Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Consolidation, Variable Interest Entity, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Principles of Consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Granite Construction Incorporated and its wholly owned and consolidated subsidiaries. All material inter-company transactions and accounts have been eliminated. Additionally, we participate in various construction joint ventures of which we are a limited member (“joint ventures”). Generally, each construction joint venture is formed to accomplish a specific project and is jointly controlled by the joint venture partners. The joint venture agreements typically provide that our interests in any profits and assets, and our respective share in any losses and liabilities, that may result from the performance of the contracts are limited to our stated percentage interest in the project. Under our joint venture contractual arrangements, we provide capital to these joint ventures in return for an ownership interest. In addition, partners dedicate resources to the joint ventures necessary to complete the contracts and are reimbursed for their cost. The operational risks of each construction joint venture are passed along to the joint venture members. As we absorb our share of these risks, our investment in each venture is exposed to potential gains and losses. We consolidate these joint ventures where we have determined that through our participation we have a variable interest and are the primary beneficiary as defined by Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC Topic 810, Consolidation, and related standards. The factors we use to determine the primary beneficiary of a variable interest entity (“VIE”) may include the decision authority of each partner, which partner manages the day-to-day operations of the project and the amount of our equity investment in relation to that of our partners. Although not applicable for any of the years presented, if we determine that the power to direct the significant activities is shared equally by two or more joint venture parties, then there is no primary beneficiary and no party consolidates the VIE.

Where we have determined we are not the primary beneficiary of a joint venture but do exercise significant influence, we account for our share of the operations of unconsolidated construction joint ventures on a pro rata basis in revenue and cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations. We record the corresponding investment balance in equity in construction joint ventures in the consolidated balance sheets except when a project is in loss position, the investment balance is recorded as a deficit in unconsolidated construction joint ventures and is included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. Our investment in unconsolidated construction joint ventures could extend beyond one year and is within the normal operating cycle of the associated construction projects. We account for non-construction unconsolidated joint ventures under the equity method of accounting in accordance with ASC Topic 323, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures, and include our share of the operations in equity in income from affiliates in the consolidated statements of operations and in investment in affiliates in the consolidated balance sheets.

We also participate in various “line item” joint venture agreements under which each partner is responsible for performing certain discrete items of the total scope of contracted work. The revenue for each line item joint venture partner's discrete items of work is defined in the contract with the project owner and each joint venture partner bears the profitability risk associated only with its own work. There is not a single set of books and records for a line item joint venture. Each partner accounts for its items of work individually as it would for any self-performed contract. We account for our portion of these contracts as revenues and cost of revenue in the consolidated statements of operations and in relevant balances in the consolidated balance sheets.

Use of Estimates, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements: The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Our estimates and related judgments and assumptions are continually evaluated based on available information and experiences; however, actual amounts could differ from those estimates. 

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Policy Text Block]

Revenue Recognition: Our revenue is primarily derived from construction contracts that can span several quarters or years in our Transportation, Water and Specialty segments and from sales of construction related materials in our Materials segment. We recognize revenue in accordance with ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, and subsequently issued additional related Accounting Standards Updates (“ASU”s) (“Topic 606”), which we adopted on January 1, 2018. Topic 606 provides for a five-step model for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers as follows:

1. Identify the contract

2. Identify performance obligations

3. Determine the transaction price

4. Allocate the transaction price

5. Recognize revenue

Generally, our contracts contain one performance obligation. Contracts with customers in our Materials segment are typically defined by our customary business practices and are valued at the contractual selling price per unit. Our customary business practices are for the delivery of a separately identifiable good at a point in time which is typically when delivery to the customer occurs. Contracts in our Transportation, Water and Specialty segments may contain multiple distinct promises or multiple contracts within a master agreement (e.g. contracts that cross multiple locations/geographies and task orders), which we review at contract inception to determine if they represent multiple performance obligations or multiple separate contracts. This review consists of determining if promises or groups of promises are distinct within the context of the contract, including whether contracts are physically contiguous, contain task orders, purchase or sales orders, termination clauses and/or elements not related to design and/or build.

The transaction price is the amount of consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for transferring goods and services to the customer. The contractual consideration from customers of our Transportation, Water and Specialty segments may include both fixed amounts and variable amounts (e.g. bonuses/incentives or penalties/liquidated damages) to the extent that a significant reversal of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved (i.e., probable and estimable). When a contract has a single performance obligation, the entire transaction price is attributed to that performance obligation. When a contract has more than one performance obligation, the transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation based on estimated relative standalone selling prices of the goods or services at the inception of the contract, which typically is determined using cost plus an appropriate margin.

