NOTE 2

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Principles of Consolidation

Our consolidated financial statements include our accounts and those of our wholly-owned subsidiaries after elimination of all significant intercompany accounts and transactions.

Use of Estimates

When we prepare financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the United States of America, we make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as, the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.  Actual results could differ from those estimates. See Notes 7, 10, 11 and 12 for estimates of discontinued operations and environmental liabilities, closure costs, income taxes and contingencies for details on significant estimates.

Restricted Cash

Restricted cash reflects $35,000 held in escrow for our worker’s compensation policy.

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable are customer obligations due under normal trade terms requiring payment within 30 or 60 days from the invoice date based on the customer type (government, broker, or commercial).  The carrying amount of accounts receivable is reduced by an allowance for doubtful accounts, which is a valuation allowance that reflects management's best estimate of the amounts that will not be collected. We regularly review all accounts receivable balances that exceed 60 days from the invoice date and based on an assessment of current credit worthiness, estimate the portion, if any, of the balance that will not be collected. This analysis excludes government related receivables due to our past successful experience in their collectability. Specific accounts that are deemed to be uncollectible are reserved at 100% of their outstanding balance.  The remaining balances aged over 60 days have a percentage applied by aging category, based on a historical valuation, that allows us to calculate the total reserve required. Once we have exhausted all options in the collection of a delinquent accounts receivable balance, which includes collection letters, demands for payment, collection agencies and attorneys, the account is deemed uncollectible and subsequently written off. The write off process involves approvals, based on dollar amount, from senior management.

Retainage receivables represent amounts that are billed or billable to our customers, but are retained by the customer until completion of the project or as otherwise specified in the contract. Our retainage receivable balances are all current.

 

Unbilled receivables within our Services Segment can result from: (1) revenue recognized by our Earned Value Management program (a program which integrates project scope, schedule, and cost to provide an objective measure of project progress) but invoice milestones have not yet been met and/or (2) contract claims and pending change orders, including Requests for Equitable Adjustments (“REAs”) when work has been performed and collection of revenue is reasonably assured.

Inventories

Inventories consist of treatment chemicals, saleable used oils, and certain supplies.  Additionally, we have replacement parts in inventory, which are deemed critical to the operating equipment and may also have extended lead times should the part fail and need to be replaced. Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market with cost determined by the first-in, first-out method.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment expenditures are capitalized and depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets for financial statement purposes, while accelerated depreciation methods are principally used for income tax purposes.  Generally, asset lives range from ten to forty years for buildings (including improvements and asset retirement costs) and three to seven years for office furniture and equipment, vehicles, and decontamination and processing equipment. Leasehold improvements are capitalized and amortized over the lesser of the term of the lease or the life of the asset.  Maintenance and repairs are charged directly to expense as incurred. The cost and accumulated depreciation of assets sold or retired are removed from the respective accounts, and any gain or loss from sale or retirement is recognized in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Renewals and improvement, which extend the useful lives of the assets, are capitalized.

In accordance with ASC 360, “Property, Plant, and Equipment”, long-lived assets, such as property, plant and equipment, and purchased intangible assets subject to amortization, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset.  If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized in the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the fair value of the asset.  Assets to be disposed of are separately presented in the balance sheet and reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell, and are no longer depreciated.  The assets and liabilities of a disposal group classified as held for sale would be presented separately in the appropriate asset and liability sections of the balance sheet.

Our PFSG subsidiary is within our discontinued operations and is held for sale. On August 14, 2013, our PFSG facility incurred fire damage which has left it non-operational.  As of December 31, 2013, we have recorded $130,000 for impairment of fixed assets related to the fire.  We performed updated financial valuation on the tangible assets of PFSG and concluded that no further tangible asset impairment existed as of December 31, 2013.

Our depreciation expense totaled approximately $3,381,000 and $4,795,000 in 2013 and 2012, respectively.

