ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS OF THE COMPANY

Fiscal Years

The Company operates and reports its annual financial results based on 52 or 53-week periods ending on the Friday closest to December 31. The Company operates and reports its quarterly financial results based on the 13-week period ending on the Friday closest to March 31, June 30 and September 30 and the 13 or 14-week period ending on the Friday closest to March 31, as applicable. Fiscal year 2020, which ends on January 1, 2021, will be comprised of 53 weeks, with the first quarter consisting of 14 weeks and the remaining quarters consisting of 13 weeks each. Fiscal year 2019, which ended on December 27, 2019 was comprised of 52 weeks, with all quarters presented consisting of 13 weeks. All references to years in the notes to consolidated financial statements represent fiscal years.

COVID-19 Pandemic

Management’s Plans in Response to Covid-19

On January 30, 2020, the spread of a novel strain of coronavirus (“Covid-19”) was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (“WHO”). On March 11, 2020, WHO characterized the Covid-19 outbreak as a pandemic. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in governmental authorities around the world implementing numerous measures to try to contain the virus, such as travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter-in-place or total lock-down orders and business limitations and shutdowns (subject to exceptions for certain essential operations and businesses). Although some of these measures have since been lifted or scaled back, a

recent resurgence of Covid-19 in the United States has resulted in the reimposition of certain restrictions and may lead to other restrictions being reimplemented in response to efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19. The Covid-19 outbreak and restrictions intended to slow the spread of Covid-19 have caused economic and social disruption on an unprecedented scale. It is unclear how long these restrictions will remain in place and they may remain in place in some form for an extended period of time. Given the uncertainties associated with the duration of the pandemic, the Company cannot reasonably estimate the ultimate impacts of Covid-19 and efforts to limit its spread on its business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows for the foreseeable future or whether the Company’s assumptions used to estimate its future liquidity requirements will be correct.

Health and Safety

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Company has taken and will continue to take temporary precautionary measures intended to help minimize the risk of Covid-19 to its employees, including requiring the majority of its employees to work remotely, suspending non-essential travel and restricting in-person work-related meetings. The Company expects to continue to implement these measures until it has determined that the Covid-19 pandemic is adequately contained for purposes of its business, and may take further actions as government authorities require or recommend or as it determines to be in the best interests of its employees, customers, business partners and third-party service providers.

Financial Position and Results of Operations

The Covid-19 pandemic and efforts to limit its spread negatively impacted the Company’s business during the three and six months ended July 3, 2020. In California and New York, the states in which the Company has historically derived a majority of its revenue, mandatory shutdown orders were issued in March 2020. In California, phased re-openings began in May 2020 and were subsequently curtailed in July 2020 as result of the resurgence of Covid-19 cases. In New York, phased re-openings began in June 2020. As a result, the most significant pandemic related impacts to the Company’s business are now occurring in California to its direct install business. The Company’s business in New York has been improving over the last month and all New York utility programs have restarted.

In the Energy segment, the Company has experienced and expects to continue to experience a negative impact on its direct install programs that serve small businesses as a result of restrictions put in place by governmental authorities that have required temporary shutdowns of all “non-essential” businesses. In fiscal 2019, the Company derived approximately 40% of its gross revenue from its direct install programs that serve small businesses, and a significant portion of its direct install work on these programs is just entering recovery as phased re-openings continue. The Company’s other programs, which generated approximately 60% of its gross revenue in fiscal 2019, are either businesses that have been determined to be “essential” by government authorities or have continued to progress during the pandemic. In addition, some of the Company’s programs in the Energy segment, particularly those related to improvements in public schools, have been accelerated to take advantage of empty facilities.

In the Engineering and Consulting segment, the Company’s revenues have been minimally affected by Covid-19. The services in this segment have generally been deemed “essential” by the government and have continued to operate while abiding social distancing measures.

As of August 7, 2020, though some of the Company’s work has been suspended, none of its contracts have been cancelled and proposal activities for new programs have continued to advance. The Company currently estimates that pandemic related slowdowns and work suspensions are reducing its revenue by approximately 20% from pre-pandemic levels, an improvement from the estimated 40% reduction observed in April.

