serve have historically been and will continue to be vulnerable to general downturns, which in turn could materially and adversely affect the demand for our services.
Our revenue and earnings are largely dependent on the award of new contracts, which is driven by our clients.
The awarding and timing of projects is unpredictable and driven by our clients. Awards, including expansions of existing projects, often involve complex and lengthy negotiations and competitive bidding processes. These processes can be impacted by a wide variety of factors including a client's decision to not proceed with the development of a project, governmental approvals, financing contingencies, oil prices, environmental conditions and overall market and economic conditions. We may not win contracts that we have bid on due to price, a client's perception of our ability to perform and/or perceived technology advantages held by others. Many of our competitors may be more inclined to take greater or unusual risks or include terms and conditions in a contract that we might not deem acceptable, especially when the markets for the services we typically offer are relatively soft. Because a significant portion of our revenue is generated from large projects, our results of operations can fluctuate depending on whether and when large project awards occur and the commencement and progress of work under large contracts already awarded. As a result, we are subject to the risk of losing new awards to competitors or the risk that revenue may not be derived from awarded projects as quickly as anticipated. Additionally, uncertain economic and political conditions may make it difficult for our clients, our vendors and us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities. For example, recent changes to U.S. policies related to global trade and tariffs have resulted in uncertainty surrounding the future of the global economy as well as retaliatory trade measures implemented by other countries.
The nature of our contracts, particularly our lump-sum contracts, subject us to risks associated with delays and cost overruns, which may not be recoverable and may result in reduced profits or losses that could have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
Because our projects are often technically complex, with multiple phases occurring over several years, we incur risks in our project execution activities. These risks could result in project delays, cost overruns or other problems and can include the following:
•Incorrect assumptions related to productivity, scheduling estimates or future economic conditions, including with respect to the impacts of inflation on lump-sum contracts;
•Unanticipated technical problems, including design or engineering issues;
•Inaccurate representations of site conditions and unanticipated changes in the project execution plan;
•Project modifications creating unanticipated costs or delays and failure to properly manage project modifications;
•Inability to achieve guaranteed performance or quality standards with regard to engineering, construction or project management obligations;
•Insufficient or inadequate project execution tools and systems needed to record, track, forecast and control cost and schedule;
•Reliance on historic cost and/or execution data that is not representative of current economic and/or execution conditions;
•Failure to accurately estimate the timing and cost of projects, including due to unforeseen increases in the cost of labor;
•Unanticipated increases in the cost of raw materials, components or equipment, including due to the imposition of import tariffs;
•Failure to properly make judgments in accordance with applicable professional standards, including engineering standards;
•Failure to properly assess and update appropriate risk mitigation strategies and measures;
•Difficulties related to the performance of our clients, partners, subcontractors, suppliers or other third parties;
•Delays or productivity issues caused by weather; and
•Changes in local laws or difficulties or delays in obtaining permits, rights of way or approvals.
These and other risks have in the past and may in the future result in our failure to achieve contractual cost or schedule commitments, safety performance, overall client satisfaction or other performance criteria. As a result, we may receive lower fees or lose our ability to earn incentive fees. In other cases, our fee will not change but we will have to continue to perform work without additional fees until the performance criteria is achieved. We may also be required to pay liquidated damages if we fail to complete a project on schedule. In addition, if we fail to meet guaranteed performance or quality standards, we may be held responsible under the guarantee or warranty provisions of our contract for cost impact to the client, generally in the form of contractually agreed-upon liquidated damages or an obligation to re-perform work. To the extent these events occur, the total cost to the project (including any liquidated damages we become liable to pay) could be material and could, in some circumstances, equal or exceed the full value of the contract. In such events, our financial condition or results of operations could be materially and negatively impacted.
In circumstances where the contract is lump-sum or the revenue is otherwise fixed, we bear significant risk for delays and cost overruns. Reimbursable contract types, such as those that include negotiated hourly billing rates, may restrict the kinds or amounts of costs that are reimbursable, therefore exposing us to the risk that we may incur certain costs in executing these contracts that are above our estimates and not recoverable from our clients.
Intense competition in the global EPC industry can reduce our revenue and profits.
We serve markets that are highly competitive and in which a large number of multinational companies compete. These markets require substantial resources and investment in technology and skilled personnel. We also see a continuing influx of non-traditional competitors offering below-market pricing while accepting greater risk. Competition places downward pressure on our contract prices and profit margins, and has in the past forced, and may in the future force, us to accept contractual terms and conditions that are not normal or customary, thereby increasing the risk of losses on such contracts. Intense competition is expected to continue in these markets, presenting us with significant challenges in our ability to maintain strong growth rates and acceptable profit margins. To the extent we are unable to meet these competitive challenges, we could lose revenue and experience an overall reduction in our profits.
The success of our use of teaming arrangements and joint ventures depends on the satisfactory performance by our venture partners over whom we may have little or no control, and the failure of those partners to perform their obligations could impose additional obligations on us that could have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
In the ordinary course of business, and as has become increasingly common in our industry, we execute specific projects and otherwise conduct certain operations through joint ventures, consortiums, partnerships and other collaborative arrangements (collectively, "ventures"). We have various ownership interests in these ventures, with such ownership typically being proportionate to our decision-making and distribution rights. The ventures generally contract directly with the third party client; however, services may be performed directly by the venture, or may be performed by us, our partners, or a combination thereof.
Our success in many markets is dependent, in part, on the presence or capability of a local partner. If we are unable to compete alone, or with a quality partner, our ability to win work and successfully complete our contracts may be impacted.
Differences in opinions or views between venture partners can result in delayed decision-making or failure to agree on material issues, which could adversely affect the business and operations of our ventures. In many of the countries in which we engage in joint ventures, it may be difficult to enforce our contractual rights under the applicable joint venture agreement.
At times, we also participate in ventures where we are not a controlling party or where we team with unaffiliated parties on a particular project bid. In such instances, we may have limited control over venture decisions and actions, including internal controls and financial reporting, which may have an impact on our business. If internal control problems arise within the joint venture, or if our joint venture partners have financial or operational issues, there could be a material impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
The success of these and other ventures also depends, in large part, on the satisfactory performance by our venture partners of their venture obligations, including their obligation to commit working capital, equity or credit support as required by the venture and to support their indemnification and other contractual obligations. If our venture partners fail to satisfactorily perform their venture obligations, the venture may be unable to adequately perform or deliver its contracted services. Under these circumstances, we may be required to make additional investments and provide additional services to ensure the adequate performance and delivery by the venture of the contracted services and to meet any performance guarantees. From time to time, in order to establish or preserve a relationship, or to better ensure venture success, we may accept risks or responsibilities for the venture that are not necessarily proportionate with the reward we expect to receive or that may differ from risks or responsibilities we would normally accept in our own operations. We may also be subject to joint and several liability for our venture partners under the applicable contracts for venture projects. These additional obligations could result in reduced profits or, in some cases, increased liabilities or significant losses for us with respect to the venture, and in turn, our business and operations. In addition, a failure by a venture partner to comply with applicable laws, rules or regulations could negatively impact our business and reputation and could result in fines, penalties, suspension or, in the case of government contracts, even debarment.