 

We can assess qualitative factors in determining whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount; however, we elected to bypass the qualitative assessment aspect of the test in 2013 as we identified indicators of potential impairment (market capitalization in relation to net book value, negative industry and economic trends, and lower than anticipated results of operations).  We follow a two-step quantitative process.  In the first step, we compare the fair value of each reporting unit, as computed primarily by present value cash flow calculation, to its book carrying value.  If the fair value exceeds the carrying value, no further work is required and no impairment loss is recognized.  If the carrying value exceeds the fair value, the goodwill of the reporting unit is potentially impaired and we would then complete step 2 in order to measure the impairment loss.  In step 2, the implied fair value is compared to the carrying amount of the goodwill.  If the implied fair value of goodwill is less than the carrying value of goodwill, we would recognize an impairment loss equal to the difference.  The implied fair value is calculated by assigning the fair value of the reporting unit (as determined in step 1) to all of its assets and liabilities (including unrecognized intangible assets) and any excess in fair value that is not assigned to the asset and liabilities is the implied fair value of goodwill.

In estimating the fair value of the reporting units, the Company makes estimates and judgments about its future cash flows using an income approach. The income approach, specifically a discounted cash flow analysis, includes assumptions for, among others, forecasted revenue, gross margin, operating income, working capital cash flow, perpetual growth rates and long-term discount rates (reflects a weighted average cost of capital rate), all of which require significant judgment by management. The sum of the fair values of the Company's reporting units are also compared to its external market capitalization to determine the appropriateness of its assumptions. These assumptions take into account the current industry environment (with significant focus on government spending trends), and its impact on the Company's business.

Intangible assets that have definite useful lives are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives (with the exception of customer relationships which are amortized using an accelerated method) and are excluded from our annual intangible asset valuation review conducted as of October 1. The Company also has one definite-lived permit which was excluded from our annual impairment review as noted above.

Definite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances suggest impairment might exist (see Note 3 – “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets” for further discussion on goodwill and other intangible assets).

Research and Development

Innovation and technical know-how by our operations is very important to the success of our business.  Our goal is to discover, develop, and bring to market innovative ways to process waste that address unmet environmental needs and to develop new company service offerings.  We conduct research internally and also through collaborations with other third parties.  Research and development costs consist primarily of employee salaries and benefits, laboratory costs, third party fees, and other related costs associated with the development and enhancement of new potential waste treatment processes and are charged to expense when incurred in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 730, “Research and Development.”

 

Accrued Closure Costs and Asset Retirement Obligations (“ARO”)

Accrued closure costs represent our estimated environmental liability to clean up our facilities as required by our permits, in the event of closure.  Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 410, “Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations” requires that the discounted fair value of a liability for an ARO be recognized in the period in which it is incurred with the associated ARO capitalized as part of the carrying cost of the asset.  The recognition of an ARO requires that management make numerous estimates, assumptions and judgments regarding such factors as estimated probabilities, timing of settlements, material and service costs, current technology, laws and regulations, and credit adjusted risk-free rate to be used.  This estimate is inflated, using an inflation rate, to the expected time at which the closure will occur, and then discounted back, using a credit adjusted risk free rate, to the present value.  AROs are included within buildings as part of property and equipment and are depreciated over the estimated useful life of the property.  In periods subsequent to initial measurement of the ARO, the Company must recognize period-to-period changes in the liability resulting from the passage of time and revisions to either the timing or the amount of the original estimate of undiscounted cash flow.  Increases in the ARO liability due to passage of time impact net income as accretion expense. Changes in costs resulting from changes or expansion at the facilities require adjustment to the ARO liability calculated in the aforementioned method, and are capitalized and charged as depreciation expense, in accordance with the Company’s depreciation policy.  (See Note 10 – “Accrued Closure Costs and Asset Retirement Obligations (“ARO”)” for further information of our closure liabilities and AROs).

Income Taxes

Income taxes are accounted for in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Under ASC 740, the provision for income taxes is comprised of taxes that are currently payable and deferred taxes that relate to the temporary differences between financial reporting carrying values and tax bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted income tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.  Any effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

ASC 740 requires that deferred income tax assets be reduced by a valuation allowance if it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred income tax assets will not be realized. We evaluate the realizability of our deferred income tax assets, primarily resulting from impairment loss and net operating loss carryforwards, and adjust our valuation allowance, if necessary. Once we utilize our net operating loss carryforwards or reverse the related valuation allowance we have recorded on these deferred tax assets, we would expect our provision for income tax expense in future periods to reflect an effective tax rate that will be significantly higher than past periods.

ASC 740 sets out a consistent framework for preparers to use to determine the appropriate recognition and measurement of uncertain tax positions.  ASC 740 uses a two-step approach wherein a tax benefit is recognized if a position is more-likely-than-not to be sustained. The amount of the benefit is then measured to be the highest tax benefit which is greater than 50% likely to be realized. ASC 740 also sets out disclosure requirements to enhance transparency of an entity’s tax reserves. The Company recognizes accrued interest and income tax penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense.

