kbr-20211231
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021
OR
Commission File Number: 001-33146
KBR, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
(State of incorporation) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(713) 753-2000
(Registrant's telephone number including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock par value $0.001 per share KBR New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☒ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to section 13(a) of the Exchange Act ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates on June 30, 2021 was approximately $4.8 billion, determined using the closing price of shares of the registrant's common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on that date of $38.15.
As of February 10, 2022, there were 139,500,619 shares of KBR, Inc. Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PART I
Item 1. Business 7
Item 1A. Risk Factors 18
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 35
Item 2. Properties 35
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 36
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 36
PART II
Item 6. [Reserved] 39
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 58
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 59
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 60
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Consolidated Statements of Operations 62
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income (Loss) 63
Consolidated Balance Sheets 64
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity 65
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 66
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 68
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 128
Item 9B. Other Information 132
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 133
PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 134
Item 11. Executive Compensation 134
Item 14. Principal Accounting Fees and Services 134
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 134
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Glossary of Terms
The following frequently used abbreviations or acronyms are used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K as defined below:
Acronym Definition
Affinity Affinity Flying Training Services Ltd.
Aspire Defence Aspire Defence Limited
AOCL Accumulated other comprehensive loss
ASBCA Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals
ASC Accounting Standards Codification
ASU Accounting Standards Update
BBSY Bank Bill Swap Bid Rate
Brexit European Union
Carillion Carillion plc
CAS Cost Accounting Standards for U.S. government contracts
COFC U.S. Court of Federal Claims
DCAA Defense Contract Audit Agency
DCMA Defense Contract Management Agency
DoD Department of Defense
DOJ U.S. Department of Justice
EAC Estimate at completion
EBIC Egypt Basic Industries Corporation
EBITDA Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization
EPC Engineering, procurement and construction
ERGs Employee Resource Groups
ES Energy Solutions
ESPP Employee Stock Purchase Plan
EVP Employee Value Proposition
Exchange Act Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation
FASB Financial Accounting Standards Board
FCA False Claims Act
FCPA United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
FKTC First Kuwaiti Trading Company
G&A General and administrative
GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
GS Government Solutions
HETs Heavy equipment transporters
HR Human Resources
ICC International Chamber of Commerce
I&D Inclusion & Diversity
IRS Internal Revenue Service
LIBOR London interbank offered rate
LNG Liquefied natural gas
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Acronym Definition
MFRs Memorandums for Record
MoD Ministry of Defence
NCI Noncontrolling interests
NYSE The New York Stock Exchange
OAW Operation Allies Welcome
PCAOB Public Company Accounting Oversight Board
PFIs Private financed initiatives and projects
PIC Paid-in capital in excess of par
PPE Property, Plant and Equipment
SEC U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
Securities Act Securities Act of 1933, as amended
SGT Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies
SMA Scientific Management Associates (Operations) Pty Ltd
SONIA Sterling Overnight Index Average
STS Sustainable Technology Solutions
Tax Act Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
U.K. United Kingdom
U.S. United States
U.S. GAAP Accounting principles generally accepted in the United States
UKMFTS U.K. Military Flying Training System
VIEs Variable interest entities
Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor provisions for forward-looking information. Some of the statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "may," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "expect" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future financial performance and results of operations.
We have based these statements on our assumptions and analyses in light of our experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors we believe are appropriate in the circumstances. Forward-looking statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results, and actual future results could differ materially from those described in such statements. While it is not possible to identify all factors, factors that could cause actual future results to differ materially include therisks and uncertainties disclosed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Any of these factors, as well as the risks and uncertainties disclosed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and the risk factors and other cautionary statements contained in our other filings with the SEC, or a combination of these factors, could materially and adversely affect our future financial condition or results of operations and the ultimate accuracy of the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of our future performance, and our actual results and future developments may differ materially and adversely from those projected in the forward-looking statements. We caution against putting undue reliance on forward-looking statements or projecting any future results based on such statements or on present or prior earnings levels. In addition, each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of the particular statement, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement.
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Summary Risk Factors
The following is a summary of some of the risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. This summary should be read together with the more detailed description of each risk factor disclosed under "Item 1A. Risk Factors" contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Risks Related to Operations of Our Business
•The widespread outbreak of a pandemic or epidemic, or the outbreak of an infectious disease, such as COVID-19, has materially impacted how we and our customers operate our business and may materially adversely affect our future results of operations and financial performance.
•Our results of operations and cash flows depend on the award of new contracts and the timing of the performance of these contracts.
•A loss, cancellation or delay in projects by our significant customers in the future could negatively affect our financial performance.
•If we are unable to enforce our intellectual property rights, our competitive position could be adversely impacted.
•We may not properly leverage or appropriately invest in technology advancements, which could result in the potential loss of market share and profits.
•If we are unable to attract and retain senior management, our ability to pursue and compete for projects to grow our business may be adversely affected.
•The nature of our business exposes us to potential liability claims and contract disputes.
•Dependence on third-party subcontractors and equipment manufacturers could adversely affect our financial performance on contracts.
•Our use of the cost-to-cost method of revenue recognition could result in a reduction or reversal of previously recorded revenues and profits.
•We conduct a portion of our operations through joint ventures and partnerships, which exposes us to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control.
•The nature of our contracts subjects us to risks associated with cost overruns, operating cost inflation and potential claims for liquidated damages.
•The transition period resulting from the Referendum of the United Kingdom's Membership of the European Union could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•We work in locations and on projects where there are high security risks, which could result in harm to our employees, contractors and clients.
•Our backlog of unfilled orders is subject to unexpected adjustments and cancellations.
•We make equity investments in privately financed projects in which we could sustain significant losses.
•We have made and may continue to make business combinations, which may present certain risks and uncertainties.
•International and political events may adversely affect our operations.
•We rely on internal and external information technology ("IT") systems to conduct our business, and disruption, failure or security breaches of these systems could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
•An impairment of all or part of our goodwill or our intangible assets could have a material adverse impact on our net earnings and net worth.
•Our actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions used to prepare our financial statements.
•We ship a significant amount of cargo using seagoing vessels, exposing us to certain maritime risks.
Risks Related to Our Industry
•The U.S. government awards its contracts through a rigorous competitive process and our efforts to obtain future contracts may be unsuccessful.
•Heightened competition could impact our ability to obtain contracts which could reduce our market share and profits.
•If we are unable to hire or retain employees with adequate security clearances, we may be unable to perform our U.S. government work.
•Our U.S. government contract work is regularly reviewed and audited and these reviews can lead to withholding or delay of payments and other remedies against us.
•Several of our contracts with the U.S. government are classified, which may limit investor insight into portions of our business.
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•Demand for our services provided under government contracts are directly affected by spending by our customers.
•Fluctuations in commodity prices may affect our customers’ investment decisions and result in existing project cancellations or delays.
Risks Related to Financial Conditions and Markets
•Current or future economic conditions in the credit markets may negatively affect the ability to operate our business.
•We may be unable to obtain new contract awards if we are unable to provide our customers with letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements.
•Our Senior Credit Facility imposes restrictions that limit our operating flexibility and may result in additional expenses.
•Our indebtedness and the associated covenants could materially adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing.
•We may be required to contribute additional cash to meet our significant underfunded benefit obligations associated with defined benefit plans we manage.
•We are subject to foreign currency exchange risks.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
•If we need to sell or issue additional shares of common stock to refinance existing debt or to finance future acquisitions, our existing shareholder ownership could be diluted.
•Provisions in our charter documents, Delaware law and our Senior Credit Facility may inhibit a takeover or impact operational control that could adversely affect the value of our common stock.
•We may change our dividend policy in the future.
Risks Related to Regulations and Compliance
•We could be adversely impacted if we fail to comply with international export and domestic laws.
•We are subject to anti-bribery laws in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, violations of which could result in suspension or debarment of our ability to contract with governments.
•Certain of our work sites are inherently dangerous and we are subject to various environmental and worker health and safety laws and regulations.
•Our effective tax rate and tax positions may vary.
Risks Related to Climate Change
•There is a rapidly evolving awareness and focus from stakeholders with respect to global climate change and the related emphasis on environmental, social and governance practices, which could affect our business.
•Climate change and related environmental issues could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
•We may be unable to achieve our sustainability commitments and targets which could result in the loss of investors and customers and damage to our reputation.
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PART I
Item 1. Business
Company Overview
KBR, Inc., a Delaware corporation ("KBR" or, the "Company"), delivers science, technology and engineering solutions to governments and companies around the world. Drawing from its rich 100-year history and culture of innovation and mission focus, KBR creates sustainable value by combining deep domain expertise with its full-life cycle capabilities to help clients meet their most pressing challenges. Our capabilities and offerings include the following:
•Scientific research such as quantum science and computing; health and human performance; materials science; life science research; and earth sciences;
•Defense systems engineering such as rapid prototyping; test and evaluation; aerospace acquisition support; systems and platform integration; and sustainment engineering;
•Operational support such as space domain awareness; C4ISR; human spaceflight and satellite operations; integrated supply chain and logistics; and military aviation support;
•Information operations such as cyber analytics and cybersecurity; data analytics; mission planning systems; virtual/augmented reality and technical training; artificial intelligence and machine learning; and
•Technology such as proprietary, sustainability-focused process licensing; advisory services focused on energy transition; and digitally-enabled asset optimization solutions.
Our Business
Our people leverage dynamic teams that combine deep mission understanding, market-leading technical expertise and an unwavering operational focus to deliver solutions to solve our clients’ most complex issues. In 2021, KBR’s operating model continued to shift toward agile, technology-driven, solutions-oriented delivery and was streamlined to increase strategic focus to move upmarket into differentiated areas that we believe will provide attractive returns and consistent growth with favorable cash conversion. The Company has also transitioned away from higher risk, volatile and increasingly commoditized markets.
Our key areas of strategic focus are as follows:
•Government. KBR delivers a wide range of professional services across defense, intelligence, space, aviation and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies, spanning research and development, advanced prototyping, acquisition support, systems engineering, C4ISR, cyber analytics, space domain awareness, test and evaluation, systems integration and program management, global supply chain management and operations readiness and support. These services are provided primarily to government agencies in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia under long-term programs with key technical, scientific or mission-specific differentiation. Key customers include U.S. Department of Defense (“DoD”) agencies such as the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, Missile Defense Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office and other intelligence agencies; U.S. civilian agencies such as NASA, U.S. Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; the U.K. Ministry of Defence (“MoD”), London Metropolitan Police, other U.K. Crown Services; the Royal Australian Air Force, Navy and Army; and other national governments. Areas of long-term strategic focus include defense modernization, space superiority and health and human performance.
•Sustainable Technology. Consistent with our corporate focus towards sustainability, KBR continues to develop and prioritize investment in commercial process technologies that are innovative, proprietary and sustainability-focused. We market high-end advisory solutions centered around energy transition, license process technologies, provide basic engineering and design services, sell proprietary equipment and catalysts and provide asset optimization and remote facility-operations monitoring. Key customers include national governments, industrial companies and oil and gas companies. Areas of long-term strategic focus include sustainable technology solutions, energy transition and technology-led asset optimization.
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Competitive Advantages
We operate in global markets with customers who demand innovation, technical and domain expertise and digitally-enabled, technology-led solutions. We seek to differentiate ourselves in areas in which we believe we have a competitive advantage, including:
•People
◦Distinctive, mission-focused and inclusive team ethos and culture, which we refer to as “One KBR”.
◦Deep domain expertise resident across nationally recognized subject matter experts.
◦Highly-cleared employee base.
•Sustainability
◦Achieved carbon neutrality from 2019 and established a 2030 net-zero carbon ambition.
◦As an industry leader, we have and will continue to invest in the development of disruptive, innovative clean energy solutions that promote a cleaner, greener future and a sustainable world.
◦World leader in ammonia technology, a leading hydrogen energy enabler, with a fully developed, proprietary, end-to-end green ammonia solution K-GreeNTM.
◦Exclusive licensor of Cat-HTRTM, an innovative, disruptive mixed plastics recycling technology that processes all types of plastic including many that are currently considered unrecyclable, and Hydro-PRTTM, a cutting-edge, scalable technology that utilizes supercritical steam to convert a wide range of single-use and other plastics into virgin-grade feedstocks used to produce new plastics, delivering a truly circular economy.