Cybersecurity breaches of our systems and information technology could adversely impact our ability to operate.
We utilize, develop, install and maintain a number of information technology systems both for us and for others. Various privacy and security laws require us to protect sensitive and confidential information from disclosure. In addition, we are bound by our client and other contracts, as well as our own business practices, to protect confidential and proprietary information (whether it be ours or a third party's information entrusted to us) from disclosure. Our computer systems, as well as those of our clients, contractors and other vendors, face the threat of unauthorized access, computer hackers, viruses, malicious code, cyber attacks, phishing and other security incursions and system disruptions, including attempts to improperly access our confidential and proprietary information as well as the confidential and proprietary information of our clients and other business partners. While we endeavor to maintain industry-accepted security measures and technology to secure our computer systems and while we endeavor to ensure our cloud vendors that store our data maintain similar measures, these systems and the information stored on these systems may still be subject to threats. There can be no assurance that our efforts will protect us against all threats. Further, as these security threats continue to evolve, we may be required to devote additional resources to protect, detect and respond against such threats. A party who circumvents our security measures, or those of our clients, contractors or other vendors, could misappropriate confidential or proprietary information, improperly manipulate data, or cause damage or interruptions to systems. Any of these events could damage our reputation, result in litigation and regulatory fines and penalties, or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Furthermore, while we maintain insurance that specifically covers cybersecurity threats, our coverage may not sufficiently cover all types of losses or claims that may arise.
We have international operations that are subject to foreign economic and political uncertainties and risks. Unexpected and adverse changes in the foreign countries in which we operate could result in project disruptions, increased cost and potential losses.
Our business is subject to international economic and political conditions that change (sometimes frequently) for reasons that are beyond our control. We expect that a significant portion of our revenue and profits will continue to come from international projects for the foreseeable future.
Operating in the international marketplace exposes us to a number of risks including:
•abrupt changes in government policies, laws, treaties (including those impacting trade), regulations or leadership;
•embargoes or other trade restrictions, including sanctions;
•restrictions on currency movement;
•tax or tariff changes;
•currency exchange rate fluctuations;
•changes in labor conditions and difficulties in staffing and managing international operations, including logistical and communication challenges;
•U.S. government trade or other policy changes in relation to the foreign countries in which we or our clients operate;
•other social, political and economic instability, including recessions and other economic crises in other regions;
•natural disasters and public health crises, including pandemics such as COVID-19;
•expropriation and nationalization of our assets in a foreign country;
•international hostilities; and
•unrest, civil strife, acts of war, terrorism and insurrection.
Also, the lack of a well-developed legal system in some of the countries where we operate may make it difficult to enforce our contractual rights or to defend ourself against claims made by others. We operate in locations where there is a significant amount of political risk. In addition, military action or continued unrest could impact the supply or pricing of oil, disrupt our operations in the region and elsewhere, and increase our security costs. Our level of exposure to these risks may vary with each project, depending on the location of the project and its stage of completion. For example, our risk exposure with respect to a project in an early development phase, such as engineering, will generally be less than our risk exposure on a project that is in the construction phase. To the extent that our international business is affected by unexpected and adverse foreign economic and political conditions and risks, we may experience project disruptions and losses. Project disruptions and losses could significantly reduce our overall revenue and profits.
Our backlog is subject to unexpected adjustments and cancellations.
Our backlog generally consists of projects for which we have an executed contract or commitment with a client and reflects our expected revenue from the contract or commitment, which is often subject to revision over time. We cannot guarantee that the revenue projected in our backlog will be realized or profitable or will not be subject to delay or suspension. Project cancellations, scope adjustments or deferrals, or foreign currency fluctuations may occur with respect to contracts reflected in our backlog and could reduce the dollar amount of our backlog and the revenue and profits that we actually earn; or, may cause the rate at which we perform on our backlog to decrease. Most of our contracts have termination for convenience provisions in them allowing clients to cancel projects already awarded to us. Our contracts typically provide for the payment of fees earned through the date of termination and the reimbursement of costs incurred including demobilization costs. In addition, projects may remain in our backlog for an extended period of time. During periods of economic slowdown, or decreases and/or instability in oil prices, the risk of projects being suspended, delayed or canceled generally increases. Finally, poor project or contract performance could also impact our backlog and profits. Such developments could have a material adverse effect on our business and our profits.
Our employees work on projects that are inherently dangerous and in locations where there are high security risks, and a failure to maintain a safe work site could result in significant losses.
We often work on complex projects, frequently in geographically remote or high-risk locations that are subject to political, social or economic risks, or war or civil unrest. In those locations where we have employees or operations, we may expend significant efforts and incur substantial security costs to maintain the safety of our personnel. In addition, our project sites can place our employees and others near large equipment, dangerous processes or substances or highly regulated materials, and in challenging environments. Safety is a primary focus of our business and is critical to our reputation and performance. Many of our clients require that we meet certain safety criteria to be eligible to bid on contracts, and some of our contract fees or profits are subject to satisfying safety criteria. Unsafe work conditions also have the potential of increasing employee turnover, increasing project costs and raising our operating costs. If we fail to implement appropriate safety procedures and/or if our procedures fail, our employees or others may suffer injuries or even loss of life, the completion of a project could be delayed and we could experience investigations or litigation. Although we maintain functional groups whose primary purpose is to implement effective health, safety and environmental procedures throughout our company, the failure to comply with such procedures, client contracts or applicable regulations could subject us to losses and liability. Despite these activities, in these locations and at these sites, we cannot guarantee the safety of our personnel, nor can we guarantee our work, equipment or supplies will be free from damage.
Our businesses could be materially and adversely affected by events outside of our control.
Extraordinary or force majeure events beyond our control, such as natural or man-made disasters, severe weather conditions, public health crises, political crises or other catastrophic events, could negatively impact our ability to operate or increase our costs to operate. Such events may result in disruptions to our operations; evacuation of personnel; increased labor and material costs or shortages; inability to deliver materials, equipment and personnel to jobsites in accordance with contract schedules; and loss of productivity. We may remain obligated to perform our services after any such events, unless a contract provision provides us with relief from our obligations. The extra costs incurred as a result of these events may not be reimbursed by our clients. If we are not able to react quickly to such events, or if a high concentration of our projects are impacted by such an event, our operations may be adversely affected. In addition, if we cannot complete our contracts on time, we may be subject to potential liability claims by our clients, which may reduce our profits and result in losses.
Our actual results could differ from the assumptions and estimates used to prepare our financial statements.
