J, §1A diff (2020 → 2021)

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

We operate in a changing global environment that involves numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The risks described below highlight some of the factors that have affected and could affect us in the future. We may also be affected by unknown risks or risks that we currently think are immaterial. If any such events actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

Summary Risk Factors

The following is a summary of some of the risks and uncertainties that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. You should read this summary together with the more detailed description of each risk factor contained below.

Risks Related to Our Operations

•The COVID-19 pandemic, including the measures that international, federal, state and local public health and other governmental authorities implement to address it, have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

•Project sites are inherently dangerous workplaces. Failure to maintain safe work sites by us, the owner or others working at the project site can lead to our employees or others becoming injured, disabled or even losing their lives, and exposes us to significant financial losses and reputational harm, as well as civil and criminal liabilities.

•Our results of operations depend on the award of new contracts and the timing of the performance of these contracts.

•We engage in a highly competitive business. If we are unable to compete effectively, we could lose market share and our business and results of operations could be negatively impacted.

•The nature of our contracts, particularly those that are fixed-price, subjects us to risks of cost overruns. We may experience reduced profits or, in some cases, losses if costs increase above budgets or estimates or if the project experiences schedule delays.

•The contracts in our backlog may be adjusted, canceled or suspended by our clients and, therefore, our backlog is not necessarily indicative of our future revenues or earnings. Additionally, even if fully performed, our backlog is not a good indicator of our future gross margins.

•Contracts with the U.S. federal government and other governments and their agencies pose additional risks relating to future funding and compliance.

•Our project execution activities may result in liability for faulty services.

•The outcome of pending and future claims and litigation could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations and damage our reputation.

•Our use of joint ventures, partnerships and strategic investments in entities exposes us to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control

•Employee, agent or partner misconduct, or our overall failure to comply with laws or regulations, could weaken our ability to win contracts, which could result in reduced revenues and profits.

•Our international operations are exposed to additional risks and uncertainties, including unfavorable political developments and weak foreign economies.

•Cyber security or privacy breaches, or systems and information technology interruption or failure could adversely impact our ability to operate or expose us to significant financial losses and reputational harm.

•We are subject to professional standards, duties and statutory obligations on professional reports and opinions we issue, which could subject us to monetary damages.

•If we do not have adequate indemnification for our nuclear services, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

•Our actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions used to prepare our financial statements.

•An impairment charge on our goodwill could have a material adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations.

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•We may be required to contribute additional cash to meet any underfunded benefit obligations associated with retirement and post-retirement benefit plans we manage or for which we have contribution and/or funding obligations.

•Demand for our services is cyclical as the sectors and industries in which our clients operate are impacted by economic downturns, reductions in government or private spending and times of political uncertainty.

•Rising inflation, interest rates, and/or construction costs could reduce the demand for our services as well as decrease our profit on our existing contracts, in particular with respect to our fixed-price contracts.

•Our global presence could give rise to material fluctuations in our income tax rates.

•Our businesses could be materially and adversely affected by events outside of our control.

•Our continued success is dependent upon our ability to hire, retain, and utilize qualified personnel.

•Our business strategy relies in part on acquisitions and strategic investments to sustain our growth. These transactions present certain risks and uncertainties.

•Our professional reputation and relationships with U.S. government agencies are critical to our business, and any harm to our reputation or relationships could decrease the amount of business the U.S. government does with us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

•Our focus on new growth areas for our business entails risks, including those associated with new relationships, clients, talent needs, capabilities, service offerings, and maintaining our collaborative culture and core values.

Risks Related to Regulatory Compliance

•Past and future environmental, health, and safety laws could impose significant additional costs and liabilities.

•If we fail to comply with federal, state, local or foreign governmental requirements, our business may be adversely affected.

•We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.

Risks Related to Climate Change

•Climate change and related environmental issues could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

•We may be affected by market or regulatory responses to climate change.

•We may be unable to achieve our climate commitments and targets.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

•We rely on cash provided by operations and liquidity under our credit facilities to fund our business. Negative conditions in the credit and financial markets and delays in receiving client payments could adversely affect our cost of borrowing and our business.

•Maintaining adequate bonding and letter of credit capacity is necessary for us to successfully bid on and win some contracts.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

•Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly, which could have a material negative effect on the price of our common stock.

•There can be no assurance that we will pay dividends on our common stock.

•In the event we issue stock as consideration for certain acquisitions we may make, we could dilute share ownership, and if we receive stock in connection with a divestiture, the value of stock is subject to fluctuation.

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Risks Related to Our Operations

The COVID-19 pandemic, including the measures that international, federal, state and local public health and other governmental authorities implement to address it, have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Despite the availability of vaccines in some geographies, COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States and globally, including in regions where we have significant operations and personnel, and uncertainties exist as to the efficacy of vaccines against new variants or mutations of COVID-19. To attempt to mitigate the spread of the pandemic, there have been extraordinary and wide-ranging actions taken by international, federal, state and local public health and governmental authorities to contain and combat the outbreak of COVID-19 in regions across the United States and around the world. These actions include quarantines and “stay-at-home” or “shelter-in-place” orders, social distancing measures, travel restrictions, school closures and similar mandates for many individuals in order to substantially restrict daily activities and orders for many businesses to curtail or cease normal operations unless their work is critical, essential or life-sustaining and to require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for continued employment. Although there has been an easing of restrictions in certain jurisdictions, some of these restrictions have been reinstated in other jurisdictions, or could be reinstated in the future, to manage a resurgence or new outbreak of COVID-19, including in connection with new variants or mutations of the virus. In addition, the reopening of businesses and economies in certain countries is creating a variety of new challenges, including, for example, higher prices for goods and services, limited availability of products, and disruptions to supply chains. As such, the duration, severity of its effects and ultimate impact to the world’s population and the global economy are still unknown.

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, certain elements of our business, including, but not limited to, the following:

•We have experienced, and may continue to experience, reductions in demand for certain of our services and the delay or abandonment of ongoing or anticipated projects due to our clients’, suppliers’ and other third parties’ diminished financial conditions or financial distress, as well as governmental budget constraints. These impacts are expected to continue or worsen if “stay-at-home”, “shelter-in-place”, social distancing, travel restrictions and other similar orders, measures or restrictions remain in place for an extended period of time or are re-imposed after being lifted or eased. Although we have experienced, and may continue to experience, an increase in demand for certain of our services as a result of new projects that have arisen in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there can be no assurance that any such increased demand would be sufficient to offset lost or delayed demand.

•Government-sponsored stimulus or assistance programs enacted to-date in the United States and in the foreign countries in which we operate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have only been available to us or our customers or suppliers on a limited basis and are insufficient to address the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These and other government-sponsored assistance and stimulus programs are subject to renewal, modification or termination by the applicable governing bodies. If any government-sponsored program from which we receive benefits is modified or terminated, our benefits thereunder could decline or cease altogether, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations, and/or cash flows.

•Our clients may be unable to meet their payment obligations to us in a timely manner, including as a result of deteriorating financial condition or bankruptcy resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic impacts. Further, other third parties, such as suppliers, subcontractors, joint venture partners and other outside business partners, may experience significant disruptions in their ability to satisfy their obligations with respect to us, or they may be unable to do so altogether.