Subsequent to the inception of a contract in our Transportation, Water and Specialty segments, the transaction price could change for various reasons, including executed or unapproved change orders, and unresolved contract modifications and/or affirmative claims. Changes that are accounted for as an adjustment to existing performance obligations are allocated on the same basis at contract inception. Otherwise, changes are accounted for as separate performance obligation(s) and the separate transaction price is allocated as discussed above.

Changes are made to the transaction price from unapproved change orders to the extent the amount can be reasonably estimated and recovery is probable.

On certain projects we have submitted and have pending unresolved contract modifications and/or affirmative claims (“affirmative claims”) to recover additional costs and the associated profit, if applicable, to which the Company believes it is entitled under the terms of contracts with customers, subcontractors, vendors or others. The owners or their authorized representatives and/or other third parties may be in partial or full agreement with the modifications or affirmative claims, or may have rejected or disagree entirely or partially as to such entitlement.

Changes are made to the transaction price from affirmative claims with customers to the extent that additional revenue on a claim settlement with a customer is probable and estimable. A reduction to costs related to affirmative claims with non-customers with whom we have a contractual arrangement (“back charges”) is recognized when the estimated recovery is probable and estimable. Recognizing affirmative claims and back charge recoveries requires significant judgments of certain factors including, but not limited to, dispute resolution developments and outcomes, anticipated negotiation results, and the cost of resolving such matters.

Certain construction contracts in our Transportation, Water and Specialty segments include retention provisions to provide assurance to our customers that we will perform in accordance with the contract terms and are not considered a financing benefit. The balances billed but not paid by customers pursuant to these provisions generally become due upon completion and acceptance of the project work or products by the customer. We have determined there are no significant financing components in our contracts during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

Typically, performance obligations related to contracts in our Transportation, Water and Specialty segments are satisfied over time because our performance typically creates or enhances an asset that the customer controls as the asset is created or enhanced. We recognize revenue as performance obligations are satisfied and control of the promised good and/or service is transferred to the customer. Revenue in our Transportation, Water and Specialty segments is ordinarily recognized over time as control is transferred to the customers by measuring the progress toward complete satisfaction of the performance obligation(s) using an input (i.e., “cost to cost”) method. Under the cost to cost method, costs incurred to-date are generally the best depiction of transfer of control.

All contract costs, including those associated with affirmative claims, change orders and back charges, are recorded as incurred and revisions to estimated total costs are reflected as soon as the obligation to perform is determined. Contract costs consist of direct costs on contracts, including labor and materials, amounts payable to subcontractors, direct overhead costs and equipment expense (primarily depreciation, fuel, maintenance and repairs).

The accuracy of our revenue and profit recognition in a given period depends on the accuracy of our estimates of the forecasted revenue and cost to complete each project. Cost estimates for all of our significant projects use a detailed “bottom up” approach. There are a number of factors that can contribute to changes in estimates of contract cost and profitability. The most significant of these include:

• changes in costs of labor and/or materials;

• subcontractor costs, availability and/or performance issues;

• extended overhead and other costs due to owner, weather and other delays;

• changes in productivity expectations;

• changes from original design on design-build projects;

• our ability to fully and promptly recover on affirmative claims and back charges for additional contract costs;

• a change in the availability and proximity of equipment and materials;

• complexity in original design;

• length of time to complete the project;

• the availability and skill level of workers in the geographic location of the project;

• site conditions that differ from those assumed in the original bid;

• costs associated with scope changes; and

• the customer’s ability to properly administer the contract.

The foregoing factors, as well as the stage of completion of contracts in process and the mix of contracts at different margins may cause fluctuations in gross profit and gross profit margin from period to period. Significant changes in revenue and cost estimates, particularly in our larger, more complex, multi-year projects have had, and can in future periods have, a significant effect on our profitability.  

All state and federal government contracts and many of our other contracts provide for termination of the contract at the convenience of the party contracting with us, with provisions to pay us for work performed through the date of termination including demobilization cost.

Costs to obtain our contracts (“pre-bid costs”) that are not expected to be recovered from the customer are expensed as incurred and included in selling, general and administrative expenses on our consolidated statements of operations. Although unusual, pre-bid costs that are explicitly chargeable to the customer even if the contract is not obtained are included in accounts receivable on our consolidated balance sheets when we are notified that we are not the low bidder with a corresponding reduction to selling, general and administrative expenses on our consolidated statements of operations.