We reassess the validity of our conclusions regarding uncertain income tax positions on a quarterly basis to determine if facts or circumstances have arisen that might cause us to change our judgment regarding the likelihood of a tax position’s sustainability under audit.

Foreign Operation

Our Services Segment includes a foreign operation, Perma-Fix Environmental Services UK Limited (“Perma-Fix UK Limited”). We also have a Canadian subsidiary, Perma-Fix of Canada.  The financial results of Perma-Fix UK Limited and Perma-Fix of Canada (immaterial at this time) are included in the consolidated financial statements of the Company within the Services Segment.  The financial results of Perma-Fix UK Limited and Perma-Fix of Canada are translated into U.S. dollars using exchange rates in effect at period-end for assets and liabilities and average exchange rates during the period for results of operations. The related translation adjustments are reported as a separate component of stockholders’ equity.

 

Concentration Risk

We performed services relating to waste generated by the federal government, either directly as a prime contractor or indirectly as a subcontractor (including the CH Plateau Remediation Company (“CHPRC”)) to the federal government, representing approximately $47,557,000 or 63.9% of our total revenue from continuing operations during 2013, as compared to $101,533,000 or 79.6% of our total revenue from continuing operations during 2012.

The following customer accounted for 10% or more of the total revenues generated from continuing operations for twelve months ended December 31, 2013 and 2012:

Revenue generated from CHPRC includes revenue generated from the CHPRC subcontract at our Services Segment and various waste processing contracts at our Treatment Segment.  The CHPRC subcontract was a cost plus award fee subcontract awarded to us during the second quarter of 2008 to participate in the cleanup of the central portion of the Hanford Site located in the state of Washington.  This subcontract expired on September 30, 2013.

The outstanding net receivable balance for the customer representing more than 10% of consolidated net accounts receivable is (“AR”) as follows:

Gross Receipts Taxes and Other Charges

ASC 605-45, “Revenue Recognition – Principal Agent Consideration” provides guidance regarding the accounting and financial statement presentation for certain taxes assessed by a governmental authority. These taxes and surcharges include, among others, universal service fund charges, sales, use, waste, and some excise taxes. In determining whether to include such taxes in our revenue and expenses, we assess, among other things, whether we are the primary obligor or principal taxpayer for the taxes assessed in each jurisdiction where we do business.  As we are merely a collection agent for the government authority in certain of our facilities, we record the taxes on a net method and do not include them in our revenue and cost of services.

Revenue Recognition

Treatment Segment revenues. The processing of mixed waste is complex and may take several months or more to complete; as such, we recognize revenues using a performance based methodology with our measure of progress towards completion determined based on output measures consisting of milestones achieved and completed.  We have waste tracking capabilities, which we continue to enhance, to allow us to better match the revenues earned to the processing phases achieved. The revenues are recognized as each of the following three processing phases are completed: receipt, treatment/processing and shipment/final disposal. However, based on the processing of certain waste streams, the treatment/processing and shipment/final disposal phases may be combined as sometimes they are completed concurrently. As major processing phases are completed and the costs incurred, we recognize the corresponding percentage of revenue utilizing a proportional performance model. We experience delays in processing invoices due to the complexity of the documentation that is required for invoicing, as well as the difference between completion of revenue recognition milestones and agreed upon invoicing terms, which results in unbilled receivables. The timing differences occur for several reasons, partially from delays in the final processing of all wastes associated with certain work orders and partially from delays for analytical testing that is required after we have processed waste but prior to our release of waste for disposal. As the waste moves through these processing phases and revenues are recognized, the correlating costs are expensed as incurred. Although we use our best estimates and all available information to accurately determine these disposal expenses, the risk does exist that these estimates could prove to be inadequate in the event the waste requires retreatment.  Furthermore, should the waste be returned to the generator, the related receivables could be uncollectible; however, historical experience has not indicated this to be a material uncertainty.

 

Services Segment revenues. Revenue includes services performed under time and material, fixed price, and cost-reimbursement contracts. Revenues and costs associated with fixed price contracts are recognized using the percentage of completion (efforts expended) method. We estimate our percentage of completion based on attainment of project milestones.  Revenues and costs associated with time and material contracts are recognized as revenue when earned and costs are incurred.

