Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Organization and Basis of Presentation (Policies)

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Organization and Basis of Presentation (Policies)
3 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Accounting
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. As permitted by these instructions, they do not include all of the information and notes required by generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. The results of operations for the three months ended December 31, 2018, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full fiscal year. The balance sheet at September 30, 2018, has been derived from the audited financial statements at that date, but does not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements.
Reclassification, Policy [Policy Text Block]
Certain financial results have been reclassified to conform with our current period presentation.
Our consolidated statement of cash flows for the three months ended December 31, 2017, includes a reclassification to reflect the effect of new accounting guidance.
Our consolidated balance sheet at September 30, 2018, includes a reclassification to show a comparative balance for current and long-term debt, which were previously reported within Other liabilities.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent liabilities and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates including those related to revenue recognition and cost estimation on certain contracts, the realizability of goodwill and amounts related to income taxes, certain accrued liabilities and contingencies and litigation. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Segments
As previously reported, effective October 1, 2018, our Chief Executive Officer reorganized our reporting segments based on the way that management intends to allocate resources, manage performance and evaluate results. This reorganization of segments responds to recent changes in the markets in which we operate, the increasing integration of health and human services programs worldwide and the evolving needs of our government clients as they aim to deliver services in a more holistic manner to their citizens. We have recast our results for the three months ended December 31, 2017, to conform with these new segments. See "Note 2. Segment information" for more details of this change.
Revenue Recognition
We adopted Accounting Standard Update (ASU) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) on October 1, 2018, using the modified retrospective method and, accordingly, we recognized the cumulative effect of adoption as an adjustment of $32.9 million to our opening retained earnings balance on October 1, 2018. We applied this standard only to contracts that had not been completed as of the date of adoption. For contracts that had been modified prior to October 1, 2018, we calculated the cumulative effect of Topic 606 on each contract based upon the aggregate effect of all of the modifications at that date.
Topic 606 applies to all of our contracts with customers and supersedes all previous standards on revenue recognition. In adopting Topic 606, we are required to follow a five-step process in order to identify and recognize revenue based upon a principle that revenue should be recognized as goods and services are transferred to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration to which we expect to be entitled for those goods and services. It did not change the actual amount of revenue being recognized for the majority of our contracts but did change the methodology by which we identified that revenue.
In the most significant change under Topic 606, we are required to estimate and recognize revenue on contracts over the period where we provide a service. This affects contracts where performance outcomes are achieved over time, most notably for welfare-to-work contracts where we are compensated for placing individuals in sustained employment. Under our former methodology of recognizing revenue, we deferred recognizing this outcome-based revenue until the outcome was achieved. Under Topic 606, we estimate our anticipated future fees and recognize them over the expected period of performance.
New accounting pronouncements
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. The new standard requires that assets and liabilities arising under leases be recognized on the balance sheet. The standard also requires additional quantitative and qualitative disclosures that provide the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows relating to lease arrangements. This standard is effective for us on October 1, 2019. We will adopt this standard using a modified retrospective approach which requires retrospective application to the earliest period presented in the respective financial statements. This approach also provides practical expedients related to leases that commenced prior to the effective date and allows the use of hindsight when evaluating lease options. We are currently evaluating the likely effects on our business.