In preparing our financial statements, we make estimates and assumptions through the filing date of the 2020 10-K. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported values of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Areas requiring significant estimates by our management include:
•recognition of contract revenue, costs, profits or losses in applying the principles of percentage-of-completion accounting;
•recognition of revenues related to project incentives or awards we expect to receive;
•recognition of recoveries under contract change orders or claims;
•estimated amounts for expected project losses, warranty costs, contract close-out or other costs;
•collectability of billed and unbilled accounts receivable and the need and amount of any allowance for doubtful accounts;
•asset valuations;
•income tax provisions and related valuation allowances;
•determination of expense and potential liabilities under pension and other post-retirement benefit programs; and
•accruals for other estimated liabilities, including litigation and insurance revenues/reserves.
Estimates are based on management's reasonable assumptions and experience, but are only estimates. Our actual business and financial results could differ from our estimates of such results due to changes in facts and circumstances, which could have a material negative impact on our financial condition and reported results of operations. Further, we recognize contract revenue as work on a contract progresses. The cumulative amount of revenue recorded on a contract at any point in time is that percentage of total estimated revenues that costs incurred to date bear to estimated total costs. Accordingly, contract revenue and total cost estimates are reviewed and revised as the work progresses. Adjustments are reflected in contract revenue in the period when such estimates are revised. Such adjustments could be material and could result in reduced profitability.
If we experience delays and/or defaults in client payments, we could suffer liquidity problems or we could be unable to recover all expenditures.
Because of the nature of our contracts, we sometimes commit resources to projects prior to receiving payments from clients in amounts sufficient to cover expenditures as they are incurred. Some of our clients have found it difficult to pay invoices for our services timely, increasing the risk that our accounts receivable could become uncollectible and ultimately be written off. In certain cases, our clients for our large projects are project-specific entities that do not have significant assets other than their interests in the project. From time to time, it has been and may in the future be difficult for us to collect payments owed to us by these clients. In addition, clients may request extension of the payment terms otherwise agreed to under our contracts. Delays in client payments may require us to make a working capital investment, which could impact our cash flows and liquidity. If a client fails to pay invoices on a timely basis or defaults in making its payments on a project in which we have devoted significant resources, there could be a material adverse effect on our results of operations or liquidity.
We are dependent upon suppliers and subcontractors to complete many of our contracts.
Some of the work performed under our contracts is performed by third-party subcontractors. We also rely on third-party suppliers to provide much of the equipment and materials used for projects. If we are unable to hire qualified
subcontractors or find qualified suppliers, our ability to successfully or timely complete a project could be impaired. If the amount we are required to pay for subcontractors or equipment and supplies exceeds what we have estimated, especially in a lump-sum contract, we may suffer losses on these contracts. If a supplier or subcontractor fails to provide supplies, technology, equipment or services as required under a contract to us, our joint venture partner, our client or any other party involved in the project for any reason, or provides supplies, technology, equipment or services that are not an acceptable quality, we may be required to source those supplies, technology, equipment or services on a delayed basis or at a higher price than anticipated, which could impact contract profitability. In addition, faulty workmanship, equipment or materials could impact the overall project, resulting in claims against us for failure to meet required project specifications. These risks may be intensified during an economic downturn if these suppliers or subcontractors experience financial difficulties or find it difficult to obtain sufficient financing to fund their operations or access to bonding, and are not able to provide the services or supplies necessary for our business. In addition, in instances where we rely on a single contracted supplier or subcontractor or a small number of suppliers or subcontractors, if a subcontractor or supplier were to fail, there may be no available replacement technology, equipment, materials or services on a timely basis or at the costs we had anticipated. A failure by a third-party subcontractor or supplier to comply with applicable laws, rules or regulations could negatively impact our business and reputation and could result in fines, penalties, suspension, or in the case of government contracts, even debarment.
Our U.S. government contracts and contracting rights may be terminated or otherwise adversely impacted at any time, and our inability to win or renew government contracts during regulated procurement processes could harm our operations and reduce our projects and revenues.
We enter into significant government contracts, including those contracts that we have in place with the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Defense. U.S. government contracts are subject to various uncertainties, restrictions and regulations, including oversight audits by government agencies and profit and cost controls, which could result in withholding or delay of payments to us. U.S. government contracts are also subject to uncertainties associated with Congressional funding, including the potential impacts of budget deficits, government shutdowns and federal sequestration. Changes in U.S. government priorities, which can occur due to policy changes or changes in the economy, could adversely impact our revenues. The U.S. government is under no obligation to maintain program funding at any specific level, and funds for a program may even be eliminated. Our U.S. government clients may terminate or decide not to renew our contracts with little or no prior notice.
In addition, U.S. government contracts are subject to specific regulations such as the Federal Acquisition Regulation ("FAR"), the Truth in Negotiations Act, the Cost Accounting Standards ("CAS"), the Service Contract Act and Department of Defense security regulations. Failure to comply with any of these regulations and other government requirements may result in contract price adjustments, financial penalties or contract termination. Our U.S. government contracts are also subject to audits, cost reviews and investigations by U.S. government oversight agencies such as the U.S. Defense Contract Audit Agency (the "DCAA"). The DCAA reviews the adequacy of, and our compliance with, our internal control systems and policies (including our labor, billing, accounting, purchasing, estimating, compensation and management information systems). The DCAA also has the ability to review how we have accounted for costs under the FAR and CAS. The DCAA presents its report findings to the Defense Contract Management Agency ("DCMA"). Should the DCMA determine that we have not complied with the terms of our contract and applicable statutes and regulations, or if they believe that we have engaged in inappropriate accounting or other activities, payments to us may be disallowed or we could be required to refund previously collected payments. Additionally, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties, suspension or debarment from future government contracts, and qui tam litigation brought by private individuals on behalf of the U.S. government under the False Claims Act, which could include claims for treble damages. These suits may remain under seal (and hence, be unknown to us) for some time while the government decides whether to intervene on behalf of the qui tam plaintiff. Furthermore, if we have significant disagreements with our government clients concerning costs incurred, negative publicity could arise, which could adversely affect our industry reputation and our ability to compete for new contracts in the government arena or otherwise.
Most U.S. government contracts are awarded through a rigorous competitive process. The U.S. government has increasingly relied upon multiple-year contracts with pre-established terms and conditions that generally require those contractors that have been previously awarded the contract to engage in an additional competitive bidding process for each task order issued under the contract. Such processes require successful contractors to anticipate requirements and develop rapid-response bid and proposal teams as well as dedicated supplier relationships and delivery systems to react to these needs. We face rigorous competition and significant pricing pressures in order to win these task orders. If we are not successful in containing costs or able to timely respond to government requests, we may not win additional awards. Moreover, even if we are qualified to work on a government contract, we may be impacted in our pursuit of work by government policies designed to protect small businesses and under- represented minority contractors.
Many of our U.S. government contracts require security clearances. Depending upon the level of clearance required, security clearances can be difficult and time-consuming to obtain. If we or our employees are unable to obtain or retain
necessary security clearances, we may not be able to win new business, and our existing government clients could terminate their contracts with us or decide not to renew them.