Unearned Revenue: Unearned revenue represents the aggregate amount of the transaction price allocated to unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied performance obligations at the end of a reporting period. We generally include a project in our unearned revenue at the time a contract is awarded, the contract has been executed and to the extent we believe funding is probable. Certain contracts contain contract options that are exercisable at the option of our customers without requiring us to go through an additional competitive bidding process or contain task orders related to master contracts under which we perform work only when the customer awards specific task orders to us. Contract options and task orders are included in unearned revenue when exercised or issued, respectively. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, unearned revenue was $3.7 billion and $3.0 billion, respectively. Approximately $2.5 billion of the December 31, 2019 unearned revenue was recognized during 2020 and the remaining amount will be recognized thereafter. Substantially all of the contracts in our unearned revenue may be canceled or modified at the election of the customer; however, we have not been materially adversely affected by contract cancellations or modifications in the past. Many projects are added to unearned revenue and completed within the same fiscal quarter or year and, therefore, may not be reflected in our beginning or ending unearned revenue.

Costs to mobilize equipment and labor to a job site prior to substantive work beginning (“mobilization costs”) are capitalized as incurred and amortized over the expected duration of the contract. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had no capitalized mobilization costs.

Balance Sheet Classification [Policy Text Block]

Balance Sheet Classifications: Prepaid expenses and amounts receivable and payable under construction contracts (principally retentions) that may exist over the duration of the contract and could extend beyond one year are included in current assets and liabilities. A one-year time period is used as the basis for classifying all other current assets and liabilities.

Cash and Cash Equivalents, Restricted Cash and Cash Equivalents, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash: Cash equivalents are securities having maturities of three months or less from the date of purchase. Our access to joint venture cash may be limited by the provisions of the joint venture agreements.

In connection with the acquisition of Layne Christensen Company (“Layne”), we acquired restricted cash that consists of escrow funds and judicial deposits associated with tax related legal proceedings in Latin America. Of the total balance, $4.3 million is included in other current assets and the remainder is included in other noncurrent assets in the consolidated balance sheets. The table below presents changes in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash on the consolidated statements of cash flows and a reconciliation to the amounts reported in the consolidated balance sheets (in thousands).

Years Ended December 31,	2019			2018		2017
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period	$	278,629		$	233,711	$	189,326
End of the period
Cash and cash equivalents		262,273			272,804		233,711
Restricted cash		5,835			5,825		—
Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period		268,108			278,629		233,711
Net (decrease) increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	(10,521	)	$	44,918	$	44,385

Contract Assets [Policy Text Block]

Contract Assets: Our contract assets include costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings as well as amounts due under contractual retention provisions. Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings represent amounts earned and reimbursable under contracts, including customer affirmative claim recovery estimates, and have a conditional right for billing and payment such as achievement of milestones or completion of the project. Generally, with the exception of customer affirmative claims, such unbilled amounts will become billable according to the contract terms and generally will be billed and collected over the next twelve months. Settlement with the customer of outstanding affirmative claims is dependent on the claims resolution process and could extend beyond one year. Based on our historical experience, we generally consider the collection risk related to billable amounts to be low. When events or conditions indicate that it is probable that the amounts outstanding become unbillable, the transaction price and associated contract asset is reduced.

Marketable Securities, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Marketable Securities: We determine the classification of our marketable securities at the time of purchase and re-evaluate these determinations at each balance sheet date. Our marketable securities are fixed income marketable securities and are classified as held-to-maturity as we have the positive intent and ability to hold the securities to maturity. Held-to-maturity investments are stated at amortized cost and are periodically assessed for other-than-temporary impairment. Amortized cost of debt securities is adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts to maturity and is included in interest income. The cost of securities redeemed or called is based on the specific identification method.

Derivatives, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Derivative Instruments: We recognize derivative instruments as either assets or liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets at fair value using Level 2 inputs. To receive hedge accounting treatment, derivative instruments that are designated as cash flow hedges must be highly effective in offsetting changes to expected future cash flows on hedged transactions. We formally document our hedge relationships at inception, including identification of the hedging instruments and the hedged items, our risk management objectives and strategies for undertaking the hedge transaction, and the initial quantitative assessment of the hedging instrument’s effectiveness in offsetting changes in the fair value of the hedged items. The effective portion of the gain or loss on cash flow hedges is reported as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and subsequently reclassified to interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations when the periodic hedged cash flows are settled. Adjustments to fair value on derivative instruments that do not qualify for hedge accounting treatment are reported through other income, net in the consolidated statements of operations. We do not enter into derivative instruments for speculative or trading purposes.