•While we have begun voluntary phased re-openings in our offices in accordance with guidance provided by government agencies, the majority of our employees are currently still working remotely. Although many of our employees can effectively perform their responsibilities while working remotely, some work is not well-suited for remote work, and that work may not be completed as efficiently as if it were performed on site. Additionally, we may be exposed to unexpected cybersecurity risks and additional information technology-related expenses as a result of these remote working requirements. In addition, our management team has spent, and will likely continue to spend, significant time, attention and resources monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and seeking to manage its effects on our business and workforce.. A long-term continuation of these restrictions could, among other things, negatively impact employee morale and productivity. Any failure to

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preserve our culture could harm our future success, including our ability to retain and recruit personnel, innovate and operate effectively and execute on our business strategy.

•Consistent with public health guidance and Executive Order 14042 mandating COVID-19 vaccination for employees of businesses servicing federal contracts, we have announced a Company policy requiring full COVID-19 vaccinations of all employees in the United States and Canada, except for employees who qualify for medical or religious exemptions. This policy, along with the federal vaccine mandate, may result in employee attrition and difficulty securing future labor needs, and could impair our ability to perform certain contractual services, to retain such contracts, and to win new business, all of which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and/or cash flows.

•Illness, travel restrictions or other workforce disruptions could adversely affect our supply chain, our ability to timely and satisfactorily complete our clients’ projects, our ability to provide services to our clients or our other business processes. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, we could experience a longer-term impact on our operating expenses, including, for example, the need for enhanced health and hygiene requirements or the periodic revival of social distancing or other measures in one or more regions in attempts to counteract future outbreaks.

•We may experience difficulties associated with hiring additional employees or replacing employees, in particular with respect to roles that require security clearances or other special qualifications that may be limited or difficult to obtain, as well as with effectively training and integrating new employees, and in the short term, to do so remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased turnover rates of our employees could increase operating costs and create challenges for us in maintaining high levels of employee awareness of, and compliance with, our internal procedures and external regulatory compliance requirements, in addition to increasing our recruiting, training and supervisory costs.

•In addition to existing travel restrictions implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, jurisdictions may continue to close borders, impose prolonged quarantines and further restrict travel and business activity, which could materially impair our ability to support our operations and clients (both domestic and international), to source supplies through the global supply chain and to identify, pursue and capture new business opportunities, and which could continue to restrict the ability of our employees to access their workplaces. We also face the possibility of increased overhead or other expenses resulting from compliance with any current and future government orders or other measures enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

•We operate in many countries around the world, and certain of those countries’ governments may be unable to effectively mitigate the financial or other impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their economies and workforces and our operations therein.

The continued global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the responses thereto are complex and rapidly evolving, and the extent to which the pandemic impacts our business, financial condition and results of operations, including the duration and magnitude of such impacts, will depend on numerous evolving factors that we may not be able to accurately predict or assess. COVID-19, and the volatile regional and global economic conditions stemming from the pandemic, as well as reactions to future pandemics or resurgences of COVID-19, could also precipitate or aggravate the other risk factors that we identify in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. There may be other adverse consequences to our business, financial condition and results of operations from the spread of COVID-19 that we have not considered or have not become apparent. As a result, we cannot assure you that if COVID-19 continues to spread, it would not have a further adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Project sites are inherently dangerous workplaces. Failure to maintain safe work sites by us, the owner or others working at the project site can lead to our employees or others becoming injured, disabled or even losing their lives, and exposes us to significant financial losses and reputational harm, as well as civil and criminal liabilities.

Project sites often put our employees and others in close proximity with large pieces of mechanized equipment, moving vehicles, chemical and manufacturing processes and highly regulated materials, in a challenging environment and often in geographically remote locations. The failure by us or others working at such sites to implement safety procedures or the implementation of ineffective procedures, or the failure to implement and follow appropriate safety procedures, subjects our employees and others to the risk of injury, disability or loss of life, and subjects us to risk that the completion or commencement of our projects may be delayed and we may be exposed to litigation or investigations. Unsafe work sites

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also have the potential to increase employee turnover, increase the cost of a project to our clients and raise our operating and insurance costs. Any of the foregoing could result in financial losses or reputational harm, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, our projects can involve the handling of hazardous and other highly regulated materials, and we are subject to the risk that the improper handling or disposal of such materials can lead to civil and/or criminal liabilities. We are also subject to regulations dealing with occupational health and safety. Although we maintain functional groups whose primary purpose is to ensure we implement effective health, safety and environmental (“HSE”) work procedures throughout our organization, including project sites and maintenance sites, the failure to comply with such regulations could subject us to liability. In addition, despite the work of our functional groups, we cannot guarantee the safety of our personnel or that there will be no damage to or loss of our work, equipment or supplies.

Our safety record is critical to our reputation. Many of our clients require that we meet certain safety criteria to be eligible to bid for contracts and many contracts provide for automatic termination or forfeiture of some or all of our contract fees or profit in the event we fail to meet certain measures. Accordingly, if we fail to maintain adequate safety standards, we could suffer reduced profitability or the loss of projects or clients, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our results of operations depend on the award of new contracts and the timing of the performance of these contracts.

Our revenues are derived from new contract awards. Delays in the timing of the awards or cancellations of such projects as a result of economic conditions, material and equipment pricing and availability or other factors could impact our long-term projected results. It is particularly difficult to predict whether or when we will receive large-scale projects as these contracts frequently involve a lengthy and complex bidding and selection process, which is affected by a number of factors, such as market conditions or governmental and environmental approvals. Since a significant portion of our revenues is generated from such projects, our results of operations and cash flows can fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter depending on the timing of our contract awards and the commencement or progress of work under awarded contracts. Furthermore, many of these contracts are subject to financing contingencies and, as a result, we are subject to the risk that the customer will not be able to secure the necessary financing for the project.

In addition, many of our contracts require us to satisfy specific progress or performance milestones in order to receive payment from the customer. As a result, we often incur significant costs for engineering, materials, components, equipment, labor or subcontractors prior to receipt of payment from a customer.

The uncertainty of our contract award timing can also present difficulties in matching workforce size with contract needs. In some cases, we maintain and bear the cost of a ready workforce that is larger than necessary under existing contracts in anticipation of future workforce needs for expected contract awards. When an expected contract award is delayed or not received, we incur additional costs resulting from reductions in staff or redundancy of facilities, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We engage in a highly competitive business. If we are unable to compete effectively, we could lose market share and our business and results of operations could be negatively impacted.

We face intense competition to provide technical, professional and construction management services to clients. The markets we serve are highly competitive and we compete against a large number of regional, national and multinational companies. The extent and type of our competition varies by industry, geographic area and project type.

Our projects are frequently awarded through a competitive bidding process, which is standard in our industry. We are constantly competing for project awards based on pricing, schedule and the breadth and technical sophistication of our services. Competition can place downward pressure on our contract prices and profit margins, which at times forces us to accept contractual terms and conditions that are less favorable to us, thereby increasing the risk that, among other things, we may not realize profit margins at the same rates as we have seen in the past or may become responsible for costs or other liabilities we have not accepted in the past. If we are unable to compete effectively, we may experience a loss of market share or reduced profitability or both, which if significant, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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The nature of our contracts, particularly those that are fixed-price, subjects us to risks of cost overruns. We may experience reduced profits or, in some cases, losses if costs increase above budgets or estimates or if the project experiences schedule delays.