Under cost reimbursement contracts, we are reimbursed for costs incurred plus a certain percentage markup for indirect costs, in accordance with contract provision.  Costs incurred in excess of contract funding may be renegotiated for reimbursement.  We also earn a fee based on the approved costs to complete the contract.  We recognize this fee using the proportion of costs incurred to total estimated contract costs.

Contract costs include all direct labor, material and other non-labor costs and those indirect costs related to contract support, such as depreciation, fringe benefits, overhead labor, supplies, tools, repairs and equipment rental. Provisions for estimated losses on uncompleted contracts are made in the period in which such losses are determined. Changes in job performance, job conditions and estimated profitability, including those arising from contract penalty provisions and final contract settlements, may result in revisions to costs and income and are recognized in the period in which the revisions are determined.

Consulting revenues are recognized as services are rendered. The services provided are based on billable hours and revenues are recognized in relation to incurred labor and consulting costs.  Out of pocket costs reimbursed by customers are also included in revenues.

The liability, “billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings”, represents billings in excess of revenues recognized and accrued costs to jobs.

Self-Insurance

We are self-insured for a significant portion of our group health.  The Company estimates expected losses based on statistical analyses of historical industry data, as well as our own estimates based on the Company’s actual historical data to determine required self-insurance reserves. The assumptions are closely reviewed, monitored, and adjusted when warranted by changing circumstances.  The estimated accruals for these liabilities could be affected if actual experience related to the number of claims and cost per claim differs from these assumptions and historical trends. Based on the information known on December 31, 2013, we believe we have provided adequate reserves for our self-insurance exposure. As of December 31, 2013 and 2012, self-insurance reserves were $473,000 and $644,000, respectively, and were included in accrued expenses in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The total amounts expensed for self-insurance during 2013 and 2012 were $2,906,000, and $4,388,000, respectively, for our continuing operations, and $160,000 and $171,000, for our discontinued operations, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation. We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, “Compensation – Stock Compensation”.  ASC 718 requires all stock-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based on their fair values.  The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the fair-value of stock-based awards which requires subjective assumptions.  Assumptions used to estimate the fair value of stock options granted include the exercise price of the award, the expected term, the expected volatility of the Company’s stock over the option’s expected term, the risk-free interest rate over the option’s expected term, and the expected annual dividend yield.

 

We recognize stock-based compensation expense using a straight-line amortization method over the requisite period, which is the vesting period of the stock option grant.  As ASC 718 requires that stock-based compensation expense be based on options that are ultimately expected to vest, our stock-based compensation expense is reduced at an estimated forfeiture rate.  Our estimated forfeiture rate is generally based on historical trends of actual forfeitures.  Forfeiture rates are evaluated, and revised as necessary.

Comprehensive Income

The components of comprehensive income are net income and the effects of foreign currency translation adjustments.

Net Income (Loss) Per Share

Basic earnings (loss) per share excludes any dilutive effects of stock options, warrants, and convertible preferred stock.  In periods where they are anti-dilutive, such amounts are excluded from the calculations of dilutive earnings per share.  Net income (loss) attributable to non-controlling interests are excluded from (loss) income from continuing operations in the below calculation in accordance with ASC 260, “Earnings Per Share.”

The diluted loss per share calculations exclude options to purchase approximately 339,000 and 517,000 shares of common stock for the years ended December 31, 2013 and 2012, respectively, because their effect would have been antidilutive as a result of the net losses recorded in these periods.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at fair value on a recurring basis, while other assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.  Fair value is determined based on 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. The three-tier value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies, is:

Level 1—Valuations based on quoted prices for identical assets and liabilities in active markets.

Level 2—Valuations based on observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets and liabilities in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data.

Level 3—Valuations based on unobservable inputs reflecting the Company’s own assumptions, consistent with reasonably available assumptions made by other market participants.

Financial instruments include cash and restricted cash (Level 1), accounts receivable, accounts payable, and debt obligations (Level 3).  At December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments approximated their carrying values.  The fair value of the Company’s revolving credit facility approximates its carrying value due to the variable interest rate.  The carrying value of our subsidiary's preferred stock is not significantly different than its fair value.

Recent Accounting Standards

There have been no recently issued accounting standards that are expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.