Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Commitments and Contingencies

 v2.3.0.11
Commitments and Contingencies
9 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2011
Commitments and Contingencies  
Commitments and Contingencies

7. Commitments and Contingencies

 

Litigation

 

The Company is involved in various legal proceedings, including contract and employment claims, in the ordinary course of its business. The matters reported on below involve significant pending or potential claims against us.

 

In March 2009, a state Medicaid agency asserted a claim against MAXIMUS, related to a discontinued business line, in the amount of $2.3 million in connection with a contract MAXIMUS had through February 1, 2009 to provide Medicaid administrative claiming services to school districts in the state. MAXIMUS entered into separate agreements with the school districts under which MAXIMUS helped the districts prepare and submit claims to the state Medicaid agency which, in turn, submitted claims for reimbursement to the federal government. No legal action has been initiated. The state has asserted that its agreement with MAXIMUS requires the Company to reimburse the state for the amounts owed to the federal government. However, the Company’s agreements with the school districts require them to reimburse MAXIMUS for such payments and therefore MAXIMUS believes the school districts are responsible for any amounts disallowed by the state Medicaid agency or the federal government. Accordingly, the Company believes its exposure in this matter is limited to its fees associated with this work and that the school districts will be responsible for the remainder. MAXIMUS has exited the federal healthcare claiming business and no longer provides the services at issue in this matter.

 

In August 2010, the Company received a draft audit report prepared on behalf of one of its former SchoolMAX customers. The SchoolMAX business line was sold as part of the divestiture of the MAXIMUS Education Systems division in 2008. The draft audit report recommends a refund of approximately $11.6 million primarily arising out of the alleged failure of MAXIMUS and the buyer of the division to observe the most favored customer pricing term of the contract. MAXIMUS believes the audit report is incorrect and that no amounts are owed as a refund. In February 2011, the client sent a letter to MAXIMUS and the buyer of the business initiating the dispute resolution process under the contract. The client reiterated some of the audit issues previously identified and also raised a number of issues pertaining to services and products delivered under the contract. The client alleges total damages in excess of $30 million. MAXIMUS and the buyer plan to contest all of the client’s claims. The Company also believes that it is entitled to indemnification from the buyer of the business for claims pertaining to services and deliverables.

 

Credit Facilities and Performance Bonds

 

The Company’s Revolving Credit Agreement provides for a senior secured revolving credit facility, with SunTrust Bank as administrative agent, issuing bank and swingline lender, and a syndicate of other lenders (the “Credit Facility”). The Credit Facility provides for a $35.0 million revolving line of credit commitment, which may be used (i) for revolving loans, (ii) for swingline loans, subject to a sublimit of $5.0 million, and (iii) to request the issuance of letters of credit on the Company’s behalf, subject to a sublimit of $25.0 million. The Company may request an increase in the commitment under the Credit Facility, such that the aggregate commitments under the Credit Facility shall at no time exceed $75.0 million. The credit available under the Credit Facility may be used, among other purposes, to refinance the Company’s current indebtedness, to repurchase shares of the Company’s capital stock and to finance the ongoing working capital, capital expenditure, and general corporate needs of the Company. The Credit Facility matures on January 25, 2013, at which time all outstanding borrowings must be repaid and all outstanding letters of credit must have been terminated or cash collateralized. At June 30, 2011, letters of credit totaling $11.0 million were outstanding under the Credit Facility. In addition, a letter of credit for $1.0 million has been issued on behalf of the Company by another financial institution.

 

Subject to applicable conditions, the Company may elect interest rates on its revolving borrowings calculated by reference to (i) the prime lending rate as announced by SunTrust Bank (or, if higher, the federal funds effective rate plus 0.50% or the one-month adjusted LIBOR) (a “Base Rate Borrowing”), or (ii) the reserve adjusted rate per annum equal to the offered rate for deposits in U.S. dollars for a one (1), two (2), three (3) or six (6) month period in the London Inter-Bank Market (a “LIBOR Borrowing”), and, in each case, plus an applicable margin that is determined by reference to the Company’s then-current leverage ratio. For swingline borrowings, the Company will pay interest at the rate of interest for a one (1) month LIBOR Borrowing, plus the applicable margin, or at a rate to be separately agreed upon by the Company and the administrative agent.

 

The Credit Facility provides for the payment of specified fees and expenses, including commitment and letter of credit fees, and contains customary financial and other covenants that require the maintenance of certain ratios including a maximum leverage ratio and a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio. The Company was in compliance with all covenants in the amended Credit Facility as of June 30, 2011. The Company’s obligations under the Credit Facility are guaranteed by certain of the Company’s direct and indirect subsidiaries (collectively, the “Guarantors”) and are secured by substantially all of MAXIMUS’ and the Guarantors’ present and future tangible and intangible assets, including the capital stock of subsidiaries and other investment property.

 

The Company also has a loan agreement with the Atlantic Innovation Fund of Canada. This provides for a loan of up to 1.8 million Canadian Dollars, which must be used for specific technology-based research and development. The loan has no interest charge and is repayable in installments between 2012 and 2022. At June 30, 2011, $1.8 million (1.8 million Canadian Dollars) was outstanding under this agreement.

 

Certain contracts require us to provide a surety bond as a guarantee of performance. At June 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, the Company had performance bond commitments totaling $18.9 million and $33.5 million, respectively. These bonds are typically renewed annually and remain in place until the contractual obligations have been satisfied. Although the triggering events vary from contract to contract, in general, we would only be liable for the amount of these guarantees in the event of default in our performance of our obligations under each contract, the probability of which we believe is remote.

 

Loss contract

 

During the nine month period ended June 30, 2011, the Company recorded a charge of $7.3 million on a fixed price contract. The Company has recorded a liability of $4.2 million related to the anticipated loss to be recognized on this contract. The revenue and profitability on this contract are based upon estimated costs to complete the project. The contract is expected to be completed during the 2012 fiscal year.