Revenue Recognition
The Company primarily generates its revenue from providing professional services to its clients. The Company also generates revenue from software sales, software maintenance and support and subscriptions to its executive and best practices advisory programs. A single contract could include one or multiple performance obligations. For those contracts that have multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the total transaction price to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price. The Company determines the standalone selling price based on the respective selling price of the individual elements when sold separately.
Revenue is recognized when control of the goods and services provided are transferred to the Company’s customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods and services using the following steps: 1) identify the contract, 2) identify the performance obligations, 3) determine the transaction price, 4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract, and 5) recognize revenue as or when the Company satisfies the performance obligations.
The Company typically satisfies its performance obligations for professional services over time as the related services are provided. The performance obligations related to software maintenance and support and subscriptions to its executive and best practice advisory programs are typically satisfied evenly over the course of the service period. Other performance obligations, such as software sales, are satisfied at a point in time.
The Company generates revenue under four types of billing arrangements: fixed-fee; time-and-materials; executive and best practice advisory services; and software sales and software maintenance and support.
In fixed-fee billing arrangements, which would also include contracts with capped fees, the Company agrees to a pre-established fee or fee cap in exchange for a predetermined set of professional services. The Company sets the fees based on its estimates of the costs and timing for completing the engagements. The Company generally recognizes revenue under fixed-fee or capped fee arrangements using a proportionate performance approach, which is based on work completed to-date as compared to estimates of the total services to be provided under the engagement. Estimates of total engagement revenue and cost of services are monitored regularly during the term of the engagement. If the Company’s estimates indicate a potential loss, such a loss is recognized in the period in which the loss first becomes probable and reasonably estimable. The customer is invoiced based on the contractual agreement between the parties, typically bi-weekly, monthly or milestone driven, with net thirty-day terms, however client terms are subject to change.
Time-and-material billing arrangements require the client to pay based on the number of hours worked by the Company’s consultants at agreed hourly rates. The Company recognizes revenue under time-and-material arrangements as the related services or goods are provided, using the right to invoice practical expedient which allows it to recognize revenue in the amount based on the number of hours worked and the agreed upon hourly rates. The customer is invoiced based on the contractual agreement between the parties, typically bi-weekly, monthly or milestone driven, with net thirty-day terms, however client terms are subject to change.
Advisory services contracts are typically in the form of a subscription agreement which allows the customer access to the Company’s executive and best practice advisory programs. There is typically a single performance obligation and the transaction price is the contractual amount of the subscription agreement. Revenue from advisory services contracts is recognized ratably over the life of the agreements. Customers are typically invoiced at the inception of the contract, with net thirty-day or sixty-day terms, however client terms are subject to change.
The resale of on-premise software, cloud software and maintenance contracts are in the form of SAP America ("SAP") software or maintenance agreements provided by SAP. SAP is the principal and the Company is the agent in these transactions as the Company does not obtain title to the software and maintenance which is sold simultaneously. The transaction price is the Company’s agreed-upon percentage of the software sale for either on-premise software or cloud software or maintenance amount in the contract with the vendor. Revenue for the resale of software is recognized upon contract execution and customer’s receipt of the software. The Company also provides software maintenance on other ERP systems, primarily Oracle. Revenue from maintenance contracts is recognized ratably over the life of the agreements. The customer is typically invoiced at contract inception, with net thirty-day terms, however client terms are subject to change.
Revenue before reimbursements excludes reimbursable expenses charged to clients. Reimbursements, which include travel and out-of-pocket expenses, are included in revenue, and an equivalent amount of reimbursable expenses is included in the cost of service.
Expense reimbursements that are billable to clients are included in total revenue and are substantially all billed as time-and-material billing arrangements. Therefore, the Company recognizes all reimbursable expenses as revenue as the related services are provided, using the right to invoice practical expedient. Reimbursable expenses are recognized as expenses in the period in which the expense is incurred. Any expense reimbursements that are billable to clients under fixed-fee billing arrangements are recognized in line with the proportionate performance approach.
