Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

12. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Legal Matters

From time to time we are a party to various claims, lawsuits and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. We maintain various insurance coverages to minimize financial risk associated with these proceedings. None of these proceedings, separately or in the aggregate, are expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. With respect to all such proceedings, we record reserves when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. We expense routine legal costs related to these proceedings as they are incurred.

Risk-Management

We retain the risk for workers’ compensation, employer’s liability, automobile liability, construction defects, general liability and employee group health claims, as well as pollution coverage, resulting from uninsured deductibles per accident or occurrence which are generally subject to annual aggregate limits. Our general liability program provides coverage for bodily injury and property damage. In many cases, we insure third parties, including general contractors, as additional insureds under our insurance policies. Losses are accrued based upon our known claims incurred and an estimate of claims incurred but not reported. As a result, many of our claims are effectively self-insured. Many claims against our insurance are in the form of litigation. At June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, we had $6,238 and $6,683, respectively, accrued for self-insurance liabilities. We are also subject to construction defect liabilities, primarily within our Residential segment. As of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, we had $34 and $90, respectively, reserved for these claims. Because the reserves are based on judgment and estimates and involve variables that are inherently uncertain, such as the outcome of litigation and an assessment of insurance coverage, there can be no assurance that the ultimate liability will not be higher or lower than such estimates or that the timing of payments will not create liquidity issues for the Company.

Some of the underwriters of our casualty insurance program require us to post letters of credit as collateral. This is common in the insurance industry. To date, we have not had a situation where an underwriter has had reasonable cause to effect payment under a letter of credit. At June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, $6,762 and $6,268, respectively, of our outstanding letters of credit were utilized to collateralize our insurance program.

Surety

As of June 30, 2020, the estimated cost to complete our bonded projects was approximately $101,229. We evaluate our bonding requirements on a regular basis, including the terms offered by our sureties. We believe the bonding capacity provided by our current sureties is adequate for our current operations and will be adequate for our operations for the foreseeable future.

Other Commitments and Contingencies

Some of our customers and vendors require us to post letters of credit, or provide intercompany guarantees, as a means of guaranteeing performance under our contracts and ensuring payment by us to subcontractors and vendors. If our customer has reasonable cause to effect payment under a letter of credit, we would be required to reimburse our creditor for the letter of credit. At each of June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, $200 of our outstanding letters of credit were to collateralize our vendors.

From time to time, we may enter into firm purchase commitments for materials, such as copper or aluminum wire, which we expect to use in the ordinary course of business. These commitments are typically for terms of less than one year and require us to buy minimum quantities of materials at specific intervals at a fixed price over the term. As of June 30, 2020, we had no such material commitments.