Under the Budget Control Act of 2011, an automatic sequestration process, or across-the-board budget cuts, was triggered when the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, a committee of twelve members of Congress, failed to agree on a deficit reduction plan for the U.S. federal budget. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 (the “BBA”) eliminates sequestration on discretionary accounts in 2020 and 2021 by increasing federal discretionary spending limits until 2021. The BBA also temporarily suspends the public debt limit through July 31, 2021. However, the Budget Control Act of 2011 remains in place, extended through 2029, and absent additional legislative or other remedial action, the sequestration could require reduced U.S. federal government spending from 2022 through 2029. A significant reduction in federal government spending or a change in budgetary priorities could reduce demand for our services, cancel or delay federal projects, and result in the closure of federal facilities and significant personnel reductions, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
Our continued success requires us to hire and retain qualified personnel.
The success of our business is dependent upon being able to attract, develop and retain personnel, including engineers, project management, craft employees and management around the globe, who have the necessary and required experience and expertise, and who will perform these services at a reasonable and competitive rate. Competition for these and other experienced personnel is intense. It may be difficult to attract and retain qualified individuals with the expertise and in the timeframe demanded by our clients. In certain geographic areas, for example, we may be unable to satisfy the demand for our services because of our inability to deploy qualified personnel. Also, it may be difficult to replace personnel who hold government granted eligibility that may be required to obtain certain government projects and/or who have significant government contract experience. Loss of the services of, or failure to recruit, qualified technical and management personnel could limit our ability to successfully complete existing projects and compete for new projects.
As some of our executives and other key personnel approach retirement age or otherwise leave the company, we need to provide for smooth transitions, which may require that we devote time and resources to identify and integrate new personnel into these leadership roles and other key positions. Changes in our management team may disrupt our business and the failure to successfully transition and assimilate executives or other key personnel could adversely affect our results of operation. If we are unable to employ a sufficient number of skilled personnel or effectively implement appropriate succession plans, our ability to pursue projects may be adversely affected, the costs of executing our existing and future projects may increase and our financial performance may decline.
In addition, the cost of providing our services, including the extent to which we utilize our workforce, affects our profitability. For example, the uncertainty of contract award timing can present difficulties in matching our workforce size with our contracts. If an expected contract award is delayed or not received, we could incur costs resulting from excess staff, reductions in staff, or redundancy of facilities that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial conditions and results of operations.
Our effective tax rate and tax positions may vary.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. A change in tax laws, treaties or regulations, or their interpretation, in any country in which we operate could change the tax rate on our earnings, which could have a material impact on our results of operations. In addition, significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes and our judgments could prove inaccurate. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are regularly under audit by tax authorities, and our tax estimates and tax positions could be materially affected by many factors including the final outcome of tax audits and related litigation, the introduction of new tax accounting standards, legislation, regulations and related interpretations, our global mix of earnings, our ability to realize deferred tax assets and changes in uncertain tax positions. Future changes in our tax rate or adverse changes in tax laws could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and liquidity.
Systems and information technology interruption, as well as new systems implementation, could adversely impact our ability to operate and our operating results.
As a global company, we are heavily reliant on computer, information and communications technology and related systems, some of which are hosted by third party providers, in order to operate. From time to time, we experience system interruptions and delays that may be planned for upgrades or that may be unplanned. Unplanned interruptions could result from natural disasters, power loss, telecommunications failures, acts of war or terrorism, acts of God, computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar events or disruptions. Any of these or other events could cause system interruptions, delays, loss of critical or sensitive data (including personal or financial data) or loss of funds; could delay or
prevent operations (including the processing of transactions and reporting of financial results); and could adversely affect our reputation or our operating results. While we have and require the maintenance of reasonable safeguards designed to protect against unavailability or loss of data, these safeguards may not be sufficient. We may be required to expend significant resources to protect against or alleviate damage caused by systems interruptions and delays, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and cash flows.
We continue to evaluate the need to upgrade and/or replace our systems and network infrastructure to protect our computing environment, to stay current on vendor supported products, to improve the efficiency of our systems and for other business reasons. The implementation of new systems and information technology could adversely impact our operations by imposing substantial capital expenditures, demands on management time and risks of delays or difficulties in transitioning to new systems. Our systems implementations also may not result in productivity improvements at the levels anticipated. Systems implementation disruption and any other information technology disruption, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could have a material adverse effect on our business.
It can be very difficult and expensive to obtain the insurance we need for our business operations.
As part of business operations we maintain insurance both as a corporate risk management strategy and to satisfy the requirements of many of our contracts. Although we have been generally able to cover our insurance needs, there can be no assurances that we can secure all necessary or appropriate insurance in the future, or that such insurance can be economically secured. For example, catastrophic events can result in decreased coverage limits, more limited coverage, increased premium costs or deductibles. We also monitor the financial health of the insurance companies from which we procure insurance, and this is one of the factors we take into account when purchasing insurance. Our insurance is purchased from a number of the world's leading providers, often in layered insurance or quota share arrangements. If any of our third party insurers fail, abruptly cancel our coverage or otherwise cannot satisfy their insurance requirements to us, then our overall risk exposure and operational expenses could be increased and our business operations could be interrupted.
If we do not have adequate indemnification for our nuclear services, it could adversely affect our business and financial condition.
We provide services to the U.S. Department of Energy and the nuclear energy industry in the on-going maintenance and modification of nuclear facilities as well as decontamination and decommissioning activities of nuclear plants. The Price-Anderson Act generally indemnifies parties performing services to nuclear power plants and Department of Energy contractors; however, not all activities we engage in on behalf of our clients are covered. Thus, if the Price-Anderson Act indemnification protections do not apply to our services, or if the exposure occurs outside of the United States in a region that does not have protections comparable to the Price-Anderson Act, our business and financial condition could be adversely affected by our client's refusal to contract with us, by our inability to obtain commercially reasonable insurance or third party indemnification, or by the potentially significant monetary damages we could incur.
Foreign currency risks could have an adverse impact on revenue, earnings and/or backlog.
Certain of our contracts subject us to foreign currency risk, particularly when project contract revenue is denominated in a currency different than the contract costs. In addition, our operational cash flows and cash balances, though predominately held in U.S. dollars, may consist of different currencies at various points in time in order to execute our project contracts globally and meet transactional requirements. We may attempt to minimize our exposure to foreign currency risk by obtaining contract provisions that protect us from foreign currency fluctuations and/or by implementing hedging strategies utilizing derivatives as hedging instruments. However, these actions may not always eliminate all foreign currency risk, and as a result, our profitability on certain projects could be affected.
Our monetary assets and liabilities denominated in nonfunctional currencies are subject to remeasurement. In addition, the U.S. dollar value of our backlog may from time to time increase or decrease significantly due to foreign currency volatility. We may also be exposed to limitations on our ability to reinvest earnings from operations in one country to fund our operations in other countries.
