Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2020

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

Note 14 – Commitments and Contingencies

MasTec is subject to a variety of legal cases, claims and other disputes that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business, including project contract price and acquisition purchase price disputes. MasTec cannot provide assurance that it will be successful in recovering all or any of the potential damages it has claimed or in defending claims against the Company. The outcome of such cases, claims and disputes cannot be predicted with certainty and an unfavorable resolution of one or more of them could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Other Commitments and Contingencies

Leases. In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into non-cancelable operating leases for certain of its facility, vehicle and equipment needs, including related party leases. See Note 8 - Lease Obligations and Note 15 - Related Party Transactions.

Letters of Credit. In the ordinary course of business, the Company is required to post letters of credit for its insurance carriers and surety bond providers and in support of performance under certain contracts as well as certain obligations associated with the Company’s equity investments and other strategic arrangements, including its variable interest entities. Such letters of credit are generally issued by a bank or similar financial institution. The letter of credit commits the issuer to pay specified amounts to the holder of the letter of credit under certain conditions. If this were to occur, the Company would be required to reimburse the issuer of the letter of credit, which, depending upon the circumstances, could result in a charge to earnings. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, there were $151.8 million and $115.1 million, respectively, of letters of credit issued under the Company’s credit facilities. The Company is not aware of any material claims relating to its outstanding letters of credit as of December 31, 2020 or 2019.

Performance and Payment Bonds. In the ordinary course of business, MasTec is required by certain customers to provide performance and payment bonds for contractual commitments related to its projects. These bonds provide a guarantee to the customer that the Company will perform under the terms of a contract and that the Company will pay its subcontractors and vendors. If the Company fails to perform under a contract or to pay its subcontractors and vendors, the customer may demand that the surety make payments or provide services under the bond. The Company must reimburse the surety for expenses or outlays it incurs. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, outstanding performance and payment bonds approximated $764.8 million and $551.4 million, respectively, and estimated costs to complete projects secured by these bonds totaled $263.2 million and $194.7 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Investment and Strategic Arrangements. The Company holds undivided interests, ranging from 85% to 90%, in multiple proportionately consolidated non-controlled contractual joint ventures that provide infrastructure construction services for electrical transmission projects, as well as a 50% undivided interest in a civil construction project. Income and/or losses incurred by these joint ventures are generally shared proportionally by the respective joint venture members, with the members of the joint ventures jointly and severally liable for all of the obligations of the joint venture. The respective joint venture agreements provide that each joint venture partner indemnify the other party for any liabilities incurred by such joint venture in excess of its ratable portion of such liabilities. Thus, it is possible that the Company could be required to pay or perform obligations in excess of its share if the other joint venture partners fail or refuse to pay or perform their respective share of the obligations. As of December 31, 2020, the Company was not aware of material future claims against it in connection with these arrangements.

The Company has other investment and strategic arrangements, under which it may incur costs or provide financing, performance, financial and/or other guarantees. See Note 4 - Fair Value of Financial Instruments and Note 15 - Related Party Transactions regarding the Company’s investment and strategic arrangements.

Self-Insurance. MasTec maintains insurance policies for workers’ compensation, general liability and automobile liability, which are

subject to per claim deductibles. The Company is self-insured up to the amount of the deductible. The Company also maintains excess umbrella coverage. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, MasTec’s estimated liability for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses related to these policies, totaled $129.6 million and $123.4 million, respectively, of which $86.1 million and $87.3 million, respectively, were reflected within other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. MasTec also maintains an insurance policy with respect to employee group medical claims, which is subject to annual per employee maximum losses. MasTec’s estimated liability for employee group medical claims totaled $4.3 million and $4.2 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

The Company is required to post collateral, generally in the form of letters of credit, surety bonds and cash to certain of its insurance carriers. Insurance-related letters of credit for the Company’s workers’ compensation, general liability and automobile liability policies amounted to $59.3 million and $64.0 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Outstanding surety bonds related to self-insurance programs amounted to $37.4 million and $38.5 million as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Employment Agreements. The Company has employment agreements with certain executives and other employees, which provide for compensation and certain other benefits and for severance payments under certain circumstances. Certain employment agreements also contain clauses that become effective upon a change in control of the Company. Upon the occurrence of any of the defined events in the various employment agreements, the Company would be obligated to pay certain amounts to the related employees, which vary with the level of the employees’ respective responsibility.