◦Safe and responsible operations are essential, and our Zero Harm culture prioritizes the safety and security of our people as well as the active management of our environmental impact.
•Technical Excellence and Digital Solutions
◦Innovative, sustainable, proprietary process technology, expertise and solutions.
◦Innovative digital solutions and advanced capabilities to improve operations, reliability and environmental impact, including machine learning and artificial intelligence.
◦Virtual and augmented reality visualizations to provide greater perspectives, insights and training in a controlled environment.
•Customer Relationships
◦Customer missions and objectives are placed at the center of our planning and delivery model.
◦Decades of enduring relationships with government and commercial client base.
•Financial Strength
◦Diverse portfolio of multi-year, mission critical programs creating stability and resilience.
◦Low capital intensity business model generating favorable operating cash flows.
◦Strong liquidity with ample capacity for growth.
Our Business Segments
We provide a wide range of professional services and the management of our business is heavily focused on major projects or programs within each of our reportable segments. At any given time, government programs and joint ventures represent a substantial part of our operations. Our business is organized into two core business segments and one non-core business segment as follows:
Core business segments
•Government Solutions ("GS")
•Sustainable Technology Solutions ("STS")
Non-core business segment
•Other
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Our business segments are described below.
Government Solutions. Our Government Solutions business segment provides full life-cycle support solutions to defense, intelligence, space, aviation and other programs and missions for military and other government agencies primarily in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. KBR's services cover the full spectrum spanning research and development, advanced prototyping, acquisition support, systems engineering, C4ISR, cyber analytics, space domain awareness, test and evaluation, systems integration and program management, global supply chain management and operations readiness and support. With the acquisition of Frazer-Nash Consultancy Limited ("Frazer-Nash") on October 20, 2021 (described in Note 4 to the consolidated financial statements), our GS business segment also provides a broad range of professional advisory services to deliver high-end systems engineering, systems assurance and technology to customers across the defense, energy and critical infrastructure sectors primarily in the U.K. and Australia.
Sustainable Technology Solutions. Our Sustainable Technology Solutions business segment is anchored by our portfolio of over 70 innovative, proprietary, sustainability-focused process technologies that we license spanning four primary areas: ammonia/syngas/fertilizers, chemical/petrochemicals, clean refining and circular process/circular economy solutions. STS also includes our highly synergistic advisory and consulting practice focused on energy transition and net-zero carbon emission consulting, our high-end engineering, design and professional services offerings, as well as our technology-led industrial solutions built on our KBR INSITE® platform. KBR INSITE® is a proprietary, digital, cloud-based operations and maintenance platform that identifies opportunities for our clients to achieve sustainable improvements in production, reliability, environment impact, energy efficiency and ultimately profitability. From early planning through scope definition, advanced technologies and facility life-cycle support, our STS business segment works closely with customers to provide what we believe is the optimal approach to maximize their return on investment.
Other. Our non-core Other segment includes corporate expenses and selling, general and administrative expenses not allocated to the core business segments above.
Significant Customers
We provide services to a diverse customer base, including domestic and foreign governments and commercial companies.
We generate significant revenues within our GS business segment from key U.S. government customers including U.S. DoD and NASA, and from the U.K government. No other customers represented 10% or more of consolidated revenues in any of the periods presented. The following table summarizes our revenues from U.S. and U.K. government agencies.
Years ended December 31,
Dollars in millions, except percentage amounts 2021 2020 2019
Information relating to our customer concentration is described in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Also, see further explanations in "Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contained in Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Recent Developments
Frazer-Nash Acquisition
On October 20, 2021, we acquired Frazer-Nash, a leading provider of high-end systems engineering, assurance and technology advisory services used to solve complex challenges. Frazer-Nash provides a broad range of professional advisory services across the defense, renewable energy and critical infrastructure sectors primarily in the U.K. and Australia. With expertise in areas such as systems engineering, data science, cyber and clean energy, Frazer-Nash compliments KBR's global priorities with minimal overlap because of its geographic footprint. Additional information relating to the Frazer-Nash acquisition is described in Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K in Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements.
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HomeSafe Alliance LLC Contract Award
In November 2021, we announced that HomeSafe Alliance LLC (“HomeSafe”), a KBR led joint venture, was awarded the global household goods contract by U.S. Transportation Command. The contract ceiling value is $20 billion with a potential 9-year term, inclusive of all options periods. HomeSafe is expected to be the exclusive household goods move management service provider for the U.S. Armed Forces, Department of Defense civilians and their families. Under this contract, HomeSafe plans to modernize and infuse technology to improve the domestic and international relocation experience for all military personnel and their families. The contract award is currently under protest.
Significant Joint Ventures and Alliances
We enter into joint ventures and alliances with other reputable industry participants to capitalize on the strengths of each party and provide greater flexibility in delivering our services based on expertise, cost and geographical efficiency, increase the number of opportunities that can be pursued and reduce exposure and diversify risk. Our significant joint ventures and alliances are described below. All joint venture ownership percentages presented are stated as of December 31, 2021.
Aspire Defence Limited, a joint venture owned by KBR and two financial investors, provides a range of facilities life cycle management services at the British Army’s garrisons at Aldershot and across the Salisbury Plain in the U.K. KBR owns 45% of Aspire Defence Limited that is reported within our GS business segment using the equity method of accounting.
In 2016, we established the Affinity joint venture with Elbit Systems Ltd. to procure, operate and maintain aircraft and aircraft-related assets over an 18-year contract period, in support of the UKMFTS project. KBR owns a 50% interest in Affinity.In addition,KBR owns a 50% interest in the two joint ventures, Affinity Capital Works and Affinity Flying Services, which provide procurement, operations and management support services under subcontracts with Affinity. The investments are accounted for within our GS business segment using the equity method of accounting.
Brown & Root Industrial Services is a joint venture with Bernhard Capital Partners and offers maintenance services, turnarounds and small capital projects, primarily in North America, in which we own 50% equity interest. The investment is accounted for within our STS business segment using the equity method of accounting.
JKC Australia LNG is a joint venture contracted to perform the engineering, procurement, supply, construction and commissioning of onshore LNG facilities for a client in Darwin, Australia. The project is being executed through two entities (collectively, "JKC"), which are VIEs, in which we own a 30% equity interest. The investment is accounted for within our STS business segment using the equity method of accounting.
Backlog of Unfulfilled Orders
Backlog is our estimate of the U.S. dollar amount of future revenues we expect to realize as a result of performing work on awarded contracts. For projects within our unconsolidated joint ventures, we have included our percentage ownership of the joint venture’s estimated revenues in backlog to provide an indication of future work to be performed. The future revenues we expect to realize as a result of backlog was $15.0 billion and $15.1 billion as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, with approximately 17% and 16%, respectively, related to work being executed by joint ventures accounted for using the equity method of accounting. We estimate as of December 31, 2021, 30% of our backlog will be recognized as revenues or equity in earnings of unconsolidated affiliates within fiscal year 2022. For additional information regarding backlog, see our discussion within “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” contained in Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Government Contracts and Regulations
Our business is heavily regulated. We contract with numerous U.S. government agencies and entities, principally the U.S. DoD and NASA. When working with these and other U.S. government agencies and entities, we must comply with various laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration and performance of contracts. U.S. government contracts are generally subject to the FAR, which sets forth policies, procedures and requirements for the acquisition of goods and services by the U.S. government, other agency-specific regulations that implement or supplement the FAR, such as the DoD FAR Supplement ("DFARS"), and other applicable laws and regulations. These regulations impose a broad range of requirements, many of which are unique to government contracting, including various procurement, import and export, security, contract pricing and cost, contract termination and adjustment and audit requirements. Among other things, these laws and regulations:
•require certification and disclosure of all cost and pricing data in connection with certain contract negotiations;
•define allowable and unallowable costs and otherwise govern our right to reimbursement under various cost-type U.S. government contracts;
•require compliance with CAS;
•require reviews by the DCAA, DCMA and other regulatory agencies for compliance with a contractor’s business systems;
•restrict the use and dissemination of and require the protection of unclassified contract-related information and information classified for national security purposes and the export of certain products and technical data; and
•prohibit competing for work if an actual or potential organizational conflict of interest, as defined by these laws and regulations, related to such work exists and/or cannot be appropriately mitigated, neutralized or avoided.
Our GS business segment primarily performs work under cost-reimbursable contracts in the U.S. with the DoD and other U.S. governmental agencies. If the U.S. government concludes costs charged to a contract are not reimbursable under the terms of the contract or applicable procurement regulations, these costs are disallowed or, if already reimbursed, we may be required to refund the reimbursed amounts to the customer. Such conditions may also include interest and other financial penalties. If performance issues arise under any of our government contracts, the customer retains the right to pursue remedies, which could include termination under any affected contract. Generally, our customers have the contractual right to terminate or reduce the amount of work under our contracts at any time. For more information, see “Item 1A. Risk Factors” contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Our GS business segment also participates in PFI contracts, such as the Aspire Defence and UKMFTS projects. PFIs are long-term contracts that outsource the responsibility for the construction, procurement, financing, operation and maintenance of government-owned assets to the private sector. These contracts may contain both fixed-price and cost-reimbursable elements. The PFI projects in which KBR participates are all located in the U.K. with contractual terms ranging from 15 to 35 years, and involve the provision of services to various types of assets ranging from acquisition and maintenance of major military equipment and housing to transportation infrastructure. Under most of these PFI contracts, the primary deliverables of the contracting entity are the initial construction or procurement of assets for the customer and the subsequent provision of lifecycle management services for the life of such assets. The amount of renumeration from the customer to the contracting entity is negotiated on each contract and varies depending on the specific terms for each PFI.
Contract Types
The Company performs work under contracts that broadly consist of fixed-price, cost-reimbursable, time-and-materials or a combination of the three.
Fixed-price contracts include both lump-sum and unit-rate contracts. Under lump-sum contracts, we perform a defined scope of work for a specified fee to cover all costs and any profit element. Lump-sum contracts entail significant risk to us because they require us to predetermine the work to be performed, the project execution schedule and all the costs associated with the scope of work. Unit-rate contracts are essentially fixed-price contracts with the only variable being units of work to be performed. Further, our fixed-price contracts may include cost escalation and other features that allow for increases in price should certain events occur or conditions change. Fixed-price contracts are typically subject to change orders if the scope of work changes or unforeseen conditions arise resulting in adjustments to the fixed price. Although fixed-price contracts involve greater risk than cost-reimbursable contracts, they also are potentially more profitable because the owner/customer pays a premium to transfer project risks to us.
Time-and-materials contracts typically provide for negotiated fixed hourly rates for specified categories of direct labor. The rates cover the cost of direct labor, indirect expense and fee. These contracts can also allow for reimbursement of cost of
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material plus a fee, if applicable. In U.S. government contracting, this type of contract is generally used when there is uncertainty of the extent or duration of the work to be performed by the contractor at the time of contract award or it is not possible to anticipate costs with any reasonable degree of confidence. With respect to time-and-materials contracts, we assume the price risk because our costs of performance may exceed negotiated hourly rates. In commercial and non-U.S. government contracting, this contract is generally used for defined and non-defined scope contracts where there is a higher degree of uncertainty and risks as to the scope of work. These types of contracts may also provide for a guaranteed maximum price where the total cost plus the fee cannot exceed an agreed upon guaranteed maximum price or not-to-exceed provisions.
Under cost-reimbursable contracts, the price is generally variable based upon our actual allowable costs incurred for materials, equipment, reimbursable labor hours, overhead and G&A expenses. Profit on cost-reimbursable contracts may be in the form of a fixed fee or a mark-up applied to costs incurred, or a combination of the two. The fee may also be an incentive fee based on performance indicators, milestones or targets and can be based on customer discretion or in the form of an award fee determined based on customer evaluation of the Company's performance against contractual criteria. Cost-reimbursable contracts may also provide for a guaranteed maximum price where the total fee plus the total cost cannot exceed an agreed upon guaranteed maximum price. Cost-reimbursable contracts are generally less risky because the owner/customer retains many of the project risks, however it generally requires us to use our best efforts to accomplish the scope of the work within a specified time and budget. Cost-reimbursable contracts with the U.S. government are generally subject to the FAR and are competitively priced based on estimated or actual costs of providing the contractual goods or services. The FAR provides guidance on types of costs that are allowable in establishing prices for goods and services provided to the U.S. government and its agencies. Pricing for non-U.S. government agencies and commercial customers is based on specific negotiations with each customer.