Our reported revenue and earnings of foreign subsidiaries could also be affected by foreign currency volatility. Revenue, cost and earnings of foreign subsidiaries with functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars. If the U.S. dollar appreciates against a foreign subsidiary's non-U.S. dollar functional currency, we would report less revenue, cost and earnings in U.S. dollars than it would have had the U.S. dollar depreciated against the same foreign currency or if there had been no change in the exchange rate.
The loss of one or a few clients could have an adverse effect on us.
A few clients, including the U.S. government, state governments and U.S. and state government agencies, have in the past, and may in the future, account for a significant portion of our revenues in any one year or over a period of several consecutive years, either directly or through participation in a joint venture that serves as a client. Although we have long-standing relationships with many of our significant clients, our clients may unilaterally reduce, fail to renew or terminate their contracts with us at any time. Most of our contracts have termination for convenience provisions in them. The loss of business from a significant client could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations.
Damage to our reputation could in turn cause damage to our business.
Maintaining a positive reputation is critical to attracting and maintaining clients and other business relationships. If we fail to address issues that may give rise to reputational risk, we could significantly harm our business. These issues may include, but are not limited to, any of the risk factors discussed in this Item 1A, including compliance with laws, project execution risk, cybersecurity and safety. If our reputation is harmed, we could suffer a number of adverse consequences, such as:
•reduced demand for our services;
•lack of investor confidence;
•less favorable credit rating;
•the inability to attract and retain qualified employees;
•a loss or reduction in scope of current project contracts and fewer contract awards;
•less favorable contract terms;
•increased need for financial assurances;
•increased litigation and costs; and
•heightened regulatory scrutiny.
These and other consequences resulting from damage to our reputation could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our business may be negatively impacted if we are unable to adequately protect intellectual property rights.
Our success is dependent, in part, on our ability to differentiate our services through our technologies and know-how. This success includes the ability of companies in which we invest, such as NuScale, to protect their intellectual property rights. We utilize a combination of patents, copyrights, trade secrets, confidentiality agreements and other contractual arrangements to protect our interests. However, these methods only provide a limited amount of protection and may not adequately protect our interests. Our employees, contractors and joint venture partners are subject to confidentiality obligations, but this protection may be inadequate to deter or prevent misappropriation of our confidential information and/or infringement of our intellectual property rights. This can be especially true in certain foreign countries where intellectual property does not have equivalent protections as in the United States, or when our joint venture partner is a competitor who will gain access to our procedures and know-how while working with us in the performance of services.
Our clients require broad ownership rights in the work product and other materials we deliver. If we are not able to retain ownership of our pre-existing intellectual property and improvements thereto, it may affect our ability to provide similar services to other clients in the future, which ultimately, could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
Our competitors or others may independently develop technology substantially similar to our trade secret technology or we may be unsuccessful in preserving our intellectual property rights in the future. Our intellectual property rights could be invalidated, circumvented, challenged or infringed upon. Litigation to determine the scope of intellectual property rights, even if ultimately successful, could be costly and could divert management's attention.
In addition, our clients or other third parties may also provide us with their technology and intellectual property. There is a risk that we may not sufficiently protect our or their information from improper use or dissemination and, as a result, could be subject to claims and litigation and resulting liabilities, loss of contracts or other consequences that could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operation.
We also hold licenses from third parties that may be utilized in our business operations. If we are no longer able to license such technology on commercially reasonable terms or otherwise, our business and financial performance could be adversely affected. When we license our intellectual property to third parties, the scope of such license grant is limited to a particular plant or project. If such third party exceeds the scope of the license grant, and if we are unable to detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property or otherwise take appropriate steps to enforce our rights, our revenue and margins will be adversely impacted, and the value of our intellectual property portfolio may decline thereby adversely affecting our competitive advantage and ability to win future work.
Our results of operations could be adversely affected as a result of asset impairments.
Our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected by impairments to goodwill, investments, deferred tax assets or other intangible assets. Goodwill and other intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives are not amortized, but instead are tested at least annually for impairment. Any future impairments, including impairments of goodwill, investments, deferred tax assets or other intangible assets, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, if we determine that an other-than-temporary decline in the fair value exists for a company in which we have invested, we may have to write down that investment to its fair value and recognize the related write-down as an investment loss. For cases in which we are required under the equity method or the proportionate consolidation method of accounting to recognize a proportionate share of another company's income or loss, such income or loss may impact our earnings.
Risks Related to Financial Reporting
We identified material weaknesses in our ICFR in 2019, which were remediated in 2020. If we identify material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately and timely report our financial results.
In connection with our 2019 year-end assessment of ICFR, we determined that we did not have an effective ICFR at December 31, 2019. We took steps to improve our ICFR and determined that we have an effective ICFR at December 31, 2020.
If we identify amaterial weaknesses in the future or are unable to successfully remediate any future material weaknesses or other deficiencies in our ICFR, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected, we may be unable to maintain or regain compliance with applicable securities laws and New York Stock Exchange listing requirements and we may be subject to regulatory investigations and penalties.
Our prior failure to prepare and timely file our periodic reports with the SEC limits our access to the public markets to raise debt or equity capital and restricts our ability to issue equity securities.
We did not timely file our 2019 10-K or our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020, June 30, 2020 or September 30, 2020 within the timeframe specified by the SEC. This limits our ability to utilize a shelf registration during 2021 to access the public markets to raise debt or equity capital, which could prevent us from pursuing transactions or implementing business strategies that we might otherwise believe are beneficial to our business. We are not eligible to use a registration statement on Form S-3 that would allow us to continuously incorporate by reference our SEC reports until December 2021. If we wish to pursue a public offering ahead of that date, we would be required to file a registration statement on Form S-1 and have it reviewed and declared effective by the SEC. Doing so could take significantly longer than using a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, increase our transaction costs and adversely impact our ability to raise capital or complete acquisitions of other companies in a timely manner.
We restated certain of our previously issued financial statements during 2020, which resulted in unanticipated costs and may affect investor confidence and raise reputational issues.
As disclosed in our 2019 10-K, we restated our financial statements and related disclosures for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 and for each of the interim quarterly periods in 2018 and 2019, following the identification of misstatements as a result of an internal review. The restatement also included other immaterial adjustments to historical periods, including items previously identified and corrected in earlier periods and for other non-project items identified outside of the internal review. As a result, we incurred previously unanticipated costs for accounting and legal fees in connection with or related to the restatement, and have become subject to a number of additional risks and uncertainties, which may affect investor confidence in the accuracy of our financial disclosures and may raise reputational issues for our business.
Risks Related to Indebtedness
Adverse credit and financial market conditions could impair our, our clients' and our partners' borrowing capacity, which could negatively affect our business operations, profits and growth objectives.
