SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2017

Notes to Financial Statements

SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Basis of Presentation

 The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2016, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) related to a quarterly report on Form 10-Q. Certain information and note disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to those rules and regulations, although the Company believes that the disclosures made are adequate to make the information not misleading. The interim financial statements reflect all adjustments, which, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair statement of the results for the periods presented. All such adjustments are of a normal and recurring nature. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2016, which are included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 that was filed with the SEC on March 30, 2017.

 Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ended December 31, 2017, or any other future periods.

Significant Accounting Policies

Principles of Consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. The Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries are XImage Corporation, a California Corporation, ImageWare Systems ID Group, Inc. a Delaware corporation (formerly Imaging Technology Corporation), I.W. Systems Canada Company, a Nova Scotia unlimited liability company, ImageWare Digital Photography Systems, Inc., LLC a Nevada limited liability company (formerly Castleworks LLC), Digital Imaging International GmbH, a company formed under German laws and Image Ware Mexico S de RL de CV, a company formed under Mexican laws. All significant intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expense during the reporting period. Significant estimates include the evaluation of our ability to continue as a going concern, the allowance for doubtful accounts receivable, inventory carrying values, deferred tax asset valuation allowances, accounting for loss contingencies, recoverability of goodwill and acquired intangible assets and amortization periods, assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model to calculate the fair value of share based payments, fair value of Exchanged Preferred, revenue and cost of revenues recognized under the percentage of completion method and assumptions used in the application of fair value methodologies to calculate the fair value of pension assets and obligations. Actual results could differ from estimates.

Accounts Receivable

In the normal course of business, the Company extends credit without collateral requirements to its customers that satisfy pre-defined credit criteria. Accounts receivable are recorded net of an allowance for doubtful accounts. Accounts receivable are considered delinquent when the due date on the invoice has passed. The Company records its allowance for doubtful accounts based upon its assessment of various factors. The Company considers historical experience, the age of the accounts receivable balances, the credit quality of its customers, current economic conditions and other factors that may affect customers’ ability to pay to determine the level of allowance required.  Accounts receivable are written off against the allowance for doubtful accounts when all collection efforts by the Company have been unsuccessful.

Inventories

Finished goods inventories are stated at the lower of cost, determined using the average cost method, or market. See Note 4, “Inventory,” below.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

For certain of the Company’s financial instruments, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued expenses, deferred revenues and lines of credit payable to related parties, the carrying amounts approximate fair value due to their relatively short maturities. 

Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue from the following major revenue sources:

● Long-term fixed-price contracts involving significant customization

● Fixed-price contracts involving minimal customization

● Software licensing

● Sales of computer hardware and identification media

● Post-contract customer support (“PCS”)

The Company’s revenue recognition policies are consistent with GAAP including the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”), Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 985-605, Software Revenue Recognition, ASC 605-35, Revenue Recognition, Construction-Type and Production-Type Contracts, SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin 104, and ASC 605-25, Revenue Recognition, Multiple Element Arrangements. Accordingly, the Company recognizes revenue when all of the following criteria are met: (i) persuasive evidence that an arrangement exists, (ii) delivery has occurred or services have been rendered, (iii) the fee is fixed or determinable and (iv) collectability is reasonably assured.

The Company recognizes revenue and profit as work progresses on long-term, fixed-price contracts involving significant amounts of hardware and software customization using the percentage of completion method based on costs incurred to date, compared to total estimated costs upon completion. The primary components of costs incurred are third party software and direct labor cost including fringe benefits.  Revenue recognized in excess of amounts billed are classified as current assets under “Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings on uncompleted contracts”. Amounts billed to customers in excess of revenue recognized are classified as current liabilities under “Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings on uncompleted contracts”. Revenue from contracts for which the Company cannot reliably estimate total costs, or there are not significant amounts of customization, are recognized upon completion. For contracts that require significant amounts of customization that the Company accounts for under the completed contract method of revenue recognition, the Company defers revenue recognition until customer acceptance is received. For contracts containing either extended or dependent payment terms, revenue recognition is deferred until such time as payment has been received by the Company. The Company also generates non-recurring revenue from the licensing of its software. Software license revenue is recognized upon the execution of a license agreement, upon deliverance, when fees are fixed and determinable, when collectability is probable and when all other significant obligations have been fulfilled. The Company also generates revenue from the sale of computer hardware and identification media. Revenue for these items is recognized upon delivery of these products to the customer. The Company’s revenue from periodic maintenance agreements is generally recognized ratably over the respective maintenance periods provided no significant obligations remain and collectability of the related receivable is probable. Amounts collected in advance for maintenance services are included in current liabilities under "Deferred revenue".  Sales tax collected from customers is excluded from revenue.

Customer Concentration

For the three months ended September 30, 2017, two customers accounted for approximately 31% or $338,000 of our total revenue and had trade receivables at September 30, 2017 of $0. For the nine months ended September 30, 2017, one customer accounted for approximately 24% or $742,000 of our total revenue and had trade receivables at September 30, 2017 of $0.

For the three months ended September 30, 2016, one customer accounted for approximately 22% or $185,000 of our total revenue and had trade receivables at September 30, 2016 of $0. For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, two customers accounted for approximately 31% or $903,000 of our total revenue and had trade receivables at September 30, 2016 of $53,000. 

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

From time to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the “FASB”), or other standard setting bodies, which are adopted by us as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the Company’s management believes the impact of recently issued standards not yet effective will not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption.