The derivative transactions related to the 2.75% Convertible Notes (as defined in Note 15) were recorded to equity on our consolidated balance sheets based on the cash proceeds and will not be remeasured as long as they continue to meet the conditions for equity classification.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Fair Value of Financial Assets and Liabilities: We measure and disclose certain financial assets and liabilities at fair value. ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. ASC Topic 820 also establishes a fair value hierarchy which requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. ASC Topic 820 describes three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value:

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

Level 2 - Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities.

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities.

We utilize the active market approach to measure fair value for our financial assets and liabilities. We report separately each class of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and include assets and liabilities that are disclosed but not recorded at fair value in the fair value hierarchy.

Concentration Risk, Credit Risk, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Concentrations of Credit Risk: Financial instruments, which potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk, consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, marketable securities, and accounts receivable. We maintain our cash and cash equivalents and our marketable securities with several financial institutions. We invest with high credit quality financial institutions and, by policy, limit the amount of credit exposure to any one financial institution. None of our customers, including both prime and subcontractor arrangements, had revenue that individually exceeded 10% of total revenue during the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. The majority of our receivables are from customers concentrated in the United States. None of our customers had a receivable balance in excess of 10% of our total net receivables as of  December 31, 2019 and 2018. We perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers and generally do not require collateral, although the law provides us the ability to file mechanics’ liens on real property improved for private customers in the event of non-payment by such customers. We regularly review our accounts receivable, including past due amounts, to determine their probability of collection. If it is probable that an amount is uncollectible, it is charged to bad debt expense and a corresponding reserve is established in allowance for doubtful accounts. We maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts which has historically been within management’s estimates.

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translations Policy [Policy Text Block]

Foreign Currency Transactions and Translation: We have operations in Mexico and Canada which involve exposure to possible volatile movements in foreign currency exchange rates. We account for foreign currency exchange transactions and translation in accordance with ASC Topic 830, Foreign Currency Matters. In Mexico, most of our customer contracts and a significant portion of our costs are denominated in U.S. dollars; therefore, the functional currency is U.S. dollars. In Canada, the functional currency is the local currency. Foreign currency transactions are remeasured into the functional currency with gains and losses included in other income, net in the consolidated statements of operations. The impact from foreign currency transactions was immaterial for both 2019 and 2018. Assets and liabilities in functional currency are translated into U.S. dollars at exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at average foreign currency exchange rates prevailing during the reporting periods. The translation adjustments from functional currency to U.S. dollars are reported in accumulated other comprehensive loss on the consolidated balance sheets.

Inventory, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Inventories: Inventories consist primarily of quarry products, contract-specific materials and, specifically related to our Water and Mineral Services operating group, water well drilling materials and sewer remediation materials that are located in the U.S. as well as mineral extraction and drilling supplies located in the U.S. and Mexico. Cost of inventories are valued at the lower of average cost or net realizable value. We reserve quarry products based on estimated quantities of materials on hand in excess of approximately one year of demand. As of December 31, 2019 and 2018, inventory included $17.7 million and $13.4 million of supplies related to the Water and Mineral Services operating group.

Equity Method Investments [Policy Text Block]

Investments in Affiliates: Each investment accounted for under the equity method of accounting is reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC Topic 323, Investments - Equity Method and Joint Ventures. We account for our share of the operating results of the equity method investments in equity in income from affiliates, net in the consolidated statements of operations and as a single line item in the consolidated balance sheets as investments in affiliates. Our investments in affiliates include foreign entities, real estate entities and an asphalt terminal entity. These investments are evaluated for impairment using the other-than-temporary impairment model, which requires an impairment charge to be recognized if our investment’s carrying amount exceeds its fair value, and the decline in fair value is deemed to be other than temporary. Recoverability is measured by comparison of net book values to future undiscounted cash flows the investments are expected to generate. Events or changes in circumstances, which would cause us to review undiscounted future cash flows include, but are not limited to:

• significant adverse changes in legal factors or the business climate; and

• current period cash flow or operating losses combined with a history of losses, or a forecast of continuing losses associated with the use of the asset.

In addition, events or changes in circumstances specifically related to our real estate entities, include:

• significant decreases in the market price of the asset;

• accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition, development or construction of the asset; and

• significant changes to the development or business plans of a project.