Our ability to generate cash is important for the funding of our operations, investing in joint ventures, the servicing of our indebtedness, paying dividends to stockholders and making acquisitions. To the extent that existing cash balances and cash flow from operations, together with borrowing capacity under our credit facilities, are insufficient to make investments or acquisitions or provide needed working capital, we may require additional financing from other sources. Our ability to obtain such additional financing will depend upon prevailing capital market conditions, including those arising due to events occurring in our industry, as well as conditions in our business and our operating results; and those factors may affect our efforts to negotiate terms that are acceptable to us. Furthermore, if global economic, industry, political or other market conditions adversely affect the financial institutions that provide credit to us, it is possible that our ability to establish or draw upon our credit facilities may be impacted. In addition, a downgrade in our credit rating could increase the cost of our borrowings or their refinancing, limit access to sources of financing or lead to other adverse consequences. If adequate funds are not available, or are not available on acceptable terms, we may not be able to make future investments, take advantage of acquisitions or other opportunities, or respond to competitive challenges.
In addition, adverse credit and financial market conditions also adversely affect our clients' and our partners' borrowing capacity, which support the continuation and expansion of projects worldwide, and could result in contract cancellations or suspensions, project award and execution delays, payment delays or defaults by our clients. These disruptions could materially impact our backlog and profits. If we extend a significant portion of credit to our clients or projects in a specific geographic region or industry, we may experience higher levels of collection risk or non-payment if those clients are impacted by factors specific to their geographic industry or region.
Our indebtedness could lead to adverse consequences or adversely affect our financial position and prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under such indebtedness, and any refinancing of this debt could be at significantly higher interest rates.
Our indebtedness could have important consequences, including but not limited to:
•increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;
•requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to make debt service payments, thereby reducing the availability of cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and investments and other general corporate purposes;
•limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, challenges and opportunities, and changes in our businesses and the markets in which we operate; and
•limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund our working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and debt service requirements and other financing needs.
Our ability to service our indebtedness will depend on our future operating performance and financial results, which may be subject to factors beyond our control, including general economic, financial and business conditions. If we do not have sufficient cash flow to service our indebtedness, we may need to refinance all or part of our existing indebtedness, borrow more money or sell securities or assets, some or all of which may not be available to us at acceptable terms or at all. In addition, we may need to incur additional indebtedness in the future in the ordinary course of business. Although the terms of our credit agreements and our bond indentures allow us to incur additional debt, there are limitations which may preclude us from incurring the amount of indebtedness we otherwise desire.
Our credit facilities, senior notes, other outstanding indebtedness and any additional indebtedness we incur in the future impose, or may impose, significant operating and financial restrictions on us. In addition, our credit facilities require us to maintain specified financial covenants. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default. If a default occurs, the relevant lenders could elect to declare our indebtedness, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable. If our operating performance declines, or if we are unable to comply with any covenant, such as our ability to timely prepare and file our periodic reports with the SEC, we have needed and may in the future need to obtain amendments to our credit agreements or waivers from the required creditors under our indebtedness instruments to avoid being in default. These factors could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or share price.
We may be unable to win new contract awards if we cannot provide clients with letters of credit, bonds or other security or credit enhancements.
It is a common industry practice for clients to require us to provide surety bonds, letters of credit, bank guarantees or other forms of financial assurance as credit enhancements. Surety bonds, letters of credit or guarantees indemnify our clients if we fail to perform our obligations under our contracts. Historically, we have had strong surety bonding capacity due to our investment-grade credit rating, but, bonding is provided at the surety's sole discretion. In addition, because of the overall limitations in worldwide bonding capacity, we may find it difficult to access sufficient surety bonding capacity to meet our total surety bonding needs. With regard to letters of credit, while we have historically had adequate capacity under our existing credit facilities, any capacity that may be required in excess of our credit limits would be at our lenders' sole discretion and therefore is not certain. Failure to provide credit enhancements on terms required by a client may result in an inability to compete for or win a project.
Legal and Regulatory Risks
From time to time, we are involved in litigation and regulatory proceedings, potential liability claims and contract disputes that may have a material impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
We may be subject to a variety of legal or regulatory proceedings, liability claims or contract disputes in virtually every part of the world. We engage in engineering and construction activities for large facilities where design, construction or systems failures can result in substantial injury or damage. In addition, the nature of our business results in clients, subcontractors and suppliers occasionally presenting claims against us for recovery of costs they incurred in excess of what they expected to incur, or for which they believe they are not contractually liable. We have been and may in the future be named as a defendant in legal proceedings where parties may make a claim for damages or other remedies with respect to our projects or other matters, including shareholder litigation. During times of economic uncertainty, especially with regard to our commodity-based clients, claim frequencies and amounts tend to increase.
In proceedings where it is determined that we have liability, we may not be covered by insurance or, if covered, the dollar amount of these liabilities may exceed our policy limits. In addition, even where insurance is maintained for such exposure, the policies have deductibles resulting in our assuming exposure for a layer of coverage with respect to any such claims. Our professional liability coverage is on a "claims-made" basis covering only claims actually made during the policy period currently in effect. Any liability not covered by our insurance, in excess of our insurance limits or, if covered by insurance but subject to a high deductible, could result in a material loss for us, and materially reduce our cash available for operations.
As previously disclosed, we have received subpoenas from both the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") seeking documents and information related to projects for which we recorded charges in the second quarter of 2019 and certain project accounting, financial reporting and governance matters. We are coordinating our responses to the SEC and DOJ and cooperating in providing the requested documents and information. In addition to these investigations, a special committee of our Board of Directors independently conducted and completed a review of our prior period reporting and related control environment.
If the SEC or DOJ commences legal action as a result of the investigations, we could be required to pay significant penalties and become subject to injunctions, cease and desist orders, and other equitable remedies. We can provide no assurances as to the outcome or timing of any governmental or regulatory investigation.
In addition to these investigations, we have also had numerous securities class action lawsuits and stockholder derivative actions filed against us and certain of our current and former executive officers and directors.
We have incurred, and may continue to incur, significant expenses related to legal, accounting, and other professional services in connection with the SEC investigation, the DOJ investigation, lawsuits and related legal and regulatory matters. These expenses and the diversion of the attention of the management team that has occurred, and is expected to continue, has adversely affected, and could continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations.
As a result of matters associated with the SEC and DOJ investigations and various lawsuits, we are exposed to greater risks associated with litigation, regulatory proceedings, and government enforcement actions and additional subpoenas. Any future investigations or additional lawsuits may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In other legal or regulatory proceedings, liability claims or contract disputes, we may be covered by indemnification agreements that may at times be difficult to enforce. Even if enforceable, it may be difficult to recover under these agreements if the indemnitor does not have the ability to financially support the indemnity. Litigation and regulatory
proceedings are subject to inherent uncertainties, and unfavorable rulings could occur, including for monetary damages. If we were to receive an unfavorable ruling in a matter, our business and results of operations could be materially harmed. Such proceedings can also be costly, time-consuming, disruptive to operations and distracting to management, regardless of the outcome. For further information on matters in dispute, please see Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
Our failure to recover adequately on claims against project owners, subcontractors or suppliers for payment or performance could have a material effect on our financial results.