Raw Materials and Suppliers
Equipment and materials essential to our business are obtained from a variety of global sources. The principal equipment and materials we use in our business are subject to availability and price fluctuations due to customer demand, producer capacity and market conditions. We monitor the availability and price of equipment and materials on a regular basis. Our procurement function seeks to leverage our size and buying power to ensure that we have access to key equipment and materials at low prices and ideal delivery schedules. While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant supply chain disruptions globally and within the United States, we have not experienced, and do not anticipate experiencing, any significant procurement difficulties, as we purchase our required materials and equipment from a variety of sources. However, a number of factors that we may not be able to predict or control could result in increased costs for these materials, including the continued impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as well as global trade relationships and other general market and political conditions. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information.
Intellectual Property
The use of intellectual property generally benefits our STS business segment. We have developed, acquired or otherwise have the right to license leading technologies, including technologies held under license from third parties, used for the production of a variety of petrochemicals and chemicals and in the areas of olefins, refining, fertilizers, coal gasification, semi-submersibles and specialty chemicals. We also license a variety of technologies for the transformation of raw materials into commodity chemicals such as phenol which is used in the production of consumer end products. In addition, we are a licensor of ammonia process technologies used in the conversion of natural gas to ammonia with a fully developed, proprietary, end-to-end green ammonia solution K-GreeNTM. We are the exclusive licensor of Hydro-PRTTM, a cutting-edge, scalable technology that utilizes supercritical steam to convert a wide range of single-use and other plastics into commercial raw materials used to produce new plastics. We also offer technologies for crystallization and evaporation, concentration and purification of strong inorganic acids. We believe our technology portfolio and experience in the commercial application of these technologies and our related know-how differentiates us, enables our sustainability strategy and enhances our margins.
Our rights to make use of technologies licensed to us are governed by written agreements of varying durations, including some with fixed terms that are subject to renewal based on mutual agreement. Generally, each agreement may be further extended and we have historically been able to renew existing agreements before they expire. We expect these and other similar agreements to be extended so long as it is mutually advantageous to both parties at the time of renewal. For technologies we own, we protect our rights, know-how and trade secrets through patents and confidentiality agreements.
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Seasonality
Our operations are not generally affected by seasonality. However, various factors can affect the distribution of our sales between accounting periods, including the timing of government awards, the availability of government funding, product deliveries and customer acceptance. Additionally, weather and natural phenomena can temporarily affect the performance of our services.
Environmental Regulation
Our business involves planning, design, program management, construction and construction management and operations and maintenance at various project sites throughout the world, including oil field and related energy infrastructure construction services, in and around sensitive environmental areas, such as rivers, lakes and wetlands. Our operations may require us to manage, handle, remove, treat, transport and dispose of toxic or hazardous substances, which are subject to stringent and complex laws relating to the protection of the environment and prevention of pollution.
Significant fines, penalties and other sanctions may be imposed for non-compliance with environmental and worker health and safety laws and regulations, and some laws provide for joint and several strict liabilities for remediation of releases of hazardous substances, rendering a person liable for environmental damage, without regard to negligence or fault on the part of such person. These laws and regulations may expose us to liability arising out of the conduct of operations or conditions caused by others, or for our acts that were in compliance with all applicable laws at the time these acts were performed. For example, there are a number of governmental laws that strictly regulate the handling, removal, treatment, transportation and disposal of toxic and hazardous substances, such as the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, and comparable national and state laws that impose strict, joint and several liabilities for the entire cost of cleanup, without regard to whether a company knew of or caused the release of hazardous substances. In addition, some environmental regulations can impose liability for the entire clean-up on owners, operators, transporters and other persons arranging for the treatment or disposal of such hazardous substances costs related to contaminated facilities or project sites. Other environmental laws applicable to our and customers' operations affecting us include, but are not limited to, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act as well as other comparable foreign and state laws. Liabilities related to environmental contamination or human exposure to hazardous substances or a failure to comply with any applicable environmental and worker health and safety laws regulations could result in substantial costs to us, including cleanup costs, fines, civil or criminal sanctions, third-party claims for property damage, personal injury or cessation of remediation activities.
Additional information relating to environmental regulations is described in "Item 1A. Risk Factors” contained in Part I of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and in Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements.
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Human Capital Management
Across KBR, 2021 has been known as ‘the year of our people’. We entered the year with ambitious plans to build on our empowering culture, enhance our employee experience and ensure that we deserve our reputation as an employer of choice. Through the combined efforts of our employees and leadership team, this bold initiative has already resulted in tangible benefits for our people and the business, helping us realize our vision to bring together the best and brightest to deliver technology and solutions that help our customers accomplish their most critical missions and objectives.
Culture and Values
We refreshed our One KBR Values in late 2020, as follows:
•We Value Our People
•We Deliver
•We Are People of Integrity
•We Empower
•We Are a Team of Teams
We brought these to life early in 2021 by a cascade of conversations between managers and their teams in every business and market. Our aim was to lift our values off the page and into our employees’ local experience, identifying any areas for improvement and building on our existing strengths. This concerted effort was underpinned by a review of our people processes to ensure these reflect our culture and values, resulting in updates to selection and exit interviews, job descriptions and training collateral. We then tested how embedded the values are through our global ‘People Perspectives’ employee survey, achieving high scores in each value area. This positive feedback about our organizational culture is particularly encouraging as many employees continued to work remotely through the pandemic. However, we are not complacent. Leaders across KBR continue to consciously reinforce our values through their everyday behavior and to proactively engage and communicate with their teams as hybrid working arrangements become the new normal.
Employee Health & Safety
We are subject to numerous worker health and safety laws and regulations. In the U.S., these laws and regulations include the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Act and comparable state legislation, the Mine Safety and Health Administration laws and safety requirements of the Departments of State, Defense, Energy and Transportation of the U.S. government. We are also subject to similar requirements in other countries in which we have extensive operations, including the U.K. where we are subject to the various regulations enacted by the Health and Safety Act of 1974. These laws and regulations are frequently changing, and it is impossible to predict with certainty the effect of such laws and regulations on us in the future.
Our global Zero Harm culture encompasses ten sustainability pillars. The central pillar is Health Safety & Security and is supported by the key Zero Harm principle of “Courage to Care,” which we define as the willingness to intervene when one observes something that does not meet acceptable standards. We believe our Zero Harm culture has resulted in a work environment that promotes employee engagement and ownership. Although we have experienced significant improvement in our safety performance indicators, we cannot guarantee that our efforts will always be successful and from time to time we may experience incidents or unsafe work conditions or practices may arise. Our project sites often put our employees and others in proximity with mechanized equipment, moving vehicles, chemical and manufacturing processes and highly regulated materials. Additionally, our employees and others at certain project sites may be exposed to severe weather events or high security risks. We actively seek to maintain a safe, healthy and environmentally sound workplace for all of our employees and those who work with us. Consequently, we may incur substantial costs to maintain the safety and security of our personnel in these locations.
COVID-19
As the dynamic impacts of the pandemic continued to affect all businesses and markets throughout 2021, the employees of KBR have been reassured by our robust safety protocols, which are founded on our Zero Harm culture. Our people are resilient, and while personal and operational challenges have persisted, they continued to provide excellent service to our customers.
During 2021, we introduced a requirement for all people attending KBR sites to be fully vaccinated, or by exception to undertake daily testing, to safeguard the health of visitors and colleagues. Safety protocols remained in place, such as social
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distancing and wearing masks, and this safe environment has enabled large numbers of employees previously working from home to return to the workplace in accordance with local pandemic guidance. In the US, we prepared early for the Executive Order for Federal Contractors, and by the end of 2021, 95% of affected employees were either vaccinated or had approved accommodations in place and underway.
Mental Health & Fitness
During 2021, our focus on employee wellbeing to enable peak performance continued, and our Mental Health & Wellbeing Committee and Employee Resource Group ("ERG"), OK NoW ("Network of Well-Being"), took significant strides implementing our wellbeing strategy. A structured communication program, global roll-out of training to over 700 managers and expansion of our Wellbeing Ambassadors program to over 9,000 employees have helped create an environment where employees can thrive and perform at their best. We also provide all employees and their families with free 24/7 access to a first-rate employee support program and a mental fitness app to help track and support their mental health and resilience. These efforts have resulted in a supportive environment as evidenced in our global survey results, where we achieved a high Wellbeing Index score.
Organization Agility
KBR continues to grow organically and through acquisition, while remaining agile and restructuring where required to support our long-term strategy. At the end of 2021, we employed approximately 28,000 people performing diverse, complex and mission critical roles in 34 countries. In addition, our unconsolidated joint ventures employ approximately 10,000 employees.
With a fundamental focus on our customers, our working practices adapt to their projects and priorities while empowering our employees to balance personal and work commitments through increasing adoption of flexible working practices. This agile working approach has also supported our Inclusion & Diversity journey, allowing us to recruit from global and diverse talent pools. Responses to our global survey demonstrated that this modern approach resonates with our employees, with a majority saying they are able to balance their work and personal lives and have the flexibility to take time off while still meeting the needs of our fast-paced, customer-focused organization.
Talent Acquisition
In 2021, we hired almost 6,000 employees, and while some markets found candidates in shorter supply, we maintained a strong applicant flow by clearly articulating our EVP, running social media campaigns highlighting KBR’s unique culture and values and showcasing the important work our employees perform across the world.
Teams of experts from across KBR reviewed our onboarding and hiring processes to ensure best practices are adopted in all business areas and we expanded our use of digital talent platforms to monitor candidate supply and demand in real time. During the year, we instituted unconscious bias training for all new recruiters and managers and undertook a concerted effort of outreach to diverse candidates, including recruitment at historically black colleges and universities and veteran hiring events. We have also begun to track the progress of diverse candidates through our HR information systems, which showed that 30% of our new hires were women and 49% were Black, Indigenous or people of color.
Inclusion & Diversity
The leadership team at KBR fundamentally believes that Inclusion & Diversity ("I&D") is good for business. It helps us innovate, helps our teams perform and creates an environment where everyone can belong. Diversity is embedded in KBR, with employees from over 120 countries. In 2021, we increased our data capture to encompass race/ethnicity in all markets, with 94% of all employee records now updated. As of December 31, 2021, our employees had the following gender and race/ethnicity demographics:
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Additionally, our Board of Directors is 30% women and 30% Black, Indigenous or people of color. Our particular attention on gender increasingly shows in our demographics with the percentage of women in KBR increasing from 23.4% to 24.8% in 2020 and 2021, respectively.
Our I&D Council helps shape our strategic priorities. In 2021, it provided recommendations related to working practices, target setting, supporting racial and ethnic diversity and sustainability in the supply chain. Furthermore, it has committed to identifying best practices to create an inclusive organization for employees with disabilities, increase the number of women in operational and business leadership roles and improve retention of diverse talent.
In 2021, we required each area of the business to develop and implement a tailored I&D action plan, which was directly linked to payout under our short-term incentive program. Our 2022 plans will build on this baseline while incorporating the 2021 recommendations from the I&D Council as appropriate.
We continue to strive for increased visibility of I&D data, enabling us to better analyze our performance across all people processes, from the candidate pipeline to pay equity, and in 2022 we are extending our data capture of veteran status and sexual orientation. With enhancements to our benefits, such as the introduction of supplementary childcare/elder-care benefits and expansion of floating holidays, and persistent focus on I&D among our Team of Teams, we are confident that KBR will continue to see improvements within our gender and race/ethnicity demographics. In 2021, KBR's President and Chief Executive Officer signed the CEO Action Pledge, making a public commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, and KBR has been recognized externally for our progress to date with our ranking in the top 100 of Forbes’ list of The World’s Top Female-Friendly Companies.