Future undiscounted cash flows and fair value assessments for our foreign entities and the asphalt terminal entity are estimated based on market conditions and the political climate. Future undiscounted cash flows and fair value assessments for our real estate entities are estimated based on entitlement status, market conditions, and cost of construction, debt load, development schedules, status of joint venture partners and other factors applicable to the specific project. Fair value is estimated based on the expected future cash flows attributable to the asset or group of assets and on other assumptions that market participants would use in determining fair value, such as market discount rates, transaction prices for other comparable assets, and other market data. Our estimates of cash flows may differ from actual cash flows due to, among other things, fluctuations in interest rates, decisions made by jurisdictional agencies, economic conditions, or changes to our business operations.

Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Property and Equipment: Property and equipment are stated at cost. Depreciation for construction and other equipment is primarily provided using accelerated methods over lives ranging from three to ten years, and the straight-line method over lives from two to twenty years for the remaining depreciable assets. We believe that accelerated methods best approximate the service provided by the construction and other equipment. Depletion of quarry property is based on the usage of depletable reserves. We frequently sell property and equipment that has reached the end of its useful life or no longer meets our needs, including depleted quarry property. At the time that an asset or an asset group meets the held-for-sale criteria as defined by ASC Topic 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment, we write it down to fair value less cost to sell, if the fair value is below the carrying value. Fair value is estimated by a variety of factors including, but not limited to, market comparative data, historical sales prices, broker quotes and third-party valuations. If material, such property is separately disclosed in the consolidated balance sheet, otherwise it is held in property and equipment until sold. The cost and accumulated depreciation or depletion of property sold or retired is removed from the consolidated balance sheet and the resulting gains or losses, if any, are reflected in operating income on the consolidated statement of operations for the period. In the case that we abandon an asset, an amount equal to the carrying amount of the asset, less salvage value, if any, will be recognized as expense in the period that the asset was abandoned. Repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.

Costs related to the development of internal-use software during the preliminary project and post-implementation stages are expensed as incurred. Costs incurred during the application development stage are capitalized. These costs consist primarily of software, hardware and consulting fees, as well as salaries and related costs. Amounts capitalized are reported as a component of office furniture and equipment within property and equipment in the consolidated balance sheet. Capitalized software costs are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful life of the related software, which range from three to seven years. During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we capitalized $1.2 million, $4.4 million and $7.9 million, respectively, of internal-use software development and related hardware costs.

Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Long-lived Assets: We review property and equipment and amortizable intangible assets for impairment at an asset group level whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the net book value of an asset group may not be recoverable. Recoverability of these asset groups is measured by comparison of their net book values to the future undiscounted cash flows the asset groups are expected to generate. If the asset groups are considered to be impaired, an impairment charge will be recognized equal to the amount by which the net book value of the asset group exceeds fair value. We group construction and plant equipment assets at the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets. When an individual asset or group of assets is determined to no longer contribute to its vertically integrated construction and plant equipment asset group, it is assessed for impairment independently.

As of December 31, 2019, amortizable intangible assets, which include customer relationships, developed technologies, permits, trademarks/trade name, backlog, favorable contracts and covenants not to compete, are being amortized over remaining terms from one to seventeen years. As of December 31, 2019, amortizable intangible liabilities, which include unfavorable contracts and leases, are being amortized over remaining terms of two years. All intangible assets and liabilities are amortized on a straight-line basis except for backlog, favorable contracts and unfavorable contracts which will be amortized as the associated projects progress, and customer relationships which will be amortized on a double declining basis.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Goodwill, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Goodwill: As of  December 31, 2019 and 2018, we had eight reporting units in which goodwill was recorded as follows:

• Midwest Group Transportation

• Midwest Group Specialty

• Northwest Group Transportation

• Northwest Group Materials

• California Group Transportation

• Water and Mineral Services Group Water

• Water and Mineral Services Group Specialty

• Water and Mineral Services Group Materials

The reporting units related to the Water and Mineral Services Group were primarily derived from the Layne and LiquiForce acquisitions in 2018.

We perform our goodwill impairment tests annually as of November 1 and more frequently when events and circumstances occur that indicate a possible impairment of goodwill. Examples of such events or circumstances include, but are not limited to, the following:

• a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate;

• an adverse action or assessment by a regulator;

• a more likely than not expectation that a segment or a significant portion thereof will be sold; or

• the testing for recoverability of a significant asset group within the segment.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP, we can elect to perform a qualitative assessment to test a reporting unit’s goodwill for impairment or perform a quantitative impairment test. Based on a qualitative assessment, if we determine that the fair value of a reporting unit is more likely than not to be less than its carrying amount, the quantitative impairment test will be performed.