We occasionally bring claims against clients for additional costs exceeding the contract price or for amounts not included in the original contract price. Similarly, we present change orders and claims to our subcontractors and suppliers. If we fail to properly provide notice or document the nature of change orders or claims, or are otherwise unsuccessful in negotiating a reasonable settlement, we could incur reduced profits, cost overruns and in some cases a loss on the project. These types of claims can often occur due to matters such as owner-caused delays or changes from the initial project scope, which result in additional cost, both direct and indirect. From time to time, these claims can be the subject of lengthy and costly proceedings, and it is often difficult to accurately predict when these claims will be fully resolved. When these types of events occur and while unresolved claims are pending, we may invest significant working capital in projects to cover cost overruns pending the resolution of the relevant claims. A failure to promptly recover on these types of claims could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity and financial results.
We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.
The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010 and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to officials or others for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. While our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, we operate in many parts of the world that have experienced corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We train our personnel concerning anti-bribery laws and issues, and we also inform our partners, subcontractors, suppliers, agents and others who work for us or on our behalf that they must comply with anti-bribery law requirements. We also have procedures and controls in place to monitor compliance. However, there is no assurance that our internal controls and procedures will always protect us from the possible reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for anti-bribery law violations (either due to our own acts or our inadvertence, or due to the acts or inadvertence of others including our partners, agents, subcontractors or suppliers), we could suffer from criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, including contract cancellations or debarment, and loss of reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Litigation or investigations relating to alleged or suspected violations of anti-bribery laws, even if ultimately such litigation or investigations demonstrate that we did not violate anti-bribery laws, could be costly and could divert management's attention away from other aspects of our business.
We could be adversely impacted if we fail to comply with domestic and international import and export laws.
Our global operations require importing and exporting goods and technology across international borders on a regular basis. Our policies mandate strict compliance with U.S. and foreign international trade laws. To the extent we export technical services, data and products outside of the United States, we are subject to U.S. and international laws and regulations governing international trade and exports including but not limited to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, the Export Administration Regulations and trade sanctions against embargoed countries, which are administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control within the Department of Treasury. From time to time, we identify certain inadvertent or potential export or related violations. These violations may include, for example, transfers without required governmental authorization. A failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in civil or criminal sanctions, including the imposition of fines, the denial of export privileges, and suspension or debarment from participation in U.S. government contracts.
Employee, agent or partner misconduct or our overall failure to comply with laws or regulations could weaken our ability to win contracts, which could result in reduced revenues and profits.
Misconduct, fraud, non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations, or other improper activities by one of our employees, agents or partners could have a significant negative impact on our business and reputation. Such misconduct could include the failure to comply with anti-corruption, export control and environmental regulations; federal procurement regulations, regulations regarding the pricing of labor and other costs in government contracts and regulations regarding the protection of sensitive government information; regulations on lobbying or similar activities; regulations pertaining to the internal control over financial reporting; and various other applicable laws or regulations. The precautions we take to prevent and detect fraud, misconduct or failures to comply with applicable laws and regulations may not be effective, and we could face unknown risks or losses. Failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations or acts of fraud or misconduct could
subject us to fines and penalties, loss of security clearance and suspension or debarment from contracting with government agencies, which could weaken our ability to win contracts and have a material adverse impact on our revenues and profits.
New or changing legal requirements, including those relating to climate change, could adversely affect our operating results.
Our business and results of operations could be affected by the passage of climate change, defense, environmental, infrastructure, trade and other laws, policies and regulations. For example, growing concerns about climate change may result in the imposition of additional environmental regulations. Legislation, international protocols or treaties, regulation or other restrictions on emissions could affect our clients, including those who (a) are involved in the exploration, production or refining of fossil fuels such as our energy and chemicals clients, (b) emit greenhouse gases through the combustion of fossil fuels, or (c) emit greenhouse gases through the mining, manufacture, utilization or production of materials or goods. Such legislation or restrictions could increase the costs of projects for us and our clients or, in some cases, prevent a project from going forward, thereby potentially reducing the need for our services, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. However, legislation and regulation regarding climate change could also increase the pace of development of carbon capture and storage projects, alternative transportation, alternative energy facilities, such as wind farms or nuclear reactors, or incentivize increased implementation of clean fuel projects, which could positively impact the demand for our services. As another example, the implementation of trade barriers, countervailing duties, or border taxes, or the addition, relaxation or repeal of laws, policies and regulations regarding the industries and sectors in which we work could result in a decline in demand for our services, or may make the manner in which we perform our services, especially from outside the United States, less cost efficient. Furthermore, changes to existing trade agreements may impact our business operations. We cannot predict when or whether any of these various legislative and regulatory proposals may become law or what their effect will be on us and our clients.
Past and future environmental, safety and health regulations could impose significant additional costs on us that reduce our profits.
We are subject to numerous environmental laws and health and safety regulations. Our projects can involve the handling of hazardous and other highly regulated materials, including nuclear and other radioactive materials, which, if improperly handled or disposed of, could subject us to civil and criminal liabilities. It is impossible to reliably predict the full nature and effect of judicial, legislative or regulatory developments relating to health and safety regulations and environmental protection regulations applicable to our operations. The applicable regulations, as well as the length of time available to comply with those regulations, continue to develop and change. The cost of complying with rulings and regulations, satisfying any environmental remediation requirements for which we are found responsible, or satisfying claims or judgments alleging personal injury, property damage or natural resource damages as a result of exposure to, or contamination by, hazardous materials, including as a result of commodities such as lead or asbestos-related products, could be substantial, may not be covered by insurance, could reduce our profits, and therefore, could materially impact our future operations.
Our company, along with our investment in NuScale, is subject to a number of regulations such as those from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and non-U.S. regulatory bodies, such as the International Atomic Energy Commission and the European Union, which can have a substantial effect on our nuclear operations and investments. Delays in receiving necessary approvals, permits or licenses, the failure to maintain sufficient compliance programs, and other problems encountered during construction (including changes to such regulatory requirements) could significantly increase our costs or have an adverse effect on our results of operations, our return on investments and our financial position.
A substantial portion of our business is generated either directly or indirectly as a result of federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations related to environmental matters. A reduction in the number or scope of these laws or regulations, or changes in government policies regarding the funding, implementation or enforcement of such laws and regulations, could significantly reduce the size of one of our markets and limit our opportunities for growth or reduce our revenue below current levels.
Risks Related to Mergers & Acquisitions and Strategic Plans
We cannot assure the successful implementation of our strategic and operational initiatives.
We have announced a number of strategic and operational initiatives designed to optimize costs and improve operational efficiency, including plans to divest our AMECO and Stork businesses, monetize surplus real estate and non-core investments, and rationalize resources and overhead across various geographies. Our ability to successfully execute these initiatives is subject to various risks and uncertainties, including regulatory intervention, which may negatively impact the realization of expected benefits. Our failure to realize the anticipated benefits, which may be due to our inability to execute,
competition, economic conditions, and other risks described herein, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Any acquisitions, dispositions or other investments are subject to various risks or uncertainties and may not be completed in accordance with the expected plans or anticipated time frame, or at all, and will involve significant time and expense, which could disrupt or adversely affect our business.
We have made and expect to continue to pursue selective acquisitions or dispositions of businesses, or investments in strategic business opportunities. We may be unable to locate suitable acquisitions or investments, or we may be unable to consummate any such transactions on terms and conditions acceptable to us. Acquisitions may bring us into businesses we have not previously conducted or jurisdictions where we have had little to no prior operations experience and thus expose us to additional business risks that are different from those we have traditionally experienced. We also may encounter difficulties identifying all significant risks during our due diligence activities or integrating acquisitions and successfully managing or achieving the growth we expect to experience from these acquisitions. We may invest in companies or businesses that fail, causing a loss of all or part of our investment.
Divesting businesses involves risks and uncertainties, such as the difficulty separating assets related to such businesses from the businesses we retain, employee distraction, the need to obtain regulatory approvals and other third-party consents, which potentially disrupts customer and vendor relationships, and the fact that we may be subject to additional tax obligations or loss of certain tax benefits. Such actions also involve significant costs and require time and attention of our management, which may divert attention from other business operations. Because of these challenges, as well as market conditions or other factors, anticipated divestitures may take longer or be costlier or generate fewer benefits than expected and may not be completed at all. If we are unable to complete the divestitures or to successfully transition divested businesses, our business and financial results could be negatively impacted. If we dispose of a business, we may not be able to successfully cause a buyer of a divested business to assume the liabilities of that business or, even if such liabilities are assumed, we may have difficulties enforcing our rights, contractual or otherwise, against the buyer. We may retain exposure on financial or performance guarantees and other contractual, employment, pension and severance obligations, and potential liabilities that may arise under law because of the disposition or the subsequent failure of an acquirer. As a result, performance by the divested businesses or other conditions outside of our control could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, the divestiture of any business could negatively impact our profitability because of losses that may result from such a sale, the loss of revenues or a decrease in cash flows. Following a divestiture, we may also have less diversity in our business and in the markets we serve, as well as in our client base.
We may be unable to successfully integrate acquisitions or investments we make into our businesses or capture the anticipated benefits of these acquisitions and investments.
Whenever we make an acquisition or investment, we have and will continue to devote significant management attention and resources to integrating or aligning the business practices and operations of companies we acquire or invest in. Difficulties we may encounter in the integration/alignment process include:
•A delay in the integration or alignment of management teams, strategies, operations, products and services;
•Diversion of the attention of management as a result of the acquisition or investment;
•The consequences of a change in tax treatment, including the costs of integration/consolidation and compliance, and the possibility that the anticipated benefits of the acquisition/investment will not be realized;
•Differences in corporate culture and management philosophies;
•The ability to retain key personnel;
•The challenges of integrating or aligning complex systems, technology, networks and other assets into or to be compatible with ours in a way that minimizes any adverse effects on the business; and
•Potential unknown liabilities and unforeseen increased expenses or delays associated with the acquisition or investment, including the costs to integrate or consolidate beyond current estimates.
Any of these factors could negatively affect our ability to maintain business relationships or to achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition or investment.
Risks Related to our Common Stock
In the event we issue additional equity securities, stockholders' ownership percentages would be diluted.
We may in the future issue additional equity securities to pay for potential acquisitions or to otherwise fund our corporate initiatives. If we do issue additional equity securities, the issuance may dilute our earnings per share and stockholders' percentage ownership.
Delaware law, our charter documents and our stockholder rights agreement may impede or discourage a takeover or change of control.
Fluor is a Delaware corporation. Various anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law impose impediments on the ability of others to acquire control of us, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our stockholders. In addition, certain provisions of our charters and bylaws may impede or discourage a takeover. For example:
•stockholders may not act by written consent;
•there are various restrictions on the ability of a stockholder to call a special meeting or to nominate a director for election; and
•our Board of Directors can authorize the issuance of preferred shares.
These types of provisions in our charters and bylaws could also make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to our stockholders. Accordingly, stockholders may be limited in the ability to obtain a premium for their shares.
On March 24, 2020, our Board of Directors approved the adoption of a limited duration stockholder rights agreement and declared a dividend distribution of one preferred share purchase right on each outstanding share of our common stock. The rights are designed to ensure that all of our stockholders receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any proposed takeover of the company and to protect against abusive tactics to gain control of the company without paying all stockholders a premium for that control. The stockholder rights agreement would cause substantial dilution to any person or group that attempts to acquire us on terms not approved in advance by our Board of Directors and may have the effect of delaying, discouraging or preventing a change in control that might otherwise be beneficial to stockholders and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2. Properties
Major Facilities
Our operations are conducted at both owned and leased properties in U.S. and foreign locations totaling approximately 7.9 million rentable square feet. Our executive offices are located at 6700 Las Colinas Boulevard, Irving, Texas. As our business frequently changes, the extent of utilization of the facilities by particular segments cannot be accurately stated. In addition, certain of our properties are leased or subleased to third party tenants. While we have operations worldwide, the following summarizes our more significant existing facilities:
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Location
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Interest
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United States:
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Greenville, South Carolina
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Owned
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Houston (Sugar Land), Texas
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Leased
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Irving, Texas (Corporate Headquarters)
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Owned
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Southern California (Aliso Viejo and Long Beach)
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Leased
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Canada:
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Calgary, Alberta
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Owned
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Vancouver, British Columbia
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Leased
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Latin America:
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Mexico City, Mexico
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Leased
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Santiago, Chile
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Owned and Leased
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Europe, Africa and Middle East:
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Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia
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Owned
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Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Owned
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Farnborough, England
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Owned and Leased
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Gliwice, Poland
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Owned
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Johannesburg, South Africa
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Leased
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Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Leased
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Asia/Asia Pacific:
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Manila, the Philippines
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Owned and Leased
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New Delhi, India
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Leased
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Perth, Australia
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Leased
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Shanghai, China
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Leased
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In addition, we lease or own a number of individually insignificant offices, warehouses and equipment yards strategically located throughout the world. We also, through various joint ventures, own or lease fabrication yards in China and Mexico.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
As part of our normal business activities, we are party to a number of legal proceedings and other matters in various stages of development. We periodically assess our liabilities and contingencies for these matters based upon the latest information available.
For information on legal proceedings and matters in dispute, see the Consolidated Financial Statements in this report.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
None.