Employee Resource Groups
For many years, KBR has encouraged employees to participate in employee-led Employee Resource Groups, where networking, advocacy and education help instill an environment where everyone can contribute. In addition to OK NoW, our ERG focused on mental health and wellbeing, we have expanded our ERGs in the I&D arena with the addition of the Armed Forces Community, the globalization of our Pride & Allies ERG and plans to launch MERGE, an ERG focused on minority groups. Together with ASPIRE, our ERG focused on the promotion of gender diversity, these other I&D focused ERGs came together in the ‘All In’ community, which was launched in 2021, and held a series of high-impact events on topics ranging from neurodiversity to understanding disabilities in the workplace. Our ERGs are rounded out with IMPACT, the community for early career professionals, which also expanded globally in 2021 to host a series of fireside chats with the CEO and virtual networking events to connect colleagues across KBR. Our Team of Teams value is embedded in these ERGs, giving employees a strong voice across KBR, and providing inspiring insight for leaders and colleagues across the globe.
Talent Development & Succession
In addition to our focus on developing early career professionals, which includes established intern and graduate programs, KBR offers a suite of world-class courses for employees in management and leadership roles. Together with the extension of our formal talent review processes in 2021, they help strengthen succession planning at all levels, supplementing the Board’s continued oversight of our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Leadership Team succession planning. During the year, we also introduced a formal Front Line Leaders program, designed to support employees newly transitioning into these critical roles, and began implementing a new approach to performance management, with frequent, real-time feedback conversations replacing traditional performance reviews.
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Our other area of focus was on technical talent. In 2021, we welcomed 12 distinguished technical leaders to the inaugural One KBR Technical Fellows program. This important program fosters our culture of innovation, fuels collaboration across diverse disciplines and helps us attract, mentor and inspire the next generation of talent.
Employee Engagement
In line with the labor market tightening across the globe, we saw an increase in voluntary turnover in 2021 in some countries when pent up demand from early in the pandemic was released as economies rebounded. Our agile hiring practices allowed us to keep pace with demand for talent, with applicant flow and staffing levels remaining at previous strong levels. This resilience was helped by our continued focus on our employees evidenced by the results of our People Perspectives Survey in which a majority of our employees said KBR is a great place to work. As well as many strengths, employee feedback from the survey identified opportunities to improve and we are developing plans to increase employees' engagement across KBR.
With remote working commonplace, our communications programs continued to modernize with the introduction of the KBR podcast ‘In Orbit’, the continued development of our Communities of Interest and our ‘People First’ video series in which leaders discussed how our people strategy is supporting KBR employees across the world. Our employees’ high level of engagement is deep-rooted with a majority of respondents feeling proud of what they accomplish and is a credit to their managers who scored highly in the survey’s Manager Effectiveness Index. Each business area has developed a plan to build on this positive response and address any local areas of concern as we continue to put our people at the heart of KBR.
Ethics and Compliance
We prioritize conducting our business with ethics and integrity. We are subject to numerous compliance-related laws and regulations, including the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act, other applicable anti-bribery legislation and laws and regulations regarding trade and exports. The services we provide to the U.S. federal government are subject to the FAR, the Truth in Negotiations Act, CAS, the Services Contract Act, DoD security regulations and many other laws and regulations. These laws and regulations affect how we transact business with our clients and, in some instances, impose additional costs on our business operations. We are also governed by our own Code of Business Conduct (our "Code") and other compliance-related corporate policies and procedures that mandate compliance with these laws. Our Code is a guide for every employee in applying legal and ethical practices to our everyday work. In particular, our Code describes our standards of integrity and relevant principles and areas of law most likely to affect our business. We regularly train our employees regarding our Code and other specific areas including anti-bribery compliance and international trade compliance.
Website Access
Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act are made available free of charge on our website at www.kbr.com as soon as reasonably practicable after we have electronically filed the material with, or furnished it to, the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding issuers like us that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
Risks Related to Operations of Our Business
The widespread outbreak of a pandemic or epidemic, or the outbreak of an infectious disease, such as COVID-19, has materially impacted how we and our customers operate our business and the duration and extent to which they may materially adversely affect our future results of operations and financial performance remains uncertain.
The spread of COVID-19 across the globe has continued to negatively affect worldwide economic and commercial activity, disrupt global supply chains and the labor market and create significant volatility and disruption of financial and commodity markets. In response to the rapid global spread of the virus, national, state and local governments have continued to issue orders and recommendations to attempt to reduce the spread of the disease. To protect the health and safety of our employees, we have continued to limit employee and contractor presence at our work locations. Employees who were not able to work effectively from home were brought back to work at our sites with strict safety protocols in place, which are in compliance with local regulations and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Fluctuation in infection rates have continued and the appearance of new and more easily transmissible variants of COVID-19, such as the Delta and Omicron variants, have resulted in periodic changes in restrictions that vary from region to region and require vigilant attention and rapid response. As a result, plans to return employees to our facilities under flexible working arrangements as a part of our reimagining how we deliver transformational journey were temporarily delayed.
In September 2021, the White House issued an executive order and guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force broadly requiring many U.S.-based federal contractors to be fully vaccinated by December 8, 2021 (or to have an approved accommodation). In early November 2021, the federal government extended that deadline to January 18, 2022. On December 7, 2021, a federal district judge issued an order, temporarily suspending the government from enforcing the federal contractor mandate. That order is on appeal. In order to ensure the health and safety of our employees and to be in compliance, we required our U.S. employees to be fully vaccinated, subject to any collective bargaining or other legal obligations (including approved religious or medical accommodations and exceptions). This requirement resulted in minimal attrition that was manageable through responsive recruitment processes.
Our business and operational plans may be adversely affected by the global economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic due to a number of factors outside of our control that continue to develop, including:
•the duration, scope and severity of the pandemic, including the impact of variants and resurgences;
•the health or availability of our workforce, including contractors and subcontractors, and restrictions that we and our customers, contractors and subcontractors impose, including limiting worksite access and facility shutdowns, to ensure the safety of employees and others;
•an overall tightening and increasingly competitive labor market resulting in labor shortages, lack of skilled labor, increased turnover or labor inflation;
•other workforce impacts, such as difficulty recruiting, retaining, training, motivating and developing employees due to evolving health and safety protocols; changing worker expectations and talent marketplace variability regarding flexible work models; and the challenges of maintaining our strong corporate culture, which values communication, collaboration and connections, despite a majority of employees working from home;
•supply chain disruptions that impact the ability or willingness of our vendors and suppliers to provide the equipment, parts or raw materials for our operations or otherwise fulfill their contractual obligations, which in turn could impair our ability to perform under our contracts or to deliver products on a timely basis;
•recommendations of, or restrictions imposed by, government and health authorities, including travel bans, quarantines and vaccine mandates to address the COVID-19 outbreak;
•potential contract delays, modifications or terminations;
•increased potential for the occurrence of operational hazards, including terrorism, cyber-attacks or domestic vandalism, as well as information system failures or communication network disruptions;
•reductions in the number and amounts of new government contract awards, delays in the timing of anticipated awards or potential cancellations of such prospects as a result of the fiscal, economic and budgetary challenges facing our customers, including increased material and equipment costs resulting from inflation and supply chain disruptions;
•increased cost and reduced availability of capital for growth or capital expenditures;
•increased costs of operation attributed to inflation, which costs may not be fully recoverable or adequately covered by insurance; and
•long-term disruption of the U.S. and global economy and financial and commodity markets.
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The spread of COVID-19 has caused us to significantly modify our business practices, and we may take further actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, contractors, customers, suppliers and communities. There is no certainty that such measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks posed by the virus, and our ability to perform critical functions could be adversely impacted.
As the potential effects of COVID-19 are difficult to predict, the duration of any potential business disruption or the extent to which COVID-19 may negatively affect our operating results is uncertain. Any potential impact will depend on future developments and new information that may emerge regarding the spread, severity and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions taken by authorities to contain it or treat its impact, all of which are beyond our control. These potential impacts, while uncertain, could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and/or cash flows, as well as our ability to pay dividends to our shareholders.
Our results of operations and cash flows depend on the award of new contracts and the timing of the performance of these contracts.
Our revenues are directly or indirectly derived from contract awards. Reductions in the number and amounts of new awards, delays in the timing of anticipated awards or potential cancellations of such prospects as a result of economic conditions, material and equipment pricing and availability or other factors could adversely impact our long-term projected results. It is particularly difficult to predict whether or when we will receive large-scale international and domestic projects as these contracts usually involve a lengthy and complex bidding and selection process. This process can be affected by a number of factors including market conditions and governmental and environmental approvals. As a portion of our revenues is generated from such projects, our results of operations and cash flows can fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter depending on the timing of our contract awards and the commencement or progress of work under awarded contracts. In addition, many of these contracts are subject to financing and similar contingencies and, as a result, we are subject to the risk that the customer will not be able to secure the necessary financing for a project to proceed.
The uncertainty of our contract award timing can also present difficulties in matching workforce size with contract needs. In some cases, we maintain and bear the cost of a ready workforce that is larger than necessary under existing contracts in expectation of future workforce needs for anticipated contract awards. If an anticipated contract award is delayed or not received, we may incur additional costs resulting from reductions in staff or redundancy of facilities that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
A portion of our revenues is generated by large, recurring business from certain significant customers. A loss, cancellation or delay in projects by our significant customers in the future could negatively affect our financial performance.
A considerable percentage of our revenues, particularly in our GS business segment, is generated from transactions with certain significant customers. Revenues from the U.S. government represented 70% of our total consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2021. The loss of one or more of our significant customers, or the cancellation or delay in their projects, could adversely affect our revenues and results of operations.
If we are unable to enforce our intellectual property rights, or if our intellectual property rights become obsolete, our competitive position could be adversely impacted.
We utilize a variety of intellectual property rights in providing services to our customers. We view our portfolio of process and design technologies as one of our competitive strengths and we use it as part of our efforts to differentiate our service offerings. We may not be able to successfully preserve these intellectual property rights in the future, and these rights could be invalidated, circumvented, challenged or infringed upon. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries in which our services may be sold do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. We also license technologies from third parties and there is a risk that our relationships with licensors may terminate, expire or be interrupted or harmed. If we are unable to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights, or if there are any successful intellectual property challenges or infringement proceedings against us, our ability to differentiate our service offerings could diminish. In addition, if our intellectual property rights or work processes become obsolete, we may not be able to differentiate our service offerings and some of our competitors may be able to offer more attractive services to our customers. As a result, our business and financial performance could be materially and adversely affected.
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We may not properly leverage or appropriately invest in technology advancements, which could diminish any sustainable competitive advantage in our service offerings resulting in the potential loss of market share and profits.
Our business is dependent on information technology as we operate in global markets with customers who demand innovation, technical and domain expertise and digitally-enabled, technology-led solutions. Robust information technology systems, platforms and products are integral in our efforts to differentiate our service offerings and maintain our competitive advantages. It is strategically important that we lead the digital transformation occurring in our industry. We may not be successful in structuring our technology or developing, acquiring or implementing technology systems which are competitive and responsive to the needs of our customers. We may lack sufficient resources to continue to make the significant technology investments to effectively compete with our competitors. Certain technology initiatives that management considers important to our long-term success will require capital investment, have significant risks associated with their execution and could take several years to implement. If we are unable to develop and implement these initiatives in a cost-effective, timely manner or at all, it could damage our relationships with our customers and negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that others will not acquire similar or superior technologies sooner than we do or that we will acquire technologies on an exclusive basis or at a significant price advantage. If we do not accurately predict, prepare and respond to new technology innovations, market developments and changing customer needs, our revenues, profitability and long-term competitiveness could be materially adversely affected.
If we are unable to attract and retain senior management and key technical professionals with elite skills, our ability to pursue and compete for projects to grow our business may be adversely affected, our operating income may decrease and our reputation may be negatively impacted.
The reimagined KBR and its forward-looking solutions strategy requires talent with dynamic and elite skills as KBR moves upmarket. Our rate of growth and the success of our business depend upon our ability to attract, develop, retain and replace key qualified technical and management professionals, either through direct hire, subcontracts or acquisition of other firms, who possess the elite skills to successfully deliver the solutions strategy. The market for these professionals is competitive in the sectors in which we compete, and we rely heavily upon the expertise and leadership of our professionals to perform, execute and complete projects as required by our clients. If we are unable to attract and retain a sufficient number of elite skilled professionals, our ability to pursue projects may be adversely affected, our operating income may decline, and our reputation may be damaged.