For fiscal 2021, approximately 24% of our revenues were earned under fixed-price contracts. Both fixed-price and many cost reimbursable contracts require us to estimate the total cost of the project in advance of our performance. For fixed-price contracts, we may benefit from any cost-savings, but we bear greater risk of paying some, if not all, of any cost overruns. Fixed-price contracts are established in part on partial or incomplete designs, cost and scheduling estimates that are based on a number of assumptions, including those about future economic conditions, commodity and other materials pricing and cost and availability of labor (including the cost of any related benefits or entitlements), equipment and materials and other exigencies. Cost overruns can occur, leading to reduced profits or, in some cases, a loss for that project for a variety of reasons, including if the design or the estimates prove inaccurate or if circumstances change due to, among other things, unanticipated technical problems, difficulties in obtaining permits or approvals, changes in local laws or labor conditions, weather or other delays beyond our control, changes in the costs of equipment or raw materials, our vendors’ or subcontractors’ inability or failure to perform, or changes in general economic conditions. These risks are exacerbated for projects with long-term durations because there is an increased risk that the circumstances on which we based our original estimates will change in a manner that increases costs. If the project is significant, or there are one or more issues that impact multiple projects, costs overruns could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our contracts that are fundamentally cost reimbursable in nature may also present a risk to the extent the final cost on a project exceeds the amount the customer expected or budgeted. Like fixed-price contracts, the expected cost of cost-reimbursable projects is based in part on partial design and our estimates of the resources and time necessary to perform such contracts. A portion of the fee is often linked to these estimates and the related final cost and schedule objectives, and if for whatever reason these objectives are not met, the project may be less profitable than we expect or even result in losses.

If we, or any of our subsidiaries or companies in which we have made strategic investments, lose, or experience a significant reduction in, business from one or a few customers, it could have a material adverse impact on us.

A few clients have in the past, and may in the future, account for a significant portion of our revenue and/or backlog, or the revenue and/or backlog for our subsidiaries or companies in which we have made strategic investments, in any one year or over a period of several consecutive years. For example, in fiscal 2021, 2020 and 2019, approximately 33%, 33% and 27%, respectively, of our revenue was earned directly or indirectly from agencies of the U.S. federal government. Although we have long-standing relationships with many of our significant clients, our clients may unilaterally reduce, delay or cancel their contracts at any time. If we, or any of our subsidiaries or companies in which we have made strategic investments, lose, or experience a significant reduction in business from a significant client could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The contracts in our backlog may be adjusted, canceled or suspended by our clients and, therefore, our backlog is not necessarily indicative of our future revenues or earnings. Additionally, even if fully performed, our backlog is not a good indicator of our future gross margins.

Backlog represents the total dollar amount of revenues we expect to record in the future as a result of performing work under contracts that have been awarded to us. As of the end of fiscal 2021, our backlog totaled approximately $26.6 billion. There is no assurance that backlog will actually be realized as revenues in the amounts reported or, if realized, will result in profits. In accordance with industry practice, substantially all of our contracts are subject to cancellation, termination, or suspension at the discretion of the client, including our U.S. government work. In the event of a project cancellation, we would generally have no contractual right to the total revenue reflected in our backlog. Projects can remain in backlog for extended periods of time because of the nature of the project and the timing of the particular services required by the project. The risk of contracts in backlog being canceled or suspended generally increases during periods of widespread economic slowdowns or in response to changes in commodity prices.

The contracts in our backlog are subject to changes in the scope of services to be provided as well as adjustments to the costs relating to the contracts. The revenue for certain contracts included in backlog is based on estimates. Additionally, the way we perform on our individual contracts can affect greatly our gross margins and hence, future profitability.

In some markets, there is a continuing trend towards cost-reimbursable contracts with incentive-fee arrangements. Typically, our incentive fees are based on such things as achievement of target completion dates or target costs, overall

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safety performance, overall client satisfaction and other performance criteria. If we fail to meet such targets or achieve the expected performance standards, we may receive a lower, or even zero, incentive fee resulting in lower gross margins. Accordingly, there is no assurance that the contracts in backlog, assuming they produce the revenues currently expected, will generate gross margins at the rates we have realized in the past.

Contracts with the U.S. federal government and other governments and their agencies pose additional risks relating to future funding and compliance.

Contracts with the U.S. federal government and other governments and their agencies, which are a significant source of our revenue and profit, are subject to various uncertainties, restrictions, and regulations including oversight audits by various government authorities as well as profit and cost controls, which could result in withholding or delay of payments to us. Government contracts are also exposed to uncertainties associated with funding such as sequestration and budget deficits. Contracts with the U.S. federal government, for example, are subject to the uncertainties of Congressional funding. U.S. government shutdowns or any related under-staffing of the government departments or agencies that interact with our business could result in program cancellations, disruptions and/or stop work orders, could limit the government’s ability to effectively progress programs and make timely payments, and could limit our ability to perform on our existing U.S. government contracts and successfully compete for new work. Governments are typically under no obligation to maintain funding at any specific level, and funds for government programs may even be eliminated. Legislatures typically appropriate funds on a year-by-year basis, while contract performance may take more than one year. The U.S. government may also shift its spending focus away from areas, such as defense and space exploration, and towards other areas in which we do not currently provide services. As a result, contracts with government agencies may be only partially funded or may be terminated, and we may not realize all of the potential revenue and profit from those contracts.

Our government clients may reduce the scope of or terminate our contracts for convenience or decide not to renew our contracts with little or no prior notice. Since government contracts represent a significant percentage of our revenues (for example, those with the U.S. federal government represented approximately 33% of our total revenue in fiscal 2021), a significant reduction in government funding or the loss of such contracts could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Most government contracts are awarded through a rigorous competitive process. The U.S. federal government has increasingly relied upon multiple-year contracts with multiple contractors that generally require those contractors to engage in an additional competitive bidding process for each task order issued under a contract. This process may result in us facing significant additional pricing pressure and uncertainty and incurring additional costs. Moreover, we may not be awarded government contracts because of existing policies designed to protect small businesses and under-represented minorities. Our inability to win new contracts or be awarded work under existing contracts could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, government contracts are subject to specific procurement regulations and a variety of other socio-economic requirements, which affect how we transact business with our clients and, in some instances, impose additional costs on our business operations. For example, for contracts with the U.S. federal government, we must comply with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, the Truth in Negotiations Act, the Cost Accounting Standards, and numerous regulations governing environmental protection and employment practices. Government contracts also contain terms that expose us to heightened levels of risk and potential liability than non-government contracts. This includes, for example, unlimited indemnification obligations.

We also are subject to government audits, investigations, and proceedings. For example, government agencies such as the U.S. Defense Contract Audit Agency routinely review and audit us to determine the adequacy of and our compliance with our internal control systems and policies and whether allowable costs are in accordance with applicable regulations. These audits can result in a determination that a rule or regulation has been violated or that adjustments are necessary to the amount of contract costs we believe are reimbursable by the agencies and the amount of our overhead costs allocated to the agencies.

If we violate a rule or regulation, fail to comply with a contractual or other requirement or do not satisfy an audit, a variety of penalties can be imposed on us including monetary damages and criminal and civil penalties. For example, in so-called “qui tam” actions brought by individuals or the government under the U.S. Federal False Claims Act or under similar state and local laws, treble damages can be awarded. In addition, any or all of our government contracts could be terminated, we could be suspended or debarred from all government contract work, or payment of our costs could be

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disallowed. The occurrence of any of these actions could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Many of our federal government contracts require us to have security clearances, which can be difficult and time consuming to obtain. If our employees or our facilities are unable to obtain or retain the necessary security clearances, our clients could terminate or not renew existing contracts or award us new contracts, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted.

Our project execution activities may result in liability for faulty services.

Failure to provide our services in accordance with applicable professional standards or contractual requirements exposes us to significant monetary damages or even criminal violations. Our engineering practice, for example, involves professional judgments regarding the planning, design, development, construction, operations and management of industrial facilities and public infrastructure projects. While we do not generally accept liability for consequential damages in our contracts, and although we have adopted a range of insurance, risk management and risk avoidance programs designed to reduce potential liabilities, a catastrophic event at one of our project sites or completed projects resulting from the services we have performed could result in significant professional or product liability and warranty or other claims against us as well as reputational harm, especially if public safety is impacted. These liabilities could exceed our insurance limits or the fees we generate, may not be covered by insurance at all due to various exclusions in our coverage and could impact our ability to obtain insurance in the future. Further, even where coverage applies, the policies have limits and deductibles or retentions, which results in our assumption of exposure for certain amounts with respect to any claim filed against us. In addition, clients or subcontractors who have agreed to indemnify us against any such liabilities or losses might refuse or be unable to pay us. An uninsured claim, either in part or in whole, as well as any claim covered by insurance but subject to a policy limit, high deductible and/or retention, if successful and of a material magnitude, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The outcome of pending and future claims and litigation could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations and damage our reputation.

We are a party to claims and litigation in the normal course of business, including litigation inherited through acquisitions. Since we engage in engineering and construction activities for large facilities and projects where design, construction or systems failures can result in substantial injury or damage to employees or others, we are exposed to substantial claims and litigation and investigations due to the failure at any such facility or project. Such claims could relate to, among other things, personal injury, loss of life, business interruption, property damage, or pollution and environmental damage, and be brought by our clients or third parties, such as those who use or reside near our clients’ projects. We can also be exposed to claims if we agreed that a project will achieve certain performance standards or satisfy certain technical requirements and those standards or requirements are not met. In many of our contracts with clients, subcontractors and vendors, we agree to retain or assume potential liabilities for damages, penalties, losses and other exposures relating to projects that could result in claims that greatly exceed the anticipated profits relating to those contracts. In addition, while clients and subcontractors may agree to indemnify us against certain liabilities, such third parties may refuse or be unable to pay us.

With a workforce of approximately 55,000 people globally, we are also party to labor and employment claims in the normal course of business. Certain of these claims relate to allegations of harassment and discrimination, pay equity, denial of benefits, wage and hour violations, whistleblower protections, concerted protected activity, and other employment protections, and may be pursued on an individual or class action basis depending on applicable laws and regulations. Some of such claims may be insurable, while other such claims may not.

We maintain insurance coverage for various aspects of our business and operations. Our insurance programs have varying coverage limits as well as exclusions for matters such as fraud, and insurance companies can, and sometimes do, attempt to deny claims for which we seek coverage. In addition, we have elected to retain a portion of losses that may occur through the use of various deductibles, retentions and limits under these programs. As a result, we may be subject to future liability for which we are only partially insured, or completely uninsured.

Although in the past we have been generally able to cover our insurance needs, there can be no assurances that we can secure all necessary or appropriate insurance in the future, or that such insurance can be economically secured. For example, catastrophic events can result in decreased coverage limits, coverage that is more limited, increased premium costs or higher deductibles and/or retentions. We monitor the financial health of the insurance companies from which we

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procure insurance, which is one of the factors we take into account when purchasing insurance. Our insurance is purchased from a number of the world's leading providers, often in layered insurance or quota share arrangements. If any of our third party insurers fail, abruptly cancel our coverage or otherwise cannot satisfy their insurance requirements to us, then our overall risk exposure and operational expenses could be increased and our business operations could be interrupted.

In addition, the nature of our business sometimes results in clients, subcontractors and vendors presenting claims to us for, among other things, recovery of costs related to certain projects. Similarly, we occasionally present change orders and claims to our clients, subcontractors and vendors for, among other things, additional costs exceeding the original contract price. If we fail to document properly the nature of our claims and change orders, or are otherwise unsuccessful in negotiating reasonable settlements with our clients, subcontractors and vendors, we will likely incur cost overruns, reduced profits or, in some cases, a loss for a project. Further, these claims can be the subject of lengthy negotiations, arbitration or litigation proceedings, which could result in the investment of significant amounts of working capital pending the resolution of the relevant change orders and claims. A failure to promptly recover on these types of claims could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity and financial results. Additionally, irrespective of how well we document the nature of our claims and change orders, the cost to prosecute and defend claims and change orders can be significant.

Litigation and regulatory proceedings are subject to inherent uncertainties and unfavorable rulings can and do occur. Pending or future claims against us could result in professional liability, product liability, criminal liability, warranty obligations, default under our credit agreements and other liabilities which, to the extent we are not insured against a loss or our insurer fails to provide coverage, could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations and damage our reputation.

Our use of joint ventures, partnerships and strategic investments in entities exposes us to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control.

As is common in our industry, we perform certain contracts as a member of joint ventures, partnerships, and similar arrangements. This situation exposes us to a number of risks, including the risk that our partners may be unable to fulfill their obligations to us or our clients.

Further, we have limited ability to control the actions of our joint venture partners, including with respect to nonperformance, default, bankruptcy or legal or regulatory compliance. Our partners may be unable or unwilling to provide the required levels of financial support to the partnerships. If these circumstances occur, we may be liable for claims and losses attributable to the partner by operation of law or contract. These circumstances could also lead to disputes and litigation with our partners or clients, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

We depend on the management effectiveness of our joint venture partners. Differences in views among the joint venture participants may result in delayed decisions or in failures to agree on major issues, which could materially affect the business and operations of these ventures. In addition, in many of the countries in which we engage in joint ventures, it may be difficult to enforce our contractual rights under the applicable joint venture agreement. If we are not able to enforce our contractual rights, we may not be able to realize the benefits of the joint venture or we may be subject to additional liabilities.

We participate in joint ventures and similar arrangements in which we are not the controlling partner. In these cases, we have limited control over the actions of the joint venture. These joint ventures may not be subject to the same requirements regarding internal controls and internal control over financial reporting that we follow. To the extent the controlling partner makes decisions that negatively impact the joint venture or internal control problems arise within the joint venture, it could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The failure by a joint venture partner to comply with applicable laws, regulations or client requirements could negatively impact our business and, for government clients, could result in fines, penalties, suspension or even debarment being imposed on us, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are dependent on third parties to complete many of our contracts.