Collective Bargaining Agreements and Multiemployer Plans. As discussed in Note 1 - Business, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies, certain of MasTec’s subsidiaries are party to various collective bargaining agreements with unions representing certain of their employees, which require the Company to pay specified wages, provide certain benefits and contribute certain amounts to MEPPs. The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended by the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act of 1980 (collectively, “ERISA”), which governs U.S.-registered MEPPs, subjects employers to substantial liabilities in the event of an employer’s complete or partial withdrawal from, or upon termination of, such plans.

The Company currently contributes, and in the past, has contributed, to plans that are underfunded, and, therefore, could have potential liability associated with a voluntary or involuntary withdrawal from, or termination of, these plans. As of December 31, 2020, the Company does not have plans to withdraw from, and is not aware of circumstances that would reasonably lead to material claims against it, in connection with the MEPPs in which it participates. There can be no assurance, however, that the Company will not be assessed liabilities in the future, including in the form of a surcharge on future benefit contributions or increased contributions on underfunded plans. The amount the Company could be obligated to pay or contribute in the future cannot be estimated, as these amounts are based on future levels of work of the union employees covered by these plans, investment returns, which could be negatively affected by economic and market conditions, and the level of underfunding of such plans.

Indemnities. The Company generally indemnifies its customers for the services it provides under its contracts, as well as other specified liabilities, which may subject the Company to indemnity claims, liabilities and related litigation. As of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company was not aware of any material asserted or unasserted claims in connection with these indemnity obligations.

Other Guarantees. From time to time, in the ordinary course of its business, MasTec guarantees the obligations of its subsidiaries, including obligations under certain contracts with customers, certain lease obligations and in some states, obligations in connection with obtaining contractors’ licenses. MasTec has also issued performance and other guarantees in connection with certain of its equity investments. MasTec also generally warrants the work it performs following substantial completion of a project. Much of the work performed by the Company is evaluated for defects shortly after the work is completed. If warranty claims occur, the Company could be required to repair or replace warrantied items, or, if customers elect to repair or replace the warrantied item using the services of another provider, the Company could be required to pay for the cost of the repair or replacement. Warranty claims have historically not been material

Concentrations of Risk. The Company is subject to certain risk factors, including, but not limited to: governmental and/or regulatory changes, including governmental permitting, or other factors affecting the industries in which the Company operates; changes in customers’ capital spending plans; risks related to market conditions, market uncertainty, including from health outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and/or economic downturns; risks related to rapid technological changes or customer consolidation; competition; the ability to manage projects effectively and in accordance with management’s estimates; the nature of its contracts, which do not obligate MasTec’s customers to undertake any infrastructure projects and may be canceled on short notice; customer disputes related to the performance of services; seasonality, adverse weather conditions and fluctuations in operational factors; potential exposure to environmental liabilities; risks related to the Company’s acquisitions and strategic investment arrangements, including acquisition integration and financing; exposure from system or information technology interruptions; recoverability of goodwill; collectibility of receivables and resolution of unapproved change orders; availability of qualified employees; the adequacy of our reserves; exposure to litigation; exposure related to foreign operations; and exposure to multiemployer pension plan liabilities. The Company grants credit, generally without collateral, to its customers. Consequently, the Company is subject to potential credit risk related to changes in business and economic factors, including from current economic uncertainty. However, MasTec generally has certain lien rights on that work and maintains a diverse customer base. The Company believes its billing and collection policies are adequate to minimize potential credit risk. MasTec’s customers include: public and private energy providers; pipeline operators; wireless and wireline/fiber service providers; broadband operators; install-to-the-home service providers; and government entities. The industries served by MasTec’s customers include the communications and utilities industries, among others. The Company had approximately 475 customers for the year ended December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2020, two customers each accounted for approximately, 15% and 12%, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated net accounts receivable position, which represents accounts receivable, net, less deferred revenue. As of December 31, 2019, three customers each accounted for approximately 17%, 13% and 11%, respectively, of the Company’s consolidated net accounts receivable position. In addition, the Company derived 58%, 64% and 72%, of its revenue from its top ten customers for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively.