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Commitments and Contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies  
Commitments and Contingencies

5. Commitments and Contingencies

Letters of Credit

        At both June 30, 2012 and December 31, 2011, the Company had two outstanding irrevocable standby letters of credit, including one for $15.0 million related to the Company's payment obligation under its insurance programs and another for approximately $2.2 million related to contract performance obligations.

Leases

        The Company leases real estate, construction equipment and office equipment under operating leases with terms ranging from one to nine years. As of June 30, 2012, future minimum lease payments for operating leases were as follows: $2.2 million for the remainder of 2012, $2.4 million for 2013, $0.9 million for 2014, $0.4 million for 2015, $0.2 million for 2016 and $0.5 million thereafter.

Purchase Commitments for Construction Equipment

        As of June 30, 2012, the Company had approximately $4.1 million in outstanding purchase orders for certain construction equipment with cash outlay requirements scheduled to occur over the next six months.

Insurance and Claims Accruals

        The Company carries insurance policies, which are subject to certain deductibles, for workers' compensation, general liability, automobile liability and other coverages. The deductible for each line of coverage is between $1.0 million and $1.5 million per claim, depending on whether the claim aggregate has been met. Once a policy's claim aggregate is reached per line of coverage, the deductible for that policy is reduced to $1.0 million per claim.

        Certain of the Company's health insurance benefit plans are subject to a $0.1 million deductible for qualified individuals. Losses up to the stop loss amounts are accrued based upon the Company's estimates of the ultimate liability for claims reported and an estimate of claims incurred but not yet reported.

        The insurance and claims accruals are based on known facts, actuarial estimates and historical trends. While recorded accruals are based on the ultimate liability, which includes amounts in excess of the stop loss deductible, a corresponding receivable for amounts in excess of the stop loss deductible is included in current assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

Surety Bonds

        In certain circumstances, the Company is required to provide performance bonds in connection with its future performance on contractual commitments. The Company typically indemnifies its surety for any expenses paid out under these performance bonds. As of June 30, 2012, an aggregate of approximately $914.1 million in original face amount of bonds issued by the surety were outstanding. The estimated remaining cost to complete those bonded projects was approximately $351.4 million as of June 30, 2012.

Indemnities

        From time to time, pursuant to its service arrangements, the Company indemnifies its customers for claims related to the services it provides under those service arrangements. These indemnification obligations may subject the Company to indemnity claims and liabilities and related litigation. The Company is not aware of any material unrecorded liabilities for asserted claims in connection with these indemnification obligations.

Collective Bargaining Agreements

        Many of the Company's subsidiaries' field labor employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. The agreements require the subsidiaries to pay specified wages, provide certain benefits and contribute certain amounts to multi-employer pension plans. If a subsidiary withdraws from one or more multi-employer pension plans, or if the plans become underfunded, the subsidiary could be assessed liabilities for additional contributions related to the underfunding of these plans. Although the Company has been informed that certain of the multi-employer pension plans to which our subsidiaries contribute have been labeled with a "critical" status, the Company is not aware of any significant liabilities related to these plans. However, if a subsidiary withdraws from a plan, or if an underfunded plan imposes a material surcharge in the future, the Company cannot be certain that the amount of liability imposed on it would not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Litigation and Other Legal Matters

        The Company is, from time to time, party to various lawsuits, claims, and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. These actions typically seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, breach of contract and/or property damages, punitive damages, civil penalties or other losses, or injunctive or declaratory relief. With respect to all such lawsuits, claims and proceedings, the Company records reserves when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. The Company does not believe that any of these proceedings, separately or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

        The Company is routinely subject to other civil claims, litigation and arbitration, and regulatory investigations arising in the ordinary course of our present business as well as in respect of our divested businesses. Some of these include claims related to our current services and operations, and asbestos-related claims concerning historic operations of a predecessor affiliate. The Company believes that it has strong defenses to these claims as well as adequate insurance coverage in the event any asbestos-related claim is not resolved in our favor. These claims have not had a material impact on the Company to date and the Company believes that the likelihood that a future material adverse outcome will result from these claims is remote. However, if facts and circumstances change in the future, the Company cannot be certain that an adverse outcome of one or more of these claims would not have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.