Third-party subcontractors we hire perform a significant amount of the work performed under our contracts. We also rely on third-party equipment manufacturers or suppliers to provide much of the equipment and materials used for

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projects. If we are unable to hire qualified subcontractors or find qualified equipment manufacturers or suppliers, our ability to successfully complete a project will be impaired. If we are not able to locate qualified third-party subcontractors or the amount we are required to pay for subcontractors or equipment and supplies exceeds what we have estimated, especially in a lump sum or a fixed-price contract, we may suffer losses on these contracts. If a subcontractor, supplier, or manufacturer fails to provide services, supplies, parts or equipment as required under a contract for any reason, or fails to provide such services, supplies, parts or equipment in accordance with applicable quality standards as required by the contract or regulation, we will be required to source these services, equipment, parts or supplies to other third parties on a delayed basis or on less favorable terms, which could impact contract profitability and/or could result in claims against us for damages. We are subject to disputes with our subcontractors from time to time relating to, among other things, the quality and timeliness of work performed, customer concerns about the subcontractor, or our failure to extend existing task orders or issue new task orders under a contract. In addition, faulty workmanship, equipment or materials would likely impact the overall project, which could result in claims against us for failure to meet required project specifications.

In an uncertain or downturn economic environment, third parties may find it difficult to obtain sufficient financing to help fund their operations. The inability to obtain financing could adversely affect a third party’s ability to provide materials, equipment or services which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, a failure by a third party subcontractor, supplier or manufacturer to comply with applicable laws, regulations or client requirements could negatively impact our business and, for government clients, could result in fines, penalties, suspension or even debarment being imposed on us, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

Employee, agent or partner misconduct, or our overall failure to comply with laws or regulations, could weaken our ability to win contracts, which could result in reduced revenues and profits.

We are subject to the risk of misconduct, fraud, non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations, or other improper activities by one of our employees, agents or partners, which could have a significant negative impact on our business and reputation. Such misconduct includes the failure to comply with government procurement regulations, regulations regarding the protection of classified information, regulations prohibiting bribery and other corrupt practices, regulations regarding the pricing of labor and other costs in government contracts, regulations on lobbying or similar activities, regulations pertaining to the internal controls over financial reporting, regulations pertaining to export control, environmental laws, employee wages, pay and benefits, and any other applicable laws or regulations. For example, we routinely provide services that may be highly sensitive or that relate to critical national security matters; if a security breach were to occur, our ability to procure future government contracts could be severely limited. The precautions we take to prevent and detect these activities may not be effective and we could face unknown risks or losses. Our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, or acts of misconduct subjects us to the risk of fines and penalties, cancellation of contracts, loss of security clearance and suspension or debarment from contracting, any of which could weaken our ability to win contracts and result in reduced revenues and profits and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our international operations are exposed to additional risks and uncertainties, including unfavorable political developments and weak foreign economies.

For fiscal 2021, approximately 31% of our revenue was earned from clients outside the U.S. Our business is dependent on the continued success of our international operations, and we expect our international operations to continue to account for a significant portion of our total revenues. Our international operations are subject to a variety of risks, including:

•Recessions and other economic crises in other regions, such as Europe, or specific foreign economies and the impact on our costs of doing business in those countries;

•Difficulties in staffing and managing foreign personnel and operations, including challenges related to logistics, communications and professional licensure of our international workforce;

•Unexpected changes in foreign government policies and regulatory requirements;

•Potential non-compliance with a wide variety of laws and regulations, including anti-corruption, export control and anti-boycott laws and similar non-U.S. laws and regulations;

•Potential non-compliance with regulations and evolving industry standards regarding consumer protection and data use and security, including the General Data Protection Regulation approved by the European Union;

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•Lack of developed legal systems to enforce contractual rights;

•Expropriation and nationalization of our assets in a foreign country;

•Renegotiation or nullification of our existing contracts;

•The adoption of new, and the expansion of existing, trade or other restrictions;

•Embargoes, duties, tariffs or other trade restrictions, including sanctions;

•Geopolitical developments that impact our or our clients’ ability to operate in a foreign country;

•Changes in labor conditions;

•Acts of war, civil unrest, force majeure, and terrorism;

•The ability to finance efficiently our foreign operations;

•Social, political, and economic instability;

•Changes to tax policy;

•Currency exchange rate fluctuations;

•Limitations on the ability to repatriate foreign earnings; and

•U.S. government policy changes in relation to the foreign countries in which we operate.

The lack of a well-developed legal system in some of these countries may make it difficult to enforce our contractual rights. In addition, military action, geopolitical shifts or continued unrest, particularly in the Middle East, impacts the supply or pricing of oil and could disrupt our operations in the region and elsewhere and increase our security costs. Moreover, recent events, including change in U.S. trade policies and responsive changes in policy by foreign jurisdictions and similar geopolitical developments and uncertainty in the E.U., Asia and elsewhere, have increased levels of political and economic unpredictability globally, and may increase the volatility of global financial markets and the global and regional economies. To the extent our international operations are affected by unexpected or adverse economic, political and other conditions, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We work in international locations where there are high security risks, which could result in harm to our employees or unanticipated cost.

Some of our services are performed in high-risk locations, where the country or location is subject to political, social or economic risks, or war, terrorism or civil unrest. In those locations where we have employees or operations, we may expend significant efforts and incur substantial security costs to maintain the safety of our personnel. Despite these activities, in these locations, we cannot guarantee the safety of our personnel and we may suffer future losses of employees and subcontractors. Acts of terrorism and threats of armed conflicts in or around various areas in which we operate could limit or disrupt markets and our operations, including disruptions resulting from the evacuation of personnel, cancellation of contracts, or the loss of key employees, contractors or assets.

Cyber security or privacy breaches, or systems and information technology interruption or failure could adversely impact our ability to operate or expose us to significant financial losses and reputational harm.

We rely heavily on computer, information and communications technology and related systems in order to properly operate our business. From time to time, we experience system interruptions and delays. In the event we are unable to regularly deploy software and hardware, effectively upgrade our systems and network infrastructure and take other steps to maintain or improve the efficiency and efficacy of our systems, the operation of such systems could be subjected to additional interruption or could result in the loss, corruption, or release of data. In addition, our computer and communication systems and operations could be damaged or interrupted by natural disasters, force majeure events, telecommunications failures, power loss, acts of war or terrorism, computer viruses, malicious code, physical or electronic security breaches, intentional or inadvertent user misuse or error or similar events or disruptions. Any of these or other events could cause interruptions, delays, loss of critical and/or sensitive data or similar effects, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, protection of intellectual property and results of operations, as well as those of our clients.

Our information technology systems, which have grown over time, including through acquisitions, are vulnerable to failure, malicious intrusion and attack. These systems have, and will continue to experience threats, including

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unauthorized access, computer hackers, computer viruses, malicious code, ransomware, phishing, organized cyber-attacks and other security problems and system disruptions, including unauthorized access to and disclosure of our and our clients’ proprietary or classified information. Such tactics have caused, and may also seek to cause in the future, payments due to or from the Company to be misdirected to fraudulent accounts, which may not be recoverable by the Company.

While we have security measures and technology in place designed to protect our and our clients’ proprietary or classified information, there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent all threats to our computer systems. If our security measures and technology fail as a result of a cyber-attack, other third-party action, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise, and someone obtains unauthorized access to our or our clients’ information, our reputation could be damaged, our business may suffer and we could incur significant liability. Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not identified until they are launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. As a result, we may be required to expend significant resources to protect against the threat of system disruptions and security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these disruptions and breaches. Any of these events could damage our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, new laws and regulations governing data privacy and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), the California Consumer Privacy Act, and other emerging U.S. state and global privacy laws pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate costs, and any failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in significant penalties and legal liability.