Our future success depends on the continued services of our executive officers as well as our ability to effectively transition to their successors. Our inability to attract, develop and retain qualified employees that can succeed our executive officers could have a material adverse effect on our operating income and reputation.
The nature of our business exposes us to potential liability claims and contract disputes that may exceed or be excluded from existing insurance coverage.
We engage in activities for large facilities where design, construction or systems failures can result in substantial injury or damage to employees or other third parties or delays in completion or commencement of commercial operations, exposing us to legal proceedings, investigations and disputes. The nature of our business results in clients, subcontractors and vendors 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. If 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. Our professional liability coverage is on a “claims-made” basis covering only claims actually made during the policy period currently in effect. In addition, even where insurance is maintained for such exposures, the policies have deductibles, which result in our assumption of exposure for a layer of coverage with respect to any such claims. 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 significant loss for us, which may reduce our profits and cash available for operations.
We occasionally bring claims against project owners for additional costs exceeding the contract price or for amounts not included in the original contract price. These types of claims occur due to matters such as owner-caused delays or changes from the initial project scope that may result in additional direct and indirect costs. Often these claims can be the subject of lengthy negotiations, arbitration or litigation proceedings, and it is difficult to accurately predict when these claims will be fully resolved. When these types of events occur and 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 recover on these types of claims fully or promptly could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity and financial results.
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For example, we have a 30% ownership interest in the JKC joint venture ("JKC"), which was contracted to perform the engineering, procurement, supply, construction and commissioning of onshore LNG facilities for a client in Darwin, Australia (the "Ichthys LNG Project"). The construction and commissioning of the Ichthys LNG Project is complete, and the facility has been handed over to the client and is producing LNG. The project experienced significant cost increases associated with a variety of issues related to delays, changes in the scope of work and lower than expected subcontractor productivity. These issues resulted in significant unapproved change orders and claims against the client as well as estimated recoveries of claims against suppliers and subcontractors that have been included in the project estimates-at-completion. On October 21, 2021, JKC entered into a binding settlement agreement (the "Settlement Agreement") that resolved the outstanding claims and disputes between JKC and its client, Ichthys LNG Pty, Ltd (collectively, "the Parties"). As a result of the Settlement Agreement, the Parties agreed to withdraw all claims and terminate all ongoing arbitration and court proceedings between the Parties.
Dependence on third-party subcontractors and equipment manufacturers could adversely affect our financial performance on contracts.
We rely on third-party subcontractors and equipment manufacturers in order to complete many of our projects. Certain subcontractors and suppliers, such as those used on our U.S. government contracts, are subject to the same rigorous government requirements that we are and if they are unable to comply with these requirements, there may be limited subcontractors and suppliers available in the market. In addition, if any subcontractor or a manufacturer is unable to deliver its services, equipment or materials according to the negotiated terms for any reason including, but not limited to, the deterioration of its financial condition, we may be required to purchase the services, equipment or materials from another source at a higher price. This may reduce the profit we expect to realize or result in a loss on a project for which the services, equipment or materials were needed. Furthermore, if the amount we are required to pay for these goods and services exceeds the amount we have estimated in bidding for fixed-price contracts, we could experience losses in the performance of these contracts.
Our use of the cost-to-cost method of revenue recognition could result in a reduction or reversal of previously recorded revenues and profits.
A significant portion of our revenues and profits are measured and recognized over time using the cost-to-cost method of revenue recognition. Our use of this accounting method results in recognition of revenues and profits over the life of a contract, based generally on the proportion of costs incurred to date to total costs expected to be incurred for the entire project. The effects of revisions to estimated revenues and costs are recorded when the amounts are known or can be reasonably estimated. In addition, we record unapproved change orders and claims against clients as well as estimated recoveries of claims against suppliers and subcontractors that have been included in the estimated profit at completion for certain projects. Revisions to these estimates could occur in any period and their effects could be material. The uncertainties inherent in estimating the progress towards completion or the recoverability of claims of long-term contracts make it possible for actual revenues and costs to vary materially from our estimates, including reductions or reversals of previously recorded revenues and profits.
We conduct a portion of our operations through joint ventures and partnerships, exposing us to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control.
We conduct a portion of our operations through project-specific joint ventures where control may be shared with unaffiliated third parties. As with any joint venture arrangement, differences in views among the joint venture partners may result in delayed decisions or in failures to agree on major issues. We also cannot control the actions of our joint venture partners, including failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, nonperformance and default or bankruptcy of our joint venture partners. Also, we often share liabilities on a joint and several basis with our joint venture partners under these arrangements. If our partners do not meet their contractual obligations, the joint venture may be unable to adequately perform and deliver its contracted services, requiring us to make additional investments or perform additional services to ensure the adequate performance and delivery of services to the customer, which could ultimately result in litigation. We could be liable for both our obligations and those of our partners, which may result in reduced profits, significant losses on the project and a negative impact to our cash flows. Additionally, these factors could have a material adverse effect on the business operations of the joint venture and, in turn, our business operations and reputation.
Operating through joint ventures in which we have a minority interest could result in us having limited control over many decisions made with respect to projects and internal controls relating to projects. These joint ventures may not be subject to the same requirements regarding internal controls that are applicable to us. As a result, internal control issues may arise, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
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The nature of our contracts, particularly those that are fixed-price, subjects us to risks associated with cost overruns, operating cost inflation and potential claims for liquidated damages.
We conduct our business under various types of contracts where costs must be estimated in advance of our performance. A portion of the value of our current backlog is attributable to fixed-price contracts where we bear a significant portion of the risk of cost overruns. These types of contracts are priced, in part, on cost and scheduling estimates that are based on assumptions including pricing and availability of experienced labor, equipment and materials as well as productivity, performance and future economic conditions. If these estimates prove inaccurate, if there are errors or ambiguities as to contract specifications or if circumstances change due to, among other things, unanticipated technical problems, poor project execution, difficulties in obtaining permits or approvals, changes in local laws or labor conditions, weather delays, changes in the costs of equipment and materials or our suppliers’ or subcontractors’ inability to perform, then cost overruns may occur. We may not be able to obtain compensation for additional work performed or expenses incurred. Additionally, we may be required to pay liquidated damages upon our failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of our contracts. Our failure to accurately estimate the resources and time required for fixed-price contracts or our failure to complete our contractual obligations within a specified time frame or cost estimate could result in reduced profits or, in certain cases, a loss for that contract. If the contract is significant, or we encounter issues that impact multiple contracts, cost overruns could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The transition period resulting from the Referendum of the United Kingdom's Membership of the European Union could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The U.K. formally exited the European Union (“Brexit”) on January 31, 2020, followed by a transition period from February through December 2020, during which the U.K. continued to remain in the European Union as it negotiated separate trade deals with the European Union and other countries. On December 24, 2020, the U.K. announced that it had reached agreement on a draft EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA”). The U.K. Parliament ratified the U.K.’s entry into, and implementation of, the TCA on December 30, 2020 pursuant to the EU (Future Relationship) Act 2020. The TCA offers the U.K. and European Union companies preferential access to each other’s markets, ensuring imported goods will be free of tariffs and quotas; however, economic relations between the U.K. and the European Union will now be on more restricted terms. Additionally, the TCA does not incorporate the full scope of the services sector, and businesses such as banking and finance continue to face uncertainty. In March 2021, the U.K. and the European Union agreed on a framework for voluntary regulatory cooperation and discussion on financial services issues in a Memorandum of Understanding, which is expected to be signed after formal steps are completed.
The effects of Brexit will continue to depend on any agreements the U.K. has signed or will sign in the future to retain access to European Union markets. Brexit could adversely affect U.K., European and worldwide economic and market conditions, could contribute to instability in some global financial and foreign exchange markets, including continued volatility in the value of the British pound sterling or could otherwise adversely affect trading agreements or similar cross-border cooperation arrangements (whether economic, tax, legal, regulatory or otherwise). Volatility in currency exchange rates primarily impacts the translation of the financial results of the U.K. portion of our GS business segment. Brexit could also disrupt the free movement of goods, services and people between the U.K. and the European Union, and result in increased legal and regulatory complexities, as well as potential higher costs of conducting business in Europe. These developments, or the perception that any of them could occur, may adversely affect our relationships with our existing and future customers, suppliers, employees and subcontractors and may have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We work in locations and on projects where there are high security risks, which could result in substantial costs, damage to our reputation and harm to our employees, contractors and clients.
Some of our services are performed in high-risk locations, including but not limited to, Iraq, Afghanistan and certain parts of Africa and the Middle East, where the country or surrounding area is suffering from political, social or economic issues, war or civil unrest. In those locations where we have employees or operations, we may incur substantial costs to maintain the safety of our personnel and clients. Despite these precautions, we have suffered the loss of employees and contractors in the past that resulted in claims and litigation. Furthermore, there is risk of mass casualty or environmentally damaging events that may involve our and third-party personnel and property, which could lead to future claims and litigation, impact our reputation and investor confidence and ultimately result in reduced share price.
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Specifically, due to the complex humanitarian, logistical and multi-agency contractual challenges presented by OAW, several threats are present, including the threat of injury or death to Afghan guests, clients or third-party personnel, damage to client facilities and work performed by KBR or its subcontractors inconsistent (or alleged to be inconsistent) with the client contracts. This could result in significant financial claims by the client, unfavorable reports from the media and local communities, financial losses and significant damage to our reputation.
Additionally, as a result of our historical employment of Afghan nationals from 2002 to 2010 and the continuing obligation to provide verification of past employment to these individuals in relation to their application for Special Immigrant Visas ("SIVs"), if we are unable to verify past employment in a timely manner, we could be subject to investigation and/or at risk of damage to our reputation.
Our backlog of unfilled orders is subject to unexpected adjustments and cancellations and, therefore, may not be a reliable indicator of our future revenues or earnings.
As of December 31, 2021, the future revenues we expect to realize as a result of backlog was approximately $15.0 billion. We cannot guarantee that the revenues projected in our backlog will be realized or that the projects will be profitable. Many of our contracts are subject to cancellation, termination or suspension at the discretion of the customer. From time to time, changes in project scope may occur with respect to contracts reflected in our backlog and could reduce the dollar amount of our backlog or the timing of the revenues and profits that we ultimately earn. Projects may remain in our backlog for an extended period of time because of the nature of the project and the timing of the particular services or equipment required by the project. Delays, suspensions, cancellations, payment defaults, scope changes and poor project execution could materially reduce or eliminate profits that we actually realize from projects in backlog. We cannot predict the impact that future economic conditions may have on our backlog, which could include a diminished ability to replace backlog once projects are completed or could result in the termination, modification or suspension of projects currently in our backlog. Such developments could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
We make equity investments in privately financed projects in which we could sustain significant losses.
We participate in privately financed projects that enable governments and other customers to finance large-scale projects, such as the acquisition and maintenance of major military equipment, capital projects and service purchases. These projects typically include the facilitation of nonrecourse financing, the design and construction of facilities, the provision of operation and maintenance services and warranty obligations for an agreed-upon period after the facilities have been completed. We may incur contractually reimbursable costs and typically make investments prior to an entity achieving operational status or receiving project financing. If a project is unable to obtain financing, we could incur losses on our investments and any related contractual receivables. After completion of these projects, the return on our investments can be dependent on the operational success of the project and market factors that may not be under our control. As a result, we could sustain a loss on our equity investment in these projects.
We have made and may continue to make business combinations as a part of our business strategy, which may present certain risks and uncertainties.
We may continue to seek business acquisitions as a means of broadening our offerings and capturing additional market opportunities by our business segments. However, there is no guarantee that we will be successful in identifying target companies that meet our criteria for acquisition. We may also face increased competition from other potential acquirers who have greater financial resources or who are in a position to offer more favorable terms to the target company. This competition may limit our ability to pursue acquisition opportunities which could negatively affect our growth strategies. Additionally, future acquisitions may require us to obtain additional equity or debt financing, which may not be available on attractive terms, if at all.