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic and efforts to prevent its spread, the Company began taking a number of steps during the first quarter of fiscal 2020 aimed at preserving liquidity and positioning itself to resume its growth trajectory after work restrictions are lifted. These steps include:

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Executing a reduction in workforce, primarily through an unpaid furlough, impacting approximately 300 members of staff. The largest reductions were a result of government-mandated work restrictions impacting the Company’s direct install programs in California and New York. During the Company’s second fiscal quarter, furloughed employees began to return to work as government authorities began lifting restrictions through phased re-openings;

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A temporary freeze on all non-critical spending for travel, capital expenditures, and other discretionary expenses;

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A temporary cash wage reduction for salaried employees, ranging from 0% for lower salary bands up to 75% for senior management. During the second half of the Company’s second fiscal quarter, as the initial impact of Covid-19 was ascertained and operations were adjusted accordingly, salaries were reinstituted with the exception of corporate staff, whose salaries were reinstituted at the end of July 2020;

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Suspension of cash fees for the Company’s Board of Directors, until such time as the Board of Directors determines;

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Implementing a temporary hiring freeze; and

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Amending the Company’s credit facility for increased flexibility.

The Company believes that its financial position is sufficiently flexible to enable it to maneuver in the current economic environment. Throughout the first and second quarter of fiscal year 2020, the Company enhanced liquidity by minimizing working capital and significantly improving cash collections. In addition, in May 2020, the Company amended its credit facility to modify, among other things, certain covenants to increase its financial flexibility. Combined with availability under its credit facility, the Company believes its enhanced liquidity position provides a cushion against liquidity disruptions. The Company anticipates borrowing additional amounts under its existing credit facility during the second half of fiscal year 2020 to support an expectation of recovery from Covid-19 operating levels and the accompanying need for working capital as a result of the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

Asset and liability valuation and other estimates used in preparation of financial statements

As of July 3, 2020, the Company did not have any impairment with respect to goodwill or long-lived assets, including intangible assets. Because the full extent of the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak and efforts to slow its spread are unknown at this time, they could, under certain circumstances, cause impairment and result in a non-cash impairment charge being recorded in future periods.

Changes to the estimated future profitability of the business may require that the Company establish an additional valuation allowance against all or some portion of its net deferred tax assets.

Impact on Clients and Subcontractors and Other Risks

The Company primarily works for utilities, municipalities and other public agencies. The Company expects many governmental and other public agencies will have significant budget shortfalls for 2020 and potentially beyond as a result of the economic slowdown from the measures taken to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic. Although none of the Company’s contracts with governmental or other public agencies were materially modified in the second fiscal quarter, these potential budget deficits could result in delayed funding for existing contracts with the Company, postponements of new contracts or price concessions. Further, most of the Company’s clients are not committed to purchase any minimum amount of services, as the Company agreements with them are based on a “purchase order” model. As a result, they may discontinue utilizing some or all of the Company’s services with little or no notice.

In addition, the Company relies on subcontractors and material suppliers to complete a substantial portion of our work, especially in its Energy segment. If the Company’s significant subcontractors and material suppliers suffer significant economic harm and must limit or cease operations or file for bankruptcy as a result of the current economic slowdown, the Company’s subcontractors and material suppliers may not be able to fulfill their contractual obligations satisfactorily and the Company may not have the ability to select its subcontractors and material suppliers of choice for new contracts. If the Company’s subcontractors and material suppliers are not able to fulfill their contractual obligations, it could result in a significant increase in costs for the Company to complete the projects. The ultimate impact of Covid-19 on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations will depend on all of the factors noted above, including other factors that the Company may not be able to forecast at this time. See the risk factor “The Covid-19 pandemic and health and safety measures intended to slow its spread have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, our business, results of operations and financial condition.” under Part II, Item 1A. “Risk Factors”, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended April 3, 2020. While Covid-19 has had, and the Company expects it to continue to have, an adverse effect on its business, financial condition and results of operations, it is unable to predict the extent of these impacts at this time.

Contract Accounting

The Company enters into contracts with its clients that contain various types of pricing provisions, including fixed price, time-and-materials, and unit-based provisions. The Company recognizes revenues in accordance with ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customer, codified as ASC Topic 606 and the related amendments (collectively “ASC 606”). As such, the Company identifies a contract with a customer, identifies the performance obligations in the contract, determines the transaction price, allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation in the contract and recognizes revenues when (or as) the Company satisfies a performance obligation.

The following table reflects the Company’s two reportable segments and the types of contracts that each most commonly enters into for revenue generating activities.


Segment	Contract Type	Revenue Recognition Method
	Time-and-materials	Time-and-materials
Energy	Unit-based	Unit-based
	Software license	Unit-based
	Fixed price	Percentage-of-completion
	Time-and-materials	Time-and-materials
Engineering and Consulting	Unit-based	Unit-based
	Fixed price	Percentage-of-completion

Revenue on the vast majority of the Company’s contracts is recognized over time because of the continuous transfer of control to the customer. Revenue on fixed price contracts is recognized on the percentage-of-completion method based generally on the ratio of direct costs incurred-to-date to estimated total direct costs at completion. The Company uses the percentage-of-completion method to better match the level of work performed at a certain point in time in relation to the effort that will be required to complete a project. In addition, the percentage-of-completion method is a common method of revenue recognition in the Company’s industry.

Many of the Company’s fixed price contracts involve a high degree of subcontracted fixed price effort and are relatively short in duration, thereby lowering the risks of not properly estimating the percent complete. Revenue on time-and-materials and unit-based contracts is recognized as the work is performed in accordance with the specific rates and terms of the contract. The Company recognizes revenues for time-and-materials contracts based upon the actual hours incurred during a reporting period at contractually agreed upon rates per hour and also includes in revenue all reimbursable costs incurred during a reporting period. Certain of the Company’s time-and-materials contracts are subject to maximum contract values and, accordingly, when revenue is expected to exceed the maximum contract value, these contracts are generally recognized under the percentage-of-completion method, consistent with fixed price contracts. For unit-based contracts, the Company recognizes the contract price of units of a basic production product as revenue when the production product is delivered during a period. Revenue recognition for software licenses issued by the Energy segment is generally recognized at a point in time, utilizing the unit-based revenue recognition method, upon acceptance of the software by the customer and in recognition of the fulfillment of the performance obligation. Certain additional performance obligations beyond the base software license may be separated from the gross license fee and recognized on a straight-line basis over time. Revenue for amounts that have been billed but not earned is deferred, and such deferred revenue is referred to as contract liabilities in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

To determine the proper revenue recognition method for contracts, the Company evaluates whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as one single contract and whether the combined contract should be accounted for as one performance obligation. With respect to the Company’s contracts, it is rare that multiple contracts should be combined into a single performance obligation. This evaluation requires significant judgment and the decision to combine a group of contracts or separate a single contract into multiple performance obligations could change the amount of revenue and profit recorded in a given period. Contracts are considered to have a single performance

obligation if the promise to transfer the individual goods or services is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts, which is mainly because the Company provides a significant service of integrating a complex set of tasks and components into a single project or capability.

The Company may enter into contracts that include separate phases or elements. If each phase or element is negotiated separately based on the technical resources required and/or the supply and demand for the services being provided, the Company evaluates if the contracts should be segmented. If certain criteria are met, the contracts would be segmented which could result in revenues being assigned to the different elements or phases with different rates of profitability based on the relative value of each element or phase to the estimated total contract revenue. Segmented contracts may comprise up to approximately 2.0% to 3.0% of the Company’s consolidated contract revenue.

Contracts that cover multiple phases or elements of the project or service lifecycle (development, construction and maintenance and support) may be considered to have multiple performance obligations even when they are part of a single contract. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the Company allocates the transaction price to each performance obligation using the best estimate of the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract. For the periods presented, the value of the separate performance obligations under contracts with multiple performance obligations (generally measurement and verification tasks under certain energy performance contracts) were not material. In cases where the Company does not provide the distinct good or service on a standalone basis, the primary method used to estimate standalone selling price is the expected cost plus a margin approach, under which the Company forecasts the Company’s expected costs of satisfying a performance obligation and then adds an appropriate margin for the distinct good or service.

The Company provides quality of workmanship warranties to customers that are included in the sale and are not priced or sold separately or do not provide customers with a service in addition to assurance of compliance with agreed-upon specifications and industry standards. The Company does not consider these types of warranties to be separate performance obligations.

In some cases, the Company has a master service or blanket agreement with a customer under which each task order releases the Company to perform specific portions of the overall scope in the service contract. Each task order is typically accounted for as a separate contract because the task order establishes the enforceable rights and obligations, and payment terms.

Under ASC 606, variable consideration should be considered when determining the transaction price and estimates should be made for the variable consideration component of the transaction price, as well as assessing whether an estimate of variable consideration is constrained. For certain of the Company’s contracts, variable consideration can arise from modifications to the scope of services resulting from unapproved change orders or customer claims. Variable consideration is included in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved. The Company estimates of variable consideration and determination of whether to include estimated amounts in the transaction price are based largely on assessments of legal enforceability, the Company’s performance, and all information (historical, current and forecasted) that is reasonably available to the Company.

Due to the nature of the work required to be performed on many of the Company’s performance obligations, the estimation of total revenue and cost at completion is complex, subject to many variables and requires significant judgment. As a significant change in one or more of these estimates could affect the profitability of the Company’s contracts, the Company reviews and updates the Company’s contract-related estimates regularly through a company-wide disciplined project review process in which management reviews the progress and execution of the Company’s performance obligations and the estimate at completion (EAC). As part of this process, management reviews information including, but not limited to, any outstanding key contract matters, progress towards completion and the related program schedule and the related changes in estimates of revenues and costs. Management must make assumptions and estimates

regarding labor productivity and availability, the complexity of the work to be performed, the cost and availability of materials, the performance of subcontractors, and the availability and timing of funding from the customer, among other variables.