We continuously evaluate the need to upgrade and/or replace our systems and network infrastructure to protect our computing environment, to stay current on vendor supported products and to improve the efficiency of our systems and for other business reasons. The implementation of new systems and information technology could adversely impact our operations by imposing substantial capital expenditures, demands on management time and risks of delays or difficulties in transitioning to new systems. In addition, our systems implementations may not result in productivity improvements at the levels anticipated. Systems implementation disruption and any other information technology disruption, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

We are subject to professional standards, duties and statutory obligations on professional reports and opinions we issue, which could subject us to monetary damages.

We issue reports and opinions to clients based on our professional engineering expertise as well as our other professional credentials that subject us to professional standards, duties and obligations regulating the performance of our services. For example, we issue opinions and reports to government clients in connection with securities offerings. If a client or another third party alleges that our report or opinion is incorrect or it is improperly relied upon and we are held responsible, we could be subject to significant monetary damages. In addition, our reports and other work product may need to comply with professional standards, licensing requirements, securities regulations and other laws and rules governing the performance of professional services in the jurisdiction where the services are performed. We could be liable to third parties who use or rely upon our reports and other work product even if we are not contractually bound to those third parties. These events could in turn result in monetary damages and penalties.

We may not be able to protect our intellectual property or that of our clients.

Our technology and intellectual property provide us, in certain instances, with a competitive advantage. Although we seek to protect our property through registration, licensing, contractual arrangements, security controls and similar mechanisms, we may not be able to successfully preserve our rights and they could be invalidated, circumvented, challenged or become obsolete. Trade secrets are generally difficult to protect. Our employees and contractors are subject to confidentiality obligations, but this protection may be inadequate to deter or prevent misappropriation of our confidential information and/or infringement of our intellectual property. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries in which we operate do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the U.S. If we are unable to protect and maintain our intellectual property rights or if there are any successful intellectual property challenges or infringement proceedings against us, our ability to differentiate our service offerings could be reduced. Litigation to determine the scope of intellectual property rights, even if ultimately successful, could be costly and could divert leadership’s attention away from other aspects of our business.

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We also hold licenses from third parties which may be utilized in our business operations. If we are no longer able to license such technology on commercially reasonable terms or otherwise, our business and financial performance could be adversely affected.

If our intellectual property rights or work processes become obsolete, we may not be able to differentiate our service offerings and some of our competitors may be able to offer more attractive services to our customers. Our competitors may independently attempt to develop or obtain access to technologies that are similar or superior to our technologies.

Our clients or other third parties may also provide us with their technology and intellectual property. There is a risk we may not sufficiently protect our or their information from improper use or dissemination and, as a result, could be subject to claims and litigation and resulting liabilities, loss of contracts or other consequences that could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we do not have adequate indemnification for our nuclear services, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act, commonly called the Price-Anderson Act (“PAA”), is a U.S. federal law, which, among other things, regulates radioactive materials and the nuclear energy industry, including liability and compensation in the event of nuclear related incidents. The PAA provides certain protections and indemnification to nuclear energy plant operators and U.S. Department of Energy (“DOE”) contractors. The PAA protections and indemnification apply to us as part of our services to the U.S. nuclear energy industry and DOE for new facilities, maintenance, modification, decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear energy, weapons and research facilities.

We offer similar services in other jurisdictions outside the U.S. For those jurisdictions, varying levels of nuclear liability protection is provided by international treaties, and/or domestic laws, such as the Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act of Canada and the Nuclear Installations Act of the United Kingdom, insurance and/or assets of the nuclear installation operators (some of which are backed by governments) as well as under appropriate enforceable contractual indemnifications and hold-harmless provisions. These protections and indemnifications, however, may not cover all of our liability that could arise in the performance of these services. To the extent the PAA or other protections and indemnifications do not apply to our services, the cost of losses associated with liability not covered by the available protections and indemnifications, or by virtue of our loss of business because of these added costs could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our actual results could differ from the estimates and assumptions used to prepare our financial statements.

In preparing our financial statements, our leadership is required under U.S. GAAP to make estimates and assumptions as of the date of the financial statements. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported values of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. Areas requiring significant estimates by our leadership include:

•Recognition of contract revenue, costs, profit or losses in applying the principles of percentage of completion accounting;

•Estimated amounts for expected project losses, warranty costs, contract close-out or other costs;

•Recognition of recoveries under contract change orders or claims;

•Collectability of billed and unbilled accounts receivable and the need and amount of any allowance for doubtful accounts;

•Estimates of other liabilities, including litigation and insurance revenues/reserves and reserves necessary for self-insured risks;

•Accruals for estimated liabilities, including litigation reserves;

•Valuation of assets acquired, and liabilities, goodwill, and intangible assets assumed, in acquisitions and ongoing assessment of impairment;

•Valuation estimates for redeemable noncontrolling interests calculations;

•Valuation of stock-based compensation;

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•The determination of liabilities under pension and other post-retirement benefit programs; and

•Income tax provisions and related valuation allowances.

Our actual business and financial results could differ from our estimates of such results, which could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

An impairment charge on our goodwill or intangible assets could have a material adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations.

Because we have grown in part through acquisitions, goodwill and intangible assets represent a substantial portion of our assets. Under U.S. GAAP, we are required to test goodwill carried in our Consolidated Balance Sheets for possible impairment on an annual basis based upon a fair value approach. We also assess the recoverability of the unamortized balance of our intangible assets when indications of impairment are present based on expected future probability and undiscounted expected cash flows and their contribution to our overall operations. As of October 1, 2021, we had $7.20 billion of goodwill, representing 49.2% of our total assets of $14.63 billion. We have chosen to perform our annual impairment reviews of goodwill at the beginning of the fourth quarter of our fiscal year. We also are required to test goodwill for impairment between annual tests if events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce our enterprise fair value below its book value. These events or circumstances could include a significant change in the business climate, including a significant sustained decline in a reporting unit’s market value, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, sale or disposition of a significant portion of our business, potential government actions toward our facilities and other factors.

If our market capitalization drops significantly below the amount of net equity recorded on our balance sheet, it might indicate a decline in our fair value and would require us to further evaluate whether our goodwill has been impaired. If the fair value of our reporting units is less than their carrying value, we could be required to record an impairment charge. The amount of any impairment could be significant and could have a material adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations for the period in which the charge is taken. For a further discussion of goodwill impairment testing, please see Item 7- Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations below.

Impairment of long-lived assets or restructuring activities may require us to record a significant charge to earnings.

Our long-lived assets, including our lease right-of-use assets, equity investments and others, are subject to periodic testing for impairment. Failure to achieve sufficient levels of cash flow at the asset group level has resulted in, and could result in additional, impairment of our long-lived assets. Further changes in the business environment could lead to changes in the scope of operations of our business. These changes, including the closure of one or more offices, could result in restructuring and/or asset impairment charges. The COVID-19 pandemic raises the possibility of an extended global economic downturn which increase the risk of long-lived asset impairment charges.

We may be required to contribute additional cash to meet any underfunded benefit obligations associated with retirement and post-retirement benefit plans we manage or for which we have contribution and/or funding obligations.