The success of our historical and future business combinations also depends on our ability to integrate the operations of the acquired businesses efficiently and effectively with our existing operations and realize the anticipated benefits from them. The potential risks associated with successful integration and realization of benefits include, but are not limited to the following:
•our due diligence may not identify or fully assess valuation issues, potential liabilities or other acquisition risks;
•acquired entities may not achieve anticipated revenue targets, cost savings or other synergies or benefits, or acquisitions may not result in improved operating performance, which could adversely affect our operating income or operating margins, and we may be unable to recover investments in any such acquisitions;
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•we may have difficulty integrating acquired businesses, resulting in unforeseen difficulties, such as incompatible accounting, information management or other control systems, and greater expenses than expected;
•we may have difficulty entering into new markets in which we are not experienced, in an efficient and cost-effective manner while maintaining adequate standards, controls and procedures;
•key personnel within an acquired organization may resign from their related positions resulting in a significant loss to our strategic and operational efficiency associated with the acquired company;
•the effectiveness of our daily operations may be reduced by the redirection of employees and other resources to acquisition activities;
•we may assume liabilities of an acquired business (including litigation, tax liabilities, contingent liabilities, environmental issues), including liabilities that were unknown at the time of the acquisition, that pose future risks to our working capital needs, cash flows and the profitability of related operations;
•we may assume unprofitable projects that pose future risks to our working capital needs, cash flows and the profitability of related operations; or
•business acquisitions may include substantial transactional costs to complete the acquisition that exceed the estimated financial and operational benefits.
International and political events may adversely affect our operations.
A portion of our revenues is derived from foreign operations, which exposes us to risks inherent in doing business in each of the countries where we transact business. The occurrence of any of the risks described below could have a material adverse effect on our business operations and financial performance. With respect to any particular country, these risks may include, but not be limited to:
•expropriation and nationalization of our assets in that country;
•political and economic instability;
•changes in trade policies affecting the markets for our services (including but not limited to retaliatory tariffs between the United States and other countries);
•civil unrest, acts of terrorism, war or other armed conflict (including but not limited to potential U.S. sanctions on other countries);
•currency fluctuations, devaluations and conversion restrictions;
•confiscatory taxation or other adverse tax policies;
•uncertainties related to any geopolitical, economic and regulatory effects or changes due to recent or upcoming domestic and international elections;
•governmental activities or judicial actions that limit or disrupt markets, restrict payments, limit the movement of funds, result in the deprivation of contract rights or result in the inability for us to obtain or retain licenses required for operation; or
•increased polarization of political parties, in the U.S. and abroad, which may lead to more volatility in government spending or other developments such as trade wars or changes in military priorities.
Due to the unsettled political conditions in countries where we provide governmental logistical support, our financial performance is subject to the adverse consequences of war, the effects of terrorism, civil unrest, strikes, currency controls and governmental actions. Our operations are conducted in areas that have significant political risk. In addition, military action or unrest could disrupt our operations in such locations and elsewhere and increase our costs related to security worldwide.
We rely on internal and external information technology ("IT") systems to conduct our business, and disruption, failure or security breaches of these systems could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We utilize, develop, install and maintain a number of information technology systems both for us and for our customers. Additionally, we utilize and rely on external systems maintained by our service providers. These activities may involve substantial risks to our ongoing business processes including, but not limited to, accurate and timely customer invoicing, employee payroll processing, vendor payment processing and financial reporting. If these implementation activities are not executed successfully or if we encounter significant delays in our implementation efforts, we could experience interruptions to our business processes. Under certain contracts with the U.S. government subject to the FAR and CAS, the adequacy of our business processes and related systems could be called into question. The occurrence of such events could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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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 our and certain third party confidential and proprietary information from disclosure. We rely upon industry accepted security measures and technology to secure such confidential and proprietary information maintained on our IT systems. However, our portfolio of hardware and software products, solutions and services and information contained within our enterprise IT systems and external systems maintained by our service providers may be vulnerable to damage or disruption caused by circumstances beyond our control such as catastrophic events, cyberattacks inclusive of malware/computer viruses, ransomware and phishing attacks, insider threats related to malicious and non-malicious activities from authorized and unauthorized employees or third parties, power outages, natural disasters, computer system or network failures or physical break-ins. The failure of our internal or external IT systems to perform as anticipated for any reason could disrupt our business and result in decreased performance, significant remediation costs, transaction errors, loss of data (including personally identifiable information), processing inefficiencies, downtime, litigation and the loss of suppliers or customers. Any significant disruptions or failures could damage our reputation or have a material adverse effect on our business operations, financial performance and financial condition.
An impairment of all or part of our goodwill or our intangible assets could have a material adverse impact on our net earnings and net worth.
As of December 31, 2021, we had $2.1 billion of goodwill and $708 million of intangible assets recorded on our consolidated balance sheets. Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair market value of net assets acquired in business combinations. We perform an annual analysis of our goodwill on October 1 to determine if it has become impaired. We perform an interim analysis to determine if our goodwill has become impaired if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce our enterprise fair value below its book value. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in the business climate, including a significant sustained decline in a reporting unit’s market value, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, sale or disposition of a significant portion of our business, potential government actions toward our facilities and various other factors. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, we could be required to record an impairment charge. An impairment of all or a part of our goodwill or intangible assets could have a material adverse effect on our net earnings and net worth.
Our actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions used to prepare our financial statements.
The preparation of our consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of certain assets and liabilities; the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the periods covered and certain amounts disclosed in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. Areas requiring significant estimates and assumptions by our management include the following:
•project revenues, costs and profits on our contracts, including recognition of estimated losses on uncompleted contracts;
•award fees, costs and profits on government services contracts;
•client claims and recoveries of costs from subcontractors, vendors and others;
•provisions for income taxes and related valuation allowances and tax uncertainties;
•recoverability of goodwill;
•recoverability of other intangibles and long-lived assets and related estimated lives;
•recoverability of equity method investments;
•valuation of pension obligations and pension assets;
•accruals for estimated liabilities, including litigation accruals;
•consolidation of VIEs;
•valuation of share-based compensation; and
•valuation of assets and liabilities acquired in business combinations.
These estimates are based on information available through the date of the issuance of the financial statements and actual results could differ from those estimates, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
We ship a significant amount of cargo using seagoing vessels, exposing us to certain maritime risks.
We execute different projects in remote locations around the world and procure equipment and materials on a global basis. Depending on the type of contract, location, nature of the work and the sourcing of equipment and materials, we may charter seagoing vessels under time and bareboat charter arrangements and assume certain risks typical of those agreements. Such risks may include damage to the ship, liability for cargo and liability that charterers and vessel operators have to third
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parties “at law.” In addition, we ship a significant amount of cargo and are subject to hazards of the shipping and transportation industry.
Risks Related to Our Industry
The U.S. government awards its contracts through a rigorous competitive process and our efforts to obtain future contracts from the U.S. government may be unsuccessful.
The U.S. government conducts a rigorous competitive process for awarding most contracts. In the services arena, the U.S. government uses multiple contracting approaches. Historically, omnibus contract vehicles have been used for work that is done on a contingency or as-needed basis. In more predictable “sustainment” environments, contracts may include fixed-price, cost-reimbursable and time-and-materials elements. The U.S. government also favors multiple award task order contracts in which several contractors are selected as eligible bidders for future work. Such processes require successful contractors to continually anticipate customer requirements and develop rapid-response bid and proposal teams as well as maintain supplier relationships and delivery systems to react to emerging needs. In addition, U.S. government procurement practices sometimes emphasize price over qualitative factors, such as technical capability and past performance. As a result of these competitive pricing pressures, our profit margins on future U.S. government contracts may be reduced and may require us to make sustained efforts to reduce costs to remain competitive.
We face rigorous competition and pricing pressures for any additional contract awards from the U.S. government. Many of our existing contracts must be recompeted when their original period of performance ends. Recompetitions represent opportunities for competitors to take market share away from us or for our customers to obtain more favorable terms. We may be required to qualify or continue to qualify under the various multiple award task order contract criteria. Therefore, it may be more difficult for us to win future awards from the U.S. government and we may have other contractors sharing in U.S. government awards that we win. Once a contract is awarded, it may be subject to a lengthy protest process that could result in contract delays, or ultimately, the loss of the contract.
Heightened competition could impact our ability to obtain contracts which could reduce our market share and profits.
We serve markets that are global and highly competitive. We compete with larger companies that have greater name recognition, financial resources and a larger technical staff. We also compete with smaller, more specialized companies that are able to concentrate their resources on particular areas. Additionally, we compete with the U.S. government’s own capabilities.
The markets in which we operate are characterized by rapidly changing technology and the needs of our customers change and evolve regularly. Therefore, our success depends on our ability to invest in and develop our people and technology to enable us to deliver services and products that address these changing needs. To remain competitive, we must consistently provide superior service, technology and performance on a cost-effective basis to our customers while understanding customer priorities and maintaining customer relationships. Our competitors may be able to provide our customers with differentiated or superior capabilities or technologies or more attractive contract terms than we can provide, including technical qualifications, past contract experience, geographic presence, price and the availability of qualified professional personnel. Some of our competitors have made or could make acquisitions of businesses, or establish teaming or other agreements among themselves or third parties, that allow them to offer more competitive and comprehensive solutions. As a result of such acquisitions or arrangements, our current or potential competitors may be able to accelerate the adoption of new technologies that better address customer needs, devote greater resources to bring these products and services to market, initiate or withstand substantial price competition or develop and expand their product and service offerings at a more accelerated rate. These competitive pressures in our market or our failure to compete effectively may result in fewer orders, reduced revenue and margins and loss of market share.
Some of our U.S. government work requires KBR and certain of its employees to qualify for and retain a government-issued security clearance. If we are unable to hire or retain employees with adequate security clearances, we may be unable to perform our obligations to customers.
We currently hold U.S. government-issued facility security clearances and a large number of our employees have qualified for and hold U.S. government-issued personal security clearances necessary to qualify for and ultimately perform certain U.S. government contracts. Obtaining and maintaining security clearances for employees involves lengthy processes, and it is difficult to identify, recruit and retain employees who already hold security clearances. If our employees are unable to obtain or retain security clearances or if our employees who hold security clearances terminate employment with us and we are unable to find replacements with equivalent security clearances, we may be unable to perform our obligations to customers whose work requires cleared employees, or such customers could terminate their contracts or decide not to renew them upon
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their expiration. Our facility security clearances could be marked as "invalid" for several reasons including unapproved foreign ownership, control or influence, mishandling of classified materials or failure to properly report required activities. An inability to obtain or retain our facility security clearances or engage employees with the required security clearances for a particular contract could disqualify us from bidding for and winning new contracts with security requirements as well as result in the termination of any existing contracts requiring such clearances.
Our U.S. government contract work is regularly reviewed and audited by the U.S. government, U.S. government auditors and others, and these reviews can lead to withholding or delay of payments to us, non-receipt of award fees, legal actions, fines, penalties and liabilities and other remedies against us.
U.S. government contracts are subject to specific regulations such as the FAR, the Truth in Negotiations Act, CAS, the Service Contract Act and DoD security regulations. Failure to comply with any of these regulations, requirements or statutes may result in contract price adjustments, financial penalties or contract termination. Our U.S. government contracts are subject to audits, cost reviews and investigations by U.S. government contracting oversight agencies such as the DCAA. The DCAA reviews the adequacy of, and our compliance with, our internal control systems and policies, including our labor, billing, accounting, purchasing, property, estimating, compensation and management information systems. The DCAA has the authority to conduct audits and reviews to determine if we are complying with the requirements under the FAR and CAS, pertaining to the allocation, period assignment and allowability of costs assigned to U.S. government contracts. The DCAA presents its report findings to the DCMA. Should the DCMA determine that we have not complied with the terms of our contract or applicable statutes and regulations, payments to us may be disallowed, which could result in adjustments to previously reported revenues and refunding of previously collected cash proceeds. Additionally, we may be subject to qui tam litigation brought by private individuals on behalf of the U.S. government under the Federal 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 U.S. government decides whether to intervene on behalf of the qui tam plaintiff.
Given the demands of working for the U.S. government, we may have disagreements or experience performance issues. When performance issues arise under any of our U.S. government contracts, the U.S. government retains the right to pursue remedies, which could include termination under any affected contract. If any contract were so terminated, our ability to secure future contracts could be adversely affected. Other remedies that could be sought by our U.S. government customers for any improper activities or performance issues include sanctions such as forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, fines and suspensions or debarment from doing business with the U.S. government. Further, the negative publicity that could arise from disagreements with our customers or sanctions as a result thereof could have an adverse effect on our reputation in the industry, reduce our ability to compete for new contracts and may also have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Several of our contracts with the U.S. government are classified or subject to other security restrictions, which may limit investor insight into portions of our business.
A significant portion of our revenue is from contracts with the U.S. government that are classified or subject to security restrictions that preclude the disclosure of certain information. Additionally, a large number of our employees have security clearances which prohibit them from providing information to investors and other KBR employees without security clearances regarding certain clients and the related services we provide to them. As we are limited in our ability to provide information about these contracts and services, such as the scope of work, associated risks and any disputes or claims, our investors may have limited insight into a substantial portion of our business which may hinder their ability to fully evaluate the risks related to that portion of our business.
Demand for our services provided under government contracts are directly affected by spending by our customers.
We derive a significant portion of our revenues from contracts with agencies and departments of the U.S., the U.K. and Australia governments, which is directly affected by changes in government spending and availability of adequate funding. Additionally, government regulations generally include the right for government agencies to modify, delay, curtail, renegotiate or terminate contracts at their convenience any time prior to their completion. As we are a significant government contractor, our financial performance is affected by the allocation and prioritization of government spending. Factors that could affect current and future government spending include:
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•policy or spending changes implemented by the current administration, defense department or other government agencies;
•failure to pass budget appropriations, continuing funding resolutions or other budgetary decisions;
•changes, delays or cancellations of government programs or requirements;
•adoption of new laws or regulations that affect companies providing services to the governments;
•curtailment of the governments’ outsourcing of services to private contractors; or
•the level of political instability due to war, conflict or natural disasters.
We face uncertainty with respect to our government contracts due to the fiscal, economic and budgetary challenges facing our customers. Potential contract delays, modifications or terminations may arise from resolution of these issues and could cause our revenues, profits and cash flows to be lower than our current projections. The loss of work we perform for governments or decreases in governmental spending and outsourcing could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Fluctuations in commodity prices may affect our customers’ investment decisions which may result in existing project cancellations or delays or changes in the timing and funding of new awards.
Demand for many of our services in our commodity-based markets depends on capital spending by oil and natural gas companies, including national and international oil companies, and by industrial companies, which is directly affected by trends in oil, natural gas and commodities prices. Fluctuations in oil, natural gas and commodities prices can have a direct effect on the profitability and cash flow of such companies, which may impact their willingness to continue pursuing their current investments or make new capital investments. Additionally, commodity prices can also significantly affect the costs of projects. Rising commodity prices can negatively impact the potential returns on investments that are planned, as well as those in progress, and result in customers deferring new investments or canceling or delaying existing projects. To the extent commodity prices decline or fluctuate, or the perceived risk thereof, and our customers defer new investments or cancel or delay existing projects, the demand for our services may decrease, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Related to Financial Conditions and Markets
Current or future economic conditions in the credit markets may negatively affect the ability to operate our or our customers’ businesses, finance working capital, implement our acquisition strategy and access our cash and short-term investments.
We finance our business using cash provided by operations, but also depend on the availability of and access to credit markets, including bank credit lines, letters of credit and surety bonds. Our ability to obtain capital or financing on satisfactory terms will depend in part on prevailing market conditions as well as our operating results. The lack of adequate credit or funding or the unavailability of funding on terms satisfactory to us, could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Disruptions of the capital markets could also adversely affect our clients’ ability to finance projects and could result in contract cancellations or suspensions, project delays and payment delays or defaults by our clients. In addition, clients may be unable to fund new projects, may choose to make fewer capital expenditures or otherwise slow their spending on our services or seek contract terms more favorable to them. Our government clients may face budget deficits that prohibit them from funding proposed and existing projects or that cause them to exercise their right to terminate our contracts with little or no prior notice. Furthermore, any financial difficulties suffered by our subcontractors or suppliers could increase our cost or adversely impact project schedules. These disruptions could materially impact our backlog and financial performance.
In addition, we are subject to the risk that the lending counterparties to our Revolver may be unable to meet their contractual obligations to us if they suffer catastrophic demands on their liquidity. We also routinely enter into contracts with counterparties, including vendors, suppliers and subcontractors that may be negatively affected by events in the capital markets. If those counterparties are unable to perform their obligations to us or our clients, we may be required to provide additional services or make alternate arrangements on less favorable terms with other parties to ensure adequate performance and delivery of service to our clients. These circumstances could also lead to disputes and litigation with our partners or clients, which could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.
Furthermore, our cash balances and short-term investments are maintained in accounts held at major banks and financial institutions located primarily in North America, the U.K. and Australia. Deposits are in amounts that exceed available
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insurance. Although none of the financial institutions in which we hold our cash and investments have gone into bankruptcy, been forced into receivership or have been seized by their governments, there is a risk that this may occur in the future. If this were to occur, we would be at risk of not being able to access our cash and investments, which may result in a temporary decrease in liquidity that could impede our ability to fund operations or execute acquisitions.
We may be unable to obtain new contract awards if we are unable to provide our customers with letters of credit, surety bonds or other credit enhancements.
Customers may require us to provide credit enhancements, including letters of credit, bank guarantees or surety bonds. We are often required to provide performance guarantees to customers to indemnify the customer should we fail to perform our obligations under the contract. Failure to provide the required credit enhancements on terms required by a customer may result in an inability to bid, win or comply with the contract. Historically, we have had adequate letters of credit capacity but such capacity beyond our Senior Credit Facility is generally at the provider’s sole discretion. Due to events that affect the banking and insurance markets generally, letters of credit or surety bonds may be difficult to obtain or may only be available at significant cost. Moreover, many projects are very large and complex, which often necessitates the use of a joint venture, often with a market competitor, to bid on and perform the contract. Entering into joint ventures or partnerships exposes us to the credit and performance risk of third parties, many of whom may not be financially as strong or may encounter financial difficulties. If our joint ventures or partners fail to perform, we may be required to complete the project activities. In addition, future projects may require us to obtain letters of credit that extend beyond the term of our Senior Credit Facility. Any inability to bid for or win new contracts due to the failure of obtaining adequate letters of credit, surety bonds or other customary credit enhancements could have a material adverse effect on our business prospects and future revenues.
Our Senior Credit Facility imposes restrictions that limit our operating flexibility and may result in additional expenses, and such facility may not be available if financial covenants are violated or if an event of default occurs.
Our Senior Credit Facility includes a $1 billion revolving credit facility which matures in November 2026. It contains a number of covenants restricting, among other things, our ability to incur liens and indebtedness, sell assets, repurchase our equity shares and make certain types of investments. We are also subject to certain financial covenants, including but not limited to maintenance of a maximum consolidated net leverage ratio and a consolidated interest coverage ratio as defined in the Senior Credit Facility agreement.
A breach of any covenant or our inability to comply with the required financial ratios could result in a default under our Senior Credit Facility, and we can provide no assurance that we will be able to obtain the necessary waivers or amendments from our lenders to remedy a default. In the event of any default not cured or waived, the lenders are not obligated to provide funding or issue letters of credit and could elect to require us to apply available cash to collateralize any outstanding letters of credit and declare any outstanding borrowings, together with accrued interest and other fees, to be immediately due and payable, thus requiring us to apply available cash to repay any borrowings then outstanding. If we are unable to cash collateralize our letters of credit or repay borrowings with respect to our Senior Credit Facility when due, our lenders could proceed against the guarantees of our major domestic subsidiaries. If any future indebtedness under our Senior Credit Facility is accelerated, we can provide no assurance that our assets would be sufficient to repay such indebtedness in full.
LIBOR is expected to no longer be available after June 30, 2023 for the primary U.S. dollar LIBOR settings used by the Company. As a result, there have been significant efforts by market participants and government and regulatory bodies in the United States and abroad to identify suitable replacement rates and develop processes for migration to the use of the alternatives. Our Senior Credit Facility gives us the option to use LIBOR as a funding benchmark and our interest rate swaps are based on the one-month U.S. dollar LIBOR. Our Senior Credit Facility allows us and the administrative agent to replace LIBOR with an alternative benchmark rate, subject to the right of the majority of the lenders to object thereto, as set forth in the Senior Credit Facility. The International Swaps and Derivatives Association has issued terms that can be applied to determine the alternative reference rates under swap transactions and the timing of the switch to such alternatives. Any discontinuation of LIBOR and use of an alternative benchmark rate under our credit facility or our interest rate swap transactions is expected to be accompanied by a spread adjustment. The implementation of such alternative reference rates and spread adjustments could cause our funding costs to increase, including if there arises a differential between the alternative reference rate and/or spread adjustment under our credit facility and the alternative reference rate and/or spread adjustment applicable to our interest rate hedges.
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Our indebtedness and the associated covenants could materially adversely affect our ability to obtain additional financing, including for acquisitions and capital expenditures, limit our flexibility to manage our business, prevent us from fulfilling our financial obligations and restrict our use of capital.
We had approximately $1.9 billion of indebtedness outstanding as of December 31, 2021 which could have negative consequences to us, including, but not limited to:
•requiring us to dedicate cash flow from operations to the repayment of debt, interest and other related amounts, which reduces the funds we have available for other purposes, such as working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, payment of dividends and share repurchase programs;
•making it more difficult or expensive for us to obtain any necessary future financing for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, debt refinancing, acquisitions or other purposes;
•reducing our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our industry and market conditions;
•causing us to be more vulnerable in the event of a downturn in our business;
•exposing us to increased interest rate risk given that a portion of our debt obligations are at variable interest rates; and
•increasing our risk of a covenant violation under our Senior Credit Facility.
We may be required to contribute additional cash to meet our significant underfunded benefit obligations associated with defined benefit plans we manage.
We have frozen defined benefit pension plans for employees primarily in the U.S., the U.K. and Germany. At December 31, 2021, our defined benefit pension plans had an aggregate funding deficit (calculated as the excess of projected benefit obligations over the fair value of plan assets) of approximately $88 million, the majority of which is related to our defined benefit pension plan in the U.K. In the future, our pension deficits may increase or decrease depending on changes in the levels of interest rates, pension plan performance and other factors that may require us to make additional cash contributions to our pension plans and recognize further increases in our net pension cost to satisfy our funding requirements. If we are required or elect to make up all or a significant portion of the deficit for underfunded benefit plans, our financial position could be materially and adversely affected.
Our U.K. defined benefit pension plan has an aggregate funding deficit. Our U.K. pension plan has been frozen to new participants for a number of years, but can still have an aggregate funding deficit due to assumptions and factors noted below. For our frozen defined benefit pension plan in the U.K., the annual minimum funding requirements are based on a binding agreement with the plan trustees that is negotiated on a triennial basis. This agreement also includes other assurances and commitments regarding the business and assets that support the U.K. pension plan. It is possible that, following future valuations of our U.K. pension plan assets and liabilities or following future discussions with the trustees, the annual funding obligation will change. The future valuations under our U.K. pension plan can be affected by a number of assumptions and factors, including legislative changes, assumptions regarding interest rates, inflation, mortality and retirement rates, the investment strategy and performance of the plan assets and (in certain circumstance) actions by the U.K. pensions regulator. Adverse changes in the equity markets, interest rates or actuarial assumptions and legislative or other regulatory actions could increase the risk that the funding requirements increase following the next triennial negotiation. A significant increase in our funding requirements for our U.K. pension plan could result in a material adverse effect on our cash flows and financial position.
We are subject to foreign currency exchange risks that could adversely affect our results of operations and our ability to reinvest earnings from operations. Our ability to mitigate our foreign exchange risk through hedging transactions may be limited.
We generally attempt to denominate our contracts in U.S. dollars or in the currencies of our costs. However, we enter into contracts that subject us to currency risk exposure, primarily when our contract revenues are denominated in a currency different from the contract costs. A portion of our consolidated revenues and consolidated operating expenses are in foreign currencies. As a result, we are subject to foreign currency risks, including risks resulting from changes in currency exchange rates and limitations on our ability to reinvest earnings from operations in one country to fund the financing requirements of our operations in other countries.