The Hackett Group, Inc.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(unaudited)
1. Basis of Presentation and General Information (continued)
The payment terms and conditions in the Company’s customer contracts vary. The agreements entered into in connection with a project, whether time and materials-based or fixed-fee or capped-fee based, typically allow clients to terminate early due to breach or for convenience with 30 days’ notice. In the event of termination, the client is contractually required to pay for all time, materials and expenses incurred by the Company through the effective date of the termination. In addition, from time to time the Company enters into agreements with its clients that limit its right to enter into business relationships with specific competitors of that client for a specific time period. These provisions typically prohibit the Company from performing a defined range of services which it might otherwise be willing to perform for potential clients. These provisions are generally limited to six to twelve months and usually apply only to specific employees or the specific project team.
Differences between the timing of billings and the recognition of revenue are recognized as either contract assets or contract liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Revenue recognized for services performed but not yet billed to clients is recorded as contract assets and is included within accounts receivable and contract assets. Services not yet performed, however billed to the client and uncollected at period end, are recorded as contract assets and are included within accounts receivable and contract assets. Client prepayments are classified as contract liabilities and recognized over future periods as earned in accordance with the applicable engagement agreement. See Note 3 for the accounts receivable and contract asset balances. During the three months ended March 29, 2024, the Company recognized $5.7 million of revenue as a result of changes in the contract liability balance, as compared to $7.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023.
Based on the information that management reviews internally for evaluating operating segment performance and nature, amount, timing, and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows affected by economic factors, the Company disaggregates revenue as follows for the three months ended March 29, 2024 and March 31, 2023 (in thousands):
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Quarter Ended |
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March 29, |
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March 31, |
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2024 |
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2023 |
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Global S&BT: |
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North America Consulting |
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$ |
33,690 |
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$ |
36,166 |
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International Consulting |
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7,202 |
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6,169 |
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Total Global S&BT |
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$ |
40,892 |
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$ |
42,335 |
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Oracle Solutions: |
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Consulting and software support and maintenance |
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$ |
21,729 |
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$ |
17,168 |
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Total Oracle Solutions |
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$ |
21,729 |
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$ |
17,168 |
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SAP Solutions: |
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Consulting and software support and maintenance |
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$ |
9,836 |
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$ |
10,712 |
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Software license sales |
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4,730 |
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1,014 |
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Total SAP Solutions |
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$ |
14,566 |
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$ |
11,726 |
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Total segment revenue |
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$ |
77,187 |
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$ |
71,229 |
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The total revenue from the Global S&BT segment, the Oracle Solutions segment and the SAP Solutions segment's consulting and software support and maintenance services is all recognized over time. The software license sales revenue included in the SAP Solutions segment is recognized at a point in time.
Capitalized Sales Commissions
Sales commissions earned by the Company’s sales force are considered the incremental and recoverable costs of obtaining a contract with a customer. These costs are deferred and then amortized as project revenue is recognized. The Company determined the period of amortization by taking into consideration the customer contract period, which is generally less than 12 months. Commission expenses are included in the Selling, general and administrative costs in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. As of December 29, 2023 and December 30, 2022, the Company had $1.7 million and $1.5 million, respectively, of deferred commissions, of which $0.3 million was amortized during the three months ended March 29, 2024 and $0.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023. No impairment loss was recognized relating to the capitalization of deferred commissions.
The Hackett Group, Inc.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(unaudited)
1. Basis of Presentation and General Information (continued)
Practical Expedients
The Company does not disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for contracts with an original expected length of one year or less. The Company does not assess whether a contract has a significant financing component if the expectation at contract inception is such that the period between payment by the customer and the transfer of the promised goods or services to the customer will be less than one year.
Sales tax collected from customers and remitted to the applicable taxing authorities is accounted for on a net basis, with no impact on revenue.
Expense reimbursements that are billable to clients are included in total revenue and are substantially all billed as time-and-material billing arrangements. Therefore, the Company recognizes all reimbursable expenses as revenue as the related services are provided, using the right to invoice practical expedient. Reimbursable expenses are recognized as expenses in the period in which the expense is incurred. Any expense reimbursements that are billable to clients under fixed-fee billing arrangements are recognized in line with the proportionate performance approach.