In performing the quantitative goodwill impairment tests, we calculate the estimated fair value of the reporting unit in which the goodwill is recorded using the discounted cash flows and market multiple methods. Judgments inherent in these methods include the determination of appropriate discount rates, the amount and timing of expected future cash flows, revenue and margin growth rates, and appropriate benchmark companies. The cash flows used in our 2019 discounted cash flow model were based on five-year financial forecasts developed internally by management adjusted for market participant-based assumptions. Our discount rate assumptions are based on an assessment of the equity cost of capital and appropriate capital structure for our reporting units. To assess for reasonableness we compare the estimated fair values of the reporting units to our current market capitalization.   

The estimated fair value is compared to the net book value of the reporting unit, including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its net book value, goodwill of the reporting unit is considered not impaired. If the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its net book value, goodwill is impaired and the excess of the reporting unit’s net book value over the fair value is recognized as a non-cash impairment charge.

For our 2019 annual goodwill impairment test, we conducted quantitative impairment tests for the Midwest Group Specialty and Water and Mineral Services Group Water, Specialty and Materials reporting units and concluded that goodwill was not impaired since the estimated fair value for each of our reporting units exceeded their respective net book values. The assessment for the Midwest Group Specialty and Water and Mineral Services Group Specialty reporting units indicated that their estimated fair value exceeded their net book values (i.e., headroom) by over 30%. The Midwest Group Specialty reporting unit is susceptible to fluctuations in results depending on awarded work given the large size and limited frequency of awards. The assessment for the Water and Mineral Services Group Water and Water and Mineral Services Group Materials reporting units indicated that their estimated fair value exceeded their net book value by under 20%, as the estimated fair values align with the recent purchase prices of the reporting units to which these assets are assigned. While we believe the current headroom is adequate to absorb fluctuations, a material decline in job win rates or insufficient business growth could have a material impact to these reporting units’ estimated fair values.

After assessing the totality of events and circumstances, we determined that it is more likely than not that the fair value of Midwest Group Transportation, Northwest Group Transportation, Northwest Group Materials and California Group Transportation reporting units were greater than the carrying amounts; therefore, we elected to perform a qualitative analysis and a quantitative goodwill impairment test was not performed for these reporting units. Factors we considered were macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, cost factors, overall financial performance, changes in management or key personnel, changes in strategy, changes in customers, changes in the composition or carrying amount of a reporting segments’ net assets, and changes in our stock price. 

Lessee, Leases [Policy Text Block]

Right of use Assets (“ROU”) and Lease Liabilities: A lease contract conveys the right to use an underlying asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. At inception, we determine whether a contract contains a lease by determining if there is an identified asset and if the contract conveys the right to control the use of the identified asset in exchange for consideration over a period of time.

At lease commencement, we measure and record a lease liability equal to the present value of the remaining lease payments, generally discounted using the borrowing rate on our secured debt as the implicit rate is not readily determinable on many of our leases. We use a quarterly maturity discount rate if it is not materially different than the discount rates applied to each of the leases in the portfolio.

On the lease commencement date, the amount of the ROU assets consist of the following:

• the amount of the initial measurement of the lease liability;

• any lease payments made at or before the commencement date, minus any lease incentives received; and

• any initial direct costs incurred.

On a quarterly basis, we determine if subcontractor, vendor or service provider agreements contain embedded leases by assessing if an asset is explicitly or implicitly specified in the agreement and the counterparty has the right to substitute the asset. Most of our lease contracts do not have the option to extend or renew. We assess the option for individual leases, and we generally consider the base term to be the term of lease contracts. Lease contracts may contain nonlease components for which we elected to include both the lease and nonlease components as a single component and account for it as a lease.

Contract Liabilities [Policy Text Block]

Contract Liabilities: Our contract liabilities consist of billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings, net of the related contract retention and provisions for losses. Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings are billings to customers on contracts in advance of work performed, including advance payments negotiated as a contract condition. Generally, unearned project-related costs will be earned over the next twelve months. Provisions for losses are recognized in the consolidated statements of operations at the uncompleted performance obligation level for the amount of total estimated losses in the period that evidence indicates that the estimated total cost of a performance obligation exceeds its estimated total revenue.

Asset Retirement Obligation [Policy Text Block]

Asset Retirement Obligations: We account for the costs related to legal obligations to reclaim aggregate mining sites and other facilities by recording our estimated asset retirement obligation at fair value using Level 3 inputs, capitalizing the estimated liability as part of the related asset’s carrying amount and allocating it to expense over the asset’s useful life.