The governments of certain countries have or may in the future impose restrictive exchange controls on local currencies and it may not be possible for us to engage in effective hedging transactions to mitigate the risks associated with fluctuations of a particular currency. We are often required to pay all or a portion of our costs associated with a project in the local currency. As a result, we generally attempt to negotiate contract terms with our customer, who is often affiliated with the local government, or has a significant local presence, to provide that we are only paid in the local currency for amounts that match
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our local expenses. If we are unable to match our local currency costs with revenues in the local currency, we would be exposed to the risk of adverse changes in currency exchange rates.
Risks Related to Our Common Stock
If we need to sell or issue additional shares of common stock to refinance existing debt or to finance future acquisitions, our existing shareholder ownership could be diluted. In addition, the convertible note hedge and warrant transactions that we entered into in connection with the pricing of the Convertible Notes may affect the value of our common stock.
Part of our business strategy is to expand into new markets and enhance our position in existing markets, both domestically and internationally, which may include the acquisition and merging of complementary businesses. To successfully fund and complete such potential acquisitions, or to refinance our existing debt, we may issue additional equity securities that may result in dilution of our existing shareholder ownership's earnings per share.
In addition, in connection with the pricing of the Convertible Notes, we entered into convertible note hedge transactions with certain option counterparties. We also entered into warrant transactions with the option counterparties. The convertible note hedge transactions are generally expected to reduce potential dilution to our common stock upon any conversion of the Convertible Notes and/or offset any cash payments we are required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted Convertible Notes, as the case may be. However, the warrant transactions could separately have a dilutive effect to the extent that the market value per share of our common stock exceeds the strike price of the warrants at the time of exercise.
Provisions in our charter documents, Delaware law and our Senior Credit Facility may inhibit a takeover or impact operational control that could adversely affect the value of our common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as Delaware corporate law, contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change of control or changes in our management that a stockholder might consider favorable. These provisions include, among others, prohibiting stockholder action by written consent, advance notice for making nominations at meetings of stockholders, providing for the state of Delaware as the exclusive forum for lawsuits concerning certain corporate matters and the issuance of preferred stock with rights that may be senior to those of our common stock without stockholder approval. These provisions would apply even if a takeover offer may be considered beneficial by some of our stockholders. If a change of control or change in management is delayed or prevented, the market price of our common stock could decline. Additionally, our Senior Credit Facility contains a default provision that is triggered upon a change in control of at least 25%, which would impede a takeover and/or make a takeover more costly.
We may change our dividend policy in the future.
We have maintained a regular cash dividend program since 2007. We anticipate continuing to pay quarterly dividends during 2022. However, any future payment of dividends, including the timing and amount of any such dividends, is at the discretion of our Board of Directors and may depend upon our earnings, liquidity, financial condition, alternate capital deployment opportunities or any other factors that our Board of Directors considers relevant. A change in our regular cash dividend program could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
Risks Related to Regulations and Compliance
We could be adversely impacted if we fail to comply with international export and domestic laws, which are rigorously enforced by the U.S. government.
To the extent that we export products, technical data and services outside of the U.S., we are subject to laws and regulations governing trade and exports, including, but not limited to, the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and the Export Administration Regulations, and trade sanctions against embargoed countries, which are administered by the Office of Foreign Asset Control within the Department of the Treasury. A failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in civil or criminal sanctions, including the imposition of fines as well as the denial of export privileges and debarment from participation in U.S. government contracts. U.S. government contract violations could result in the imposition of civil and criminal penalties or sanctions, contract termination, forfeiture of profit or suspension of payment, any of which could result in losing our status as an eligible U.S. government contractor and cause us to suffer serious reputational harm, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
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We are subject to anti-bribery laws in the U.S. and other jurisdictions, violations of which could result in suspension or debarment of our ability to contract with the U.S. state or local governments, U.S. government agencies or the U.K. MoD, third-party claims, loss of customers, adverse financial impact, damage to reputation and adverse consequences on financing for current or future projects.
The FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws ("Anti-bribery Laws") in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our policies mandate compliance with these Anti-bribery Laws. We operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and, in certain circumstances, strict compliance with Anti-bribery Laws may conflict with local customs and practices. We train our staff concerning Anti-bribery Laws and we also inform our partners, subcontractors, agents and other third parties who work for us or on our behalf that they must comply with the requirements of these Anti-bribery Laws. We also have procedures and controls in place to monitor internal and external compliance. We cannot provide complete assurance that our internal controls and procedures will always protect us from the reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or third parties working on our behalf. If we are found to be liable for violations of these laws (either due to our own acts or our inadvertence, or due to the acts or inadvertence of others), we could suffer from criminal or civil penalties or other sanctions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Certain of our work sites are inherently dangerous and we are subject to various environmental and worker health and safety laws and regulations. If we fail to maintain safe work sites or to comply with these laws and regulations, we may suffer damage to our reputation and incur significant costs and penalties that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
Certain work sites often expose our employees and others to chemical and manufacturing processes, large pieces of mechanized equipment and moving vehicles. Additionally, our employees and others at certain project sites may be exposed to severe weather events or high security risks. Failure to implement effective safety procedures may result in injury, disability or loss of life to these parties. In addition, the projects may be delayed and we may be exposed to litigation or investigations.
Our operations are subject to a variety of environmental, worker health and safety laws and regulations governing the generation, management and use of regulated materials, the discharge of materials into the environment, the remediation of environmental contamination associated with the release of hazardous substances and human health and safety. Violations of these laws and regulations can cause significant delays and additional costs to a project. When we perform our services, our personnel and equipment may be exposed to radioactive and hazardous materials and conditions. We may be subject to claims alleging personal injury, property damage or natural resource damages by employees, customers and third parties as a result of alleged exposure to or contamination by hazardous substances. In addition, we may be subject to fines, penalties or other liabilities arising under environmental and employee safety laws. A claim, if not covered by insurance at all or only partially, could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, more stringent regulation of our customers' operations with respect to the protection of the environment could also adversely affect their operations and reduce demand for our services.
Various U.S. federal, state and local as well as foreign environmental laws and regulations may impose liability for property damage and costs of investigation and cleanup of hazardous or toxic substances on property currently or previously owned by us or arising out of our waste management or environmental remediation activities. These laws may impose responsibility and liability without regard to knowledge or causation of the presence of contaminants. The liability under these laws may be joint and several. The ongoing costs of complying with existing environmental laws and regulations could be substantial and have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Changes in the environmental laws and regulations, remediation obligations, enforcement actions, stricter interpretations of existing requirements, future discovery of contamination or claims for damages to persons, property, natural resources or the environment could result in material costs and liabilities that we currently do not anticipate.
Our effective tax rate and tax positions may vary.
We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining certain components of our worldwide provision for income taxes and a change in tax laws, treaties or regulations, or their interpretation, in any country in which we operate could result in higher taxes on our earnings, which could have a material impact on our earnings and cash flows from operations. In the ordinary course of our business, there are certain transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are audited by various U.S. and foreign tax authorities in the ordinary course of business, 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, the realizability of deferred tax assets and
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changes in uncertain tax positions. A significant increase in tax rates could have a material adverse effect on our profitability and liquidity.
Risks Related to Climate Change
There is a rapidly evolving awareness and focus from stakeholders, such as investors, customers and current and future employees, with respect to global climate change and the related emphasis on environmental, social and governance practices, which could affect our business.
Continued attention to issues concerning climate change or other environmental matters may result in the imposition of additional environmental regulations that seek to restrict, or otherwise impose limitations or costs upon, the emission of greenhouse gases. International agreements, national, regional and state legislation and regulatory measures or other restrictions on emissions of greenhouse gases could affect our clients, including those who are involved in the exploration, production or refining of fossil fuels and those who emit greenhouse gases through the combustion of fossil fuels, or through mining, manufacturing or the 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 that could in turn have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. However, policy changes and climate legislation could also increase the overall demand for our services as our clients and partners work to comply with such policies, such as by decarbonizing their industries, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and developing integrated and sustainable solutions, which could have a positive impact on our business. 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 customers.
Furthermore, investor and societal expectations with respect to environmental, social and governance matters have been rapidly evolving and increasing. We risk damage to our reputation if we do not act responsibly in the following key areas: inclusion and diversity, environmental stewardship, support for local communities and corporate governance and transparency. A failure to adequately meet stakeholders' expectations may result in loss of business, diluted market valuation, an inability to attract and retain customers and talented personnel, increased negative investor sentiment toward us and/or our customers and the diversion of investment to other industries, which could have a negative impact on our stock price and our access to and costs of capital.
Climate change and related environmental issues could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Climate change related events, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, freezing conditions and other natural disasters, may have a long-term impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Although we are proactively seeking measures to mitigate our business risks associated with climate change, we recognize that there are innate climate related risks regardless of where and how we conduct our businesses. As such, a potential disruption to our and our customer's businesses from a natural disaster may cause us to experience work stoppages, project delays, financial losses and additional costs to resume operations such as increased insurance costs or loss of coverage, legal liability and reputational damage.
We may be unable to achieve our sustainability commitments and targets which could result in the loss of investors and customers and damage to our reputation.
We are continuously committed to advancing our environmental, social and governance strategy as evidenced by the establishment and continued focus on delivering on our 2030 net-zero carbon ambitions after we achieved carbon neutrality in 2019. However, achievement of our sustainability commitments and targets is subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: our ability to execute our operational strategies and achieve our goals within the currently projected costs and the expected timeframes; the availability and cost of alternative fuels, global electrical charging infrastructure, off-site renewable energy and other materials and components; unforeseen design, operational and technological difficulties; the outcome of research efforts and future technology developments, including the ability to scale projects and technologies on a commercially competitive basis such as carbon sequestration and/or other related processes; compliance with, and changes or additions to, global and regional regulations, taxes, charges, mandates or requirements relating to greenhouse gas emissions, carbon costs or climate-related goals; labor-related regulations and requirements that restrict or prohibit our ability to impose requirements on third party contractors; adapting products to customer preferences and customer acceptance of sustainable supply chain solutions; the actions of competitors and competitive pressures; an acquisition of or merger with another company that has not adopted similar carbon
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negative goals or whose progress towards reaching its carbon negative goals is not as advanced as ours; and the pace of regional and global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although we believe that our sustainability commitments and targets are achievable, there is no assurance that we will be able to successfully implement our strategies and achieve our 2030 targets. Investors have recently increased their focus on environmental, social and governance matters, including practices related to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Additionally, an increasing percentage of the investment community considers sustainability factors in making investment decisions, and an increasing number of entities are considering sustainability factors in awarding business. If we are unable to meet our commitments and targets and appropriately address sustainability enhancement, we may lose investors, customers or partners, our stock price may be negatively impacted, our reputation may be negatively affected and it may be more difficult for us to compete effectively, all of which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, as well as on the price of our common stock.
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Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 2.Properties
Our operations are conducted at both owned and leased properties in domestic and foreign locations. Our corporate headquarters are located at 601 Jefferson Street, Houston, Texas 77002. While we have operations worldwide, the following table describes the locations of our more significant existing office facilities:
Location Owned/Leased Business Segment
North America:
Houston, Texas Leased All
Webster, Texas Leased Government Solutions
Fulton, Maryland Leased Government Solutions
Columbia, Maryland Leased Government Solutions
Lexington Park, Maryland Leased Government Solutions
Ann Arbor, MI Leased Government Solutions
Chantilly, Virginia Leased Government Solutions
Vienna, Virginia Leased Government Solutions
Fairfax, Virginia Leased Government Solutions
Dayton/Beavercreek, Ohio Leased Government Solutions
Huntsville, Alabama Leased Government Solutions
Phoenix, Arizona Leased Government Solutions
Europe, Middle East and Africa:
Leatherhead, United Kingdom Owned All
Bristol, United Kingdom Leased Government Solutions
Glasgow, United Kingdom Leased Government Solutions
Wiltshire, United Kingdom Leased / Owned Government Solutions
Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia Leased Sustainable Technology Solutions
Manama, Bahrain Leased All
Asia-Pacific:
Chennai, India Leased All
Majura Park, Australia Leased Government Solutions
Delhi (Gurgaon), India Leased Sustainable Technology Solutions
Perth, Australia Leased Government Solutions