We have various employee benefit plan obligations that require us to make contributions to satisfy, over time, our underfunded benefit obligations, which are generally determined by calculating the projected benefit obligations minus the fair value of plan assets. For example, as of October 1, 2021 and October 2, 2020, our defined benefit pension and post-retirement benefit plans were underfunded by $191.4 million and $400.4 million, respectively. See Note 13- Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements beginning on page F-1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional disclosure. In the future, our benefit plan obligations may increase or decrease depending on changes in the levels of interest rates, pension plan asset performance and other factors. If we are required to contribute a significant amount of the deficit for underfunded benefit plans, our cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

We are also a participating employer in various Multi-Employer Pension Plans ("MEPPs") associated with some of the work we perform on a union basis, which MEPPs are managed by third party trusts and over which we have no control, including as to how the MEPPs are managed or financial investment decisions are made. If any of these MEPPs is underfunded, we could face the imposition of underfunded liability or withdrawal liability at a materially adverse level.

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Negotiations with labor unions and possible work actions could disrupt operations and increase labor costs and operating expenses.

A certain portion of our work force has entered into, and additional portions may in the future enter into, collective bargaining agreements, which on occasion may require renegotiation. The outcome of future negotiations relating to union representation or collective bargaining agreements may not be favorable to the Company in that they may increase our operating expenses and lower our net income as a result of higher wages or benefit expenses. In addition, negotiations with unions diverts management attention and could disrupt operations, which may adversely affect our results of operations. If we are unable to negotiate acceptable collective bargaining agreements, we may have to address the threat of union-initiated work actions, including work slowdowns and strikes. Depending on the nature of the threat or the type and duration of any work action, these actions could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Demand for our services is cyclical as the sectors and industries in which our clients operate are impacted by economic downturns, reductions in government or private spending and times of political uncertainty.

We provide full spectrum technical and professional solutions to clients operating in a number of sectors and industries, including programs for various national governments, including the U.S. federal government; aerospace; automotive; pharmaceuticals and biotechnology; infrastructure; environmental and nuclear; buildings; smart cities; power; water; transportation; telecom and other general industrial and consumer businesses and sectors. These sectors and industries and the resulting demand for our services have been, and we expect will continue to be, cyclical and subject to significant fluctuations due to a variety of factors beyond our control, including economic conditions and changes in client spending, particularly during periods of economic or political uncertainty.

Uncertain global economic and political conditions may negatively impact our clients’ ability and willingness to fund their projects, including their ability to raise capital and pay, or timely pay, our invoices. These factors may also cause our clients to reduce their capital expenditures, alter the mix of services purchased, seek more favorable price and other contract terms and otherwise slow their spending on our services. For example, in the public sector, declines in state and local tax revenues as well as other economic declines may result in lower state and local government spending. In addition, under such conditions, many of our competitors may be more inclined to take greater or unusual risks or accept terms and conditions in contracts that we might not deem acceptable. These conditions may reduce the demand for our services, which may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Additionally, uncertain economic and political conditions may make it difficult for our clients, our vendors, and us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities. For example, changes to U.S. policies related to global trade and tariffs during the former administration have resulted in uncertainty surrounding the future of the global economy as well as retaliatory trade measures implemented by other countries. The increasing cost of steel and aluminum may impact client spending. We cannot predict the outcome of changing trade policies or other unanticipated political conditions, nor can we predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic recovery or downturn worldwide or in our clients’ markets. In addition, our business has traditionally lagged recoveries in the general economy and, therefore, may not recover as quickly as the economy at large. Weak economic conditions could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. While the Act provides for funding in many of the markets in which the Company operates, the timing of the award of projects funded by the Act is uncertain, and the Company may not be able to obtain the expected benefits from the Act or any other infrastructure or stimulus spending. Furthermore, if a significant portion of our clients or projects are concentrated in a specific geographic area or industry, our business may be disproportionately affected by negative trends or economic downturns in those specific geographic areas or industries.

Regardless of economic or market conditions, investment decisions by our customers may vary by location or as a result of other factors like the availability of labor or relative construction cost. Because we are dependent on the timing and funding of new awards, we are therefore vulnerable to changes in our clients’ markets and investment decisions. As a result, our past results have varied and may continue to vary depending upon the demand for future projects in the markets and the locations in which we operate.

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Our operations may be impacted by the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.

In June 2016, the U.K. held a referendum in which voters approved an exit from the E.U., commonly referred to as “Brexit.” The U.K. formally exited the E.U. on January 30, 2020, pursuant to a withdrawal agreement between the U.K. government and the E.U. Upon its withdrawal, pursuant to an agreement reached between the U.K. and the E.U., a transition period came into effect, which ended on December 31, 2020, from which time the U.K. withdrew from the E.U. Single Market and Customs Union. On December 24, 2020, the E.U. and the U.K. agreed the terms of a trade and cooperation agreement which sets out the terms of their future relationship, which we refer to as the Trade Agreement. The Trade Agreement was approved by the U.K. Parliament, and applied provisionally until the end of April 2021, when the European Parliament approved the Trade Agreement. The Trade Agreement offers U.K. and E.U .businesses preferential access to each other’s markets, ensuring imported goods will be free of tariffs and quotas. However, economic relations between the U.K. and the E.U. will now be on more restricted terms than before and there remains uncertainty around the post-Brexit regulatory environment, as the provisions of the Trade Agreement do not cover the services sector.

These restrictions may adversely affect our relationships with our existing and future customers, suppliers, employees, and subcontractors, or otherwise have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. The diverging regulatory environments also add additional complexity to our compliance programs. This uncertainty could cause significant economic disruption and further depress consumer confidence and the economy of the U.K. , which may cause our customers to closely monitor their costs, terminate or reduce the scope of existing contracts, decrease or postpone currently planned contracts, or negotiate for more favorable deal terms, each of which may have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Rising inflation, interest rates, and/or construction costs could reduce the demand for our services as well as decrease our profit on our existing contracts, in particular with respect to our fixed-price contracts.

Rising inflation, interest rates, or construction costs could reduce the demand for our services. In addition, we bear all of the risk of rising inflation with respect to those contracts that are fixed-price. Because a significant portion of our revenues are earned from cost-reimbursable type contracts (approximately 76% during fiscal 2021), the effects of inflation on our financial condition and results of operations over the past few years have been generally minor. However, if we expand our business into markets and geographic areas where fixed-price and lump-sum work is more prevalent, inflation may have a larger impact on our results of operations in the future. Therefore, increases in inflation, interest rates or construction costs could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Foreign exchange risks may affect our ability to realize a profit from certain projects.

Our reported financial condition and results of operations are exposed to the effects (both positive and negative) that fluctuating exchange rates have on the process of translating the financial statements of our international operations, which are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, into the U.S. dollar. While we generally attempt to denominate our contracts in the currencies of our expenditures, we do enter into contracts that expose us to currency risk, particularly to the extent contract revenue is denominated in a currency different than the contract costs. We attempt to minimize our exposure from currency risks by obtaining escalation provisions for projects in inflationary economies or entering into derivative (hedging) instruments, when there is currency risk exposure that is not naturally mitigated via our contracts. These actions, however, may not always eliminate currency risk exposure. The governments of certain countries have or may in the future impose restrictive exchange controls on local currencies and it may not be possible for us to engage in effective hedging transactions to mitigate the risks associated with fluctuations in a particular currency. Based on fluctuations in currency, the U.S. dollar value of our backlog may from time to time increase or decrease significantly. We may also be exposed to limitations on our ability to reinvest earnings from operations in one country to fund the financing requirements of our operations in other countries.