Standard Product Warranty, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Warranties: Many of our construction contracts contain warranty provisions covering defects in equipment, materials, design or workmanship that generally run from six months to one year after our customer accepts the contract. Because of the nature of our projects, including contract owner inspections of the work both during construction and prior to acceptance, we have not experienced material warranty costs for these short-term warranties and, therefore, do not believe an accrual for these costs is necessary. Certain construction contracts carry longer warranty periods, ranging from two to ten years, for which we have accrued an estimate of warranty cost. The warranty liability is estimated based on our experience with the type of work and any known risks relative to the project and was not material as of December 31, 2019 and 2018. 

Accrued Insurance Costs [Policy Text Block]

Accrued Insurance Costs: We carry insurance policies to cover various risks, primarily general liability, automobile liability, workers compensation and employee medical expenses, under which we are liable to reimburse the insurance company for a portion of each claim paid. The amounts for which we are liable for general liability and workers compensation generally range from the first $0.5 million to $1.0 million per occurrence. We accrue for probable losses, both reported and unreported, that are reasonably estimable using actuarial methods based on historic trends modified, if necessary, by recent events. Changes in our loss assumptions caused by changes in actual experience would affect our assessment of the ultimate liability and could have an effect on our operating results and financial position up to $1.0 million per occurrence for general liability and workers compensation or $0.3 million for medical insurance.

Surety Bonds, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Surety Bonds: We generally are required to provide various types of surety bonds that provide an additional measure of security for our performance under certain public and private sector contracts. At December 31, 2019, approximately $3.5 billion of our contract backlog was bonded. Performance bonds do not have stated expiration dates; rather, we are generally released from the bonds after the owner accepts the work performed under contract. The ability to maintain bonding capacity to support our current and future level of contracting requires that we maintain cash and working capital balances satisfactory to our sureties.

Guarantees, Indemnifications and Warranties Policies [Policy Text Block]

Performance Guarantees: The agreements with our joint venture partners (“partner(s)”) for both construction joint ventures and line item joint ventures define each partner’s management role and financial responsibility in the project. The amount of operational exposure is generally limited to our stated ownership interest. However, due to the joint and several nature of the performance obligations under the related owner contracts, if any of the partners fail to perform, we and the remaining partners, if any, would be responsible for performance of the outstanding work (i.e., we provide a performance guarantee). We estimate our liability for performance guarantees for our unconsolidated and line item joint ventures using estimated partner bond rates, which are Level 2 inputs, and include them in accrued expenses and other current liabilities with a corresponding increase in equity in construction joint ventures in the consolidated balance sheets. We reassess our liability when and if changes in circumstances occur. The liability and corresponding asset are removed from the consolidated balance sheets upon completion and customer acceptance of the project. Circumstances that could lead to a loss under these agreements beyond our stated ownership interest include the failure of a partner to contribute additional funds to the venture in the event the project incurs a loss or additional costs that we could incur should a partner fail to provide the services and resources that it had committed to provide in the agreement. We are not able to estimate amounts that may be required beyond the remaining cost of the work to be performed. These costs could be offset by billings to the customer or by proceeds from our partners’ corporate and/or other guarantees.

Commitments and Contingencies, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Contingencies: We are currently involved in various claims and legal proceedings. Loss contingency provisions are recorded if the potential loss from any asserted or un-asserted claim or legal proceeding is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. If a potential loss is considered probable but only a range of loss can be determined, the low-end of the range is recorded. These accruals represent management’s best estimate of probable loss. Disclosure is also provided when it is reasonably possible and estimable that a loss will be incurred or when it is reasonably possible that the amount of a loss will exceed the amount recorded. Significant judgment is required in both the determination of probability of loss and the determination as to whether an exposure is reasonably estimable. Because of uncertainties related to these matters, accruals are based only on the best information available at the time. As additional information becomes available, we reassess the potential liability related to claims and litigation and may revise our estimates. We expense associated legal costs as they are incurred. See Note 21 for additional information.

Share-based Payment Arrangement [Policy Text Block]

Stock-Based Compensation: We measure and recognize compensation expense, net of forfeitures, over the requisite vesting periods for all stock-based payment awards made and we recognize forfeitures as they occur. Stock-based compensation is included in selling, general and administrative expenses and cost of revenue on our consolidated statements of operations.

Income Tax, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Income Taxes: Deferred taxes are provided on a liability method whereby deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences and operating loss carry-forwards and deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Temporary differences are the differences between the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the consolidated financial statements and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.

We report a liability in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in other income, net in the consolidated statements of operations.

Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Computation of Earnings per Share: Basic net (loss) income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net (loss) income per share is computed using the weighted-average number of common shares and dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. Dilutive potential common shares include common share equivalents under the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan using the if-converted method. Dilutive potential common shares also include common share equivalents related to our 2.75% Convertible Notes assuming the share price of our common stock was in excess of $31.47 per share and common share equivalents relating to our warrants assuming the share price of our common stock was in excess of $53.44, the exercise price of warrants. See Note 15 for further discussion related to the 2.75% Convertible Notes and warrants.

Debt, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Convertible Notes: U.S. GAAP requires certain convertible debt instruments that may be settled in cash on conversion to be separately accounted for into liability and equity components in a manner that reflects the issuer’s non-convertible debt borrowing rate. Third party offering costs are allocated to the liability and equity components based on allocation of proceeds to those components, and are recorded net of the associated balances on the consolidated balance sheets and are generally amortized to interest expense through the maturity date of the debt. Therefore cash received from the issuance of the 2.75% Convertible Notes (as defined in Note 15) was separated into liability and equity components on the consolidated balance sheets at the time of issuance based on the fair value of a similar liability that does not have an associated convertible feature. The difference between the principal amount and the liability component on the issuance date will be recorded to interest expense using an effective interest rate of 6.62% over the expected life of the 2.75% Convertible Notes.

Debt discounts that will be recorded to the liability component through the maturity date of the debt.

New Accounting Pronouncements, Policy [Policy Text Block]

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements:

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-06, Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity, which simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments resulting in accounting for convertible debt instruments as a single liability measured at its amortized cost. This change will also reduce reported interest expense and increase reported net income for entities that have issued a convertible instrument that was bifurcated according to previously existing rules. In addition, the ASU requires the application of the if-converted method for calculating diluted earnings per share and eliminates the treasury stock method. The ASU is effective commencing with our quarter ended March 31, 2022, with early adoption permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2020-06 on our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting, which provides optional guidance to ease the potential burden in accounting for the effects of the transition away from LIBOR and other reference rates. This ASU was effective commencing with our quarter ended March 31, 2020 through December 31, 2022 and we expect to adopt in 2021. We do not expect the adoption of this ASU to have an impact on our consolidated financial statements as our Credit Agreement (as defined in Note 15 below) uses the secured overnight financing rate as an alternative to LIBOR.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments, and in May 2019 issued ASU No. 2019-05, Credit Losses (Topic 326): Targeted Transition Relief (collectively referred to as “Topic 326”). Topic 326 requires the measurement of all expected credit losses for financial assets held at the reporting date based on historical experience, current conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. We adopted Topic 326 effective January 1, 2020, recognizing a net cumulative decrease to retained earnings of approximately $0.5 million. 

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework—Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which modifies the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements. We adopted this ASU commencing with our quarter ending March 31, 2020 and it did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes, which is expected to reduce cost and complexity related to accounting for income taxes. We elected to early adopt this ASU commencing with our quarter ending March 31, 2020 and it did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements:

In February 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which allows companies to reclassify stranded tax effects resulting from the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (“Tax Reform”), from accumulated other comprehensive income (“AOCI”) to retained earnings. This ASU was effective commencing with our quarter ended March 31, 2019 and we have elected not to reclassify the immaterial stranded tax effects from AOCI to retained earnings. We adopted the policy that future income tax effects which are stranded in AOCI will be released under the item-by-item approach.

Effect of adopting Topic 842 

In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 842, Leases, and subsequently issued additional related ASUs (“Topic 842”), which requires lessees to recognize the following on the balance sheet for all leases (with the exception of short-term leases) at the commencement date: (a) a lease liability, which is a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and (b) a ROU asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term. The ASU was effective commencing with our quarter ending March 31, 2019. Prior to adoption of Topic 842, we recognized operating lease payments as an expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term on our consolidated statements of operations and did not recognize ROU assets or lease liabilities on our consolidated balance sheets.

We adopted Topic 842 using a modified retrospective transition approach with no prior-period retrospective adjustments, recognizing a net cumulative decrease to retained earnings of approximately $0.5 million, and added ROU assets, and short and long-term lease liabilities of $72.2 million, $14.9 million and $60.4 million, respectively, as of January 1, 2019. We applied Topic 842 to all noncancelable operating leases outstanding as of January 1, 2019 except those related to quarry properties and those that at lease commencement have an actual and intended lease term shorter than twelve months.

We elected to apply optional practical expedients which allowed us to forego reassessments of 1) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases; 2) the lease classification for any expired or existing leases; and 3) the initial direct costs for any existing leases. In connection with the adoption of Topic 842, we implemented the new accounting policies related to ROU assets and lease liabilities as discussed above.