The Company recognizes adjustments in estimated profit on contracts under the cumulative catch-up method. Under this method, the impact of the adjustment on profit recorded to date is recognized in the period the adjustment is identified. Revenue and profit in future periods of contract performance is recognized using the adjusted estimate. If at any time the estimate of contract profitability indicates an anticipated loss on the contract, the Company recognizes the full amount of estimated loss in the period it is identified.

Contracts are often modified to account for changes in contract specifications and requirements. The Company considers contract modifications to exist when the modification either creates new rights or obligations or changes the existing enforceable rights or obligations. Most of the Company’s contract modifications are for goods or services that are not distinct from existing contracts due to the significant integration provided in the context of the contract and are accounted for as if they were part of the original contract. The effect of a contract modification that is not distinct from the existing contract on the transaction price and the Company’s measure of progress for the performance obligation to which it relates is recognized as an adjustment to revenue (either as an increase in or a reduction of revenue) on a cumulative catch-up basis.

For contract modifications that result in the promise to deliver goods or services that are distinct from the existing contract and the increase in price of the contract is for the same amount as the standalone selling price of the additional goods or services included in the modification, the Company accounts for such contract modifications as a separate contract.

The Company includes claims to vendors, subcontractors and others as a receivable and a reduction in recognized costs when enforceability of the claim is established by the contract and the amounts are reasonably estimable and probable of being recovered. The amounts are recorded up to the extent of the lesser of the amounts management expects to recover or to costs incurred.

Billing practices are governed by the contract terms of each project based upon costs incurred, achievement of milestones or pre-agreed schedules. Billings do not necessarily correlate with revenue recognized using the percentage-of-completion method of revenue recognition.

Direct costs of contract revenue consist primarily of that portion of technical and nontechnical salaries and wages that has been incurred in connection with revenue producing projects. Direct costs of contract revenue also include production expenses, subcontractor services and other expenses that are incurred in connection with revenue producing projects.

Direct costs of contract revenue exclude that portion of technical and nontechnical salaries and wages related to marketing efforts, vacations, holidays and other time not spent directly generating revenue under existing contracts. Such costs are included in general and administrative expenses. Additionally, payroll taxes, bonuses and employee benefit costs for all Company personnel are included in general and administrative expenses in the accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income since no allocation of these costs is made to direct costs of contract revenue. No allocation of facilities costs is made to direct costs of contract revenue. Other companies may classify as direct costs of contract revenue some of the costs that the Company classifies as general and administrative costs. The Company expenses direct costs of contract revenue when incurred.

Included in revenue and costs are all reimbursable costs for which the Company has the risk or on which the fee was based at the time of bid or negotiation. No revenue or cost is recorded for costs in which the Company acts solely in the capacity of an agent and has no risks associated with such costs.

Accounts receivable are carried at original invoice amount less an estimate made for doubtful accounts based upon a review of all outstanding amounts on a quarterly basis. Management determines allowances for doubtful accounts through specific identification of amounts considered to be uncollectible and potential write-offs, plus a non-specific allowance for other amounts for which some potential loss has been determined to be probable based on current and past experience. The Company’s historical credit losses have been minimal with governmental entities and large public utilities, but disputes may arise related to these receivable amounts. Accounts receivable are written off when deemed uncollectible. Recoveries of accounts receivable previously written off are recorded when received.

Retainage, included in contract assets, represents amounts withheld from billings to the Company’s clients pursuant to provisions in the contracts and may not be paid to the Company until specific tasks are completed or the project is completed and, in some instances, for even longer periods. As of July 3, 2020 and December 27, 2019, contract assets included retainage of $5.0 million and $5.4 million, respectively.

In addition to the above, the Company derives revenue from software licenses and professional services and maintenance fees. In accordance with ASC 606, the Company performs an assessment of each contract to identify the performance obligations, determine the overall transaction price for the contract, allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations, and recognize the revenue when the performance obligations are satisfied.

The Company utilizes the residual approach by which it estimates the standalone selling price by reference to the total transaction price less the sum of the observable standalone selling prices of other goods or services promised in the contract. The software license revenue is typically recognized at a point in time when control is transferred to the client, which is defined as the point in time when the client can use and benefit from the license. The software license is delivered before related services are provided and is functional without services, updates, or technical support. Related professional services include training and support services in which the standalone selling price is determined based on an input measure of hours incurred to total estimated hours and is recognized over time, usually which is the life of the contract.