FASB ASU No. 2014-09. In May 2014, FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. ASU No. 2014-09 will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. In July 2015, the FASB finalized a one-year deferral of the effective date of the new standard. For public entities, the deferral results in the new revenue standard being effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2017. Calendar year-end public companies are therefore required to apply the revenue guidance beginning in their 2018 interim and annual financial statements. We have begun to evaluate the effect the new revenue standard will have on our consolidated financial statements and related disclosures, but have not completed our evaluation and implementation process. We intend to complete that process during the fourth quarter of 2017 and adopt the new standard on January 1, 2018 using the cumulative effect transition method during the first fiscal quarter in 2018. Once we adopt ASU 2014-09, we do not anticipate that our internal control framework will materially change, but rather that existing internal controls will be modified and augmented, as necessary, to consider our new revenue recognition policy effective January 1, 2018. As we implement the new standard, we are developing internal controls to ensure that we adequately evaluate or portfolio of contracts under the five-step model.

FASB ASU No. 2016-01. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, “Financial Instruments—Overall - Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities”. The amendments in this ASU address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial instruments and apply to all entities that hold financial assets or owe financial liabilities. The amendments in this ASU also simplify the impairment assessment of equity investments without readily determinable fair values by requiring assessment for impairment qualitatively at each reporting period. That impairment assessment is similar to the qualitative assessment for long-lived assets, goodwill, and indefinite-lived intangible assets. This ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with earlier application permitted for financial statements that have not been issued. An entity should apply the amendments by means of a cumulative-effect adjustment to the balance sheet as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. We plan to adopt the provisions of this ASU for our fiscal year beginning January 1, 2018 and are currently evaluating the impact the adoption of this new accounting standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

FASB ASU No. 2016-02. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases”. This guidance will result in key changes to lease accounting and will aim to bring leases onto balance sheets to give investors, lenders, and other financial statement users a more comprehensive view of a company's long-term financial obligations as well as the assets it owns versus leases. The new leasing standard will be effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the impact this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements and anticipates commencement of adoption planning in the third fiscal quarter of 2018.

FASB ASU No. 2016-08. In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net) (“ASU 2016-08”). ASU 2016-08 clarifies the implementation guidance on principal versus agent considerations. The guidance includes indicators to assist an entity in determining whether it controls a specified good or service before it is transferred to the customers. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures.

FASB ASU No. 2016-10. In April 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing (“ASU 2016-10”). ASU 2016-10 provides further implementation guidance on identifying performance obligations and also improves the operability and understandability of the licensing implementation guidance. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures.

FASB ASU No. 2016-13. In June 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update No. 2016-13, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments. ASU No. 2016-13 changes the impairment model for most financial assets and certain other instruments. For trade and other receivables, held-to-maturity debt securities, loans and other instruments, entities will be required to use a new forward-looking “expected loss” model that will replace today’s “incurred loss” model and generally will result in the earlier recognition of allowances for losses. For available-for-sale debt securities with unrealized losses, entities will measure credit losses in a manner similar to current practice, except that the losses will be recognized as an allowance. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019 including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

FASB ASU No. 2016-15. In August 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230) Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. ASU 2016-15 eliminates the diversity in practice related to the classification of certain cash receipts and payments for debt prepayment or extinguishment costs, the maturing of a zero-coupon bond, the settlement of contingent liabilities arising from a business combination, proceeds from insurance settlements, distributions from certain equity method investees and beneficial interests obtained in a financial asset securitization. ASU 2016-15 designates the appropriate cash flow classification, including requirements to allocate certain components of these cash receipts and payments among operating, investing and financing activities. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 including interim periods within those fiscal years. The retrospective transition method, requiring adjustment to all comparative periods presented, is required unless it is impracticable for some of the amendments, in which case those amendments would be prospectively as of the earliest date practicable. The Company is currently assessing the impact that adopting this new accounting standard will have on its consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures.

FASB ASU No. 2017-04. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment. The amendments of this ASU eliminate step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. The annual, or interim test is performed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. The amendments of this ASU also eliminate the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment and if it fails that qualitative test, to perform step 2 of the goodwill impairment test. ASU No. 2017-04 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

FASB ASU No. 2017-09. In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-09, “Scope of Modification Accounting”, to reduce diversity in practice and provide clarity regarding existing guidance in ASC 718, “Stock Compensation”. The amendments in this updated guidance clarify that an entity should apply modification accounting in response to a change in the terms and conditions of an entity’s share-based payment awards unless three newly specified criteria are met. This guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of this updated guidance on its consolidated financial statements.

FASB ASU No. 2017-11. In July 2017, the FASB issued ASU No 2017-11, “Earnings Per Share (Topic 260); Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (Topic 480); Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): (Part I) Accounting for Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features, (Part II) Replacement of the Indefinite Deferral”. The ASU applies to issuers of financial instruments with down-round features. It amends (1) the classification of such instruments as liabilities or equity by revising the guidance in ASC 815 on the evaluation of whether instruments or embedded features with down-round provisions must be accounted for as derivative instruments and (2) the guidance on recognition and measurement of the value transferred upon the trigger of a down-round feature for equity-classified instruments by revising ASC 260. The ASU is effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. For all other organizations, the amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2020. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the potential impact of this updated guidance on its consolidated financial statements.