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Our global presence could give rise to material fluctuations in our income tax rates.

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Significant judgment is required in determining our worldwide provision for income taxes. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are regularly under audit by tax authorities. Although we believe that our tax estimates and tax positions are reasonable, they could be materially affected by many factors including the final outcome of tax audits and related litigation, the introduction of new tax accounting standards, legislation, regulations and related interpretations, our global mix of earnings, the realizability of deferred tax assets and changes in uncertain tax positions. An increase or decrease in our effective tax rate, or an ultimate determination that the Company owes more taxes than the amounts previously accrued, could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

Our businesses could be materially and adversely affected by events outside of our control.

Extraordinary or force majeure events beyond our control, such as natural or man-made disasters, could negatively impact our ability to operate. As an example, from time to time we face unexpected severe weather conditions which may result in weather-related delays that are not always reimbursable under a fixed-price contract; evacuation of personnel and curtailment of services; increased labor and material costs in areas resulting from weather-related damage and subsequent increased demand for labor and materials for repairing and rebuilding; inability to deliver materials, equipment and personnel to job sites in accordance with contract schedules; and loss of productivity. We may remain obligated to perform our services after any such natural or man-made event, unless a force majeure clause or other contractual provision provides us with relief from our contractual obligations. If we are not able to react quickly to such events, or if a high concentration of our projects are in a specific geographic region that suffers from a natural or man-made catastrophe, our operations may be significantly affected, which could have a material adverse impact on our operations. In addition, if we cannot complete our contracts on time, we may be subject to potential liability claims by our clients which may reduce our profits.

Fluctuations in commodity prices may affect our customers’ investment decisions and therefore subject us to risks of cancellation, delays in existing work, or changes in the timing and funding of new awards.

Commodity prices can affect our customers in a number of ways. For example, for those customers that produce commodity products such as oil, gas, copper, or fertilizers, fluctuations in price can have a direct effect on their profitability and cash flow and, therefore, their willingness to continue to invest or make new capital investments. Furthermore, declines in commodity prices can negatively impact our business in regions whose economies are substantially dependent on commodity prices, such as the Middle East. To the extent commodity prices decline or fluctuate and our customers defer new investments or cancel or delay existing projects, the demand for our services decreases, which may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Commodity prices can also strongly affect the costs of projects. Rising commodity prices can negatively impact the potential returns on investments that are planned, as well as those in progress, and result in customers deferring new investments or canceling or delaying existing projects. Cancellations and delays have affected our past results and may continue to do so in significant and unpredictable ways and could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our continued success is dependent upon our ability to hire, retain, and utilize qualified personnel.

The success of our business is dependent upon our ability to hire, retain and utilize qualified personnel, including engineers, architects, designers, craft personnel and corporate leadership professionals who have the required experience and expertise at a reasonable cost. The market for these and other personnel is competitive. From time to time, it may be difficult to attract and retain qualified individuals with the expertise, and in the timeframe, demanded by our clients, or to replace such personnel when needed in a timely manner. In certain geographic areas, for example, we may not be able to satisfy the demand for our services because of our inability to successfully hire and retain qualified personnel. Furthermore, some of our personnel hold government granted clearance that may be required to obtain government projects. If we were to lose some or all of these personnel, they would be difficult to replace. Loss of the services of, or failure to recruit, qualified technical and leadership personnel could limit our ability to successfully complete existing projects and compete for new projects.

In addition, in the event that any of our key personnel retire or otherwise leave the Company, we need to have appropriate succession plans in place and to successfully implement such plans, which requires devoting time and

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resources toward identifying and integrating new personnel into leadership roles and other key positions. If we cannot attract and retain qualified personnel or effectively implement appropriate succession plans, it could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business strategy relies in part on acquisitions and strategic investments to sustain our growth. These transactions present certain risks and uncertainties.

Our business strategy involves growth through, among other things, the acquisition of, and strategic investments in, other companies. For example, we acquired CH2M in December 2017, KeyW in June 2019, John Wood Group’s nuclear business in March 2020 and Buffalo Group in November 2020, and we completed a strategic investment in PA Consulting in March 2021. These transactions present a number of risks, including:

•Assumption of liabilities of an acquired business, including liabilities that were unknown at the time the transaction was negotiated;

•Failure of the target company to comply with U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations and/or contractual requirements with government clients;

•Valuation methodologies may not accurately capture the value of the target company's business;

•Failure to realize anticipated benefits, such as cost savings, synergies, business opportunities and growth opportunities;

•The loss of key customers or suppliers, including as a result of any actual or perceived conflicts of interest;

•Difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals, licenses and permits;

•Difficulties relating to combining previously separate entities into a single, integrated, and efficient business;

•For strategic investments in which we do not acquire 100% of the target company, the other equity holders may have consent rights over certain actions taken by the company;

•In the event a target company continues to operate as a standalone company, it may result in additional costs;

•The effects of diverting leadership’s attention from day-to-day operations to matters involving the integration of target companies;

•Potentially substantial transaction costs associated with business combinations, strategic investments and/or divestitures;

•Potential impairment resulting from the overpayment for an acquisition or investment or post-closing deterioration in the target company's business;

•Difficulties relating to assimilating the leadership, personnel, benefits, services, and systems of an acquired business and to assimilating marketing and other operational capabilities;

•Difficulties retaining key personnel of the target company;

•Increased burdens on our staff and on our administrative, internal control and operating systems, which may hinder our legal and regulatory compliance activities;

•Difficulties in applying and integrating our system of internal controls to the target company;

•Increased financial and accounting challenges and complexities in areas such as tax planning, treasury management, financial reporting and internal controls;

•The potential requirement for additional equity or debt financing, which may not be available, or if available, may not have favorable terms; and

•The risks discussed in this Item 1A. Risk Factors that may relate to the activities of the acquired business prior to the acquisition.

While we may obtain indemnification rights from the sellers of acquired businesses and/or insurance that could mitigate certain of these risks, such rights may be difficult to enforce, the losses may exceed any dedicated escrow funds and the indemnitors may not have the ability to financially support the indemnity, or the insurance coverage may be unavailable or insufficient to cover all losses.

If our leadership is unable to successfully integrate acquired companies or implement our growth strategy with respect to acquisitions and/or strategic investments, our operating results could be harmed. In addition, we may not realize the full benefits of an acquisition or strategic investments, including the synergies, cost savings, or sales or growth opportunities that we expect. These benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame, or at all. Moreover, we cannot assure that we will continue to successfully expand or that growth or expansion will result in profitability.

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In addition, there is no assurance that we will continue to locate suitable acquisition or investment targets or that we will be able to consummate any such transactions on terms and conditions acceptable to us. Existing cash balances and cash flow from operations, together with borrowing capacity under our credit facilities, may be insufficient to make acquisitions and/or strategic investments. Future acquisitions and/or strategic investments may require us to obtain additional equity or debt financing, which may not be available on attractive terms, or at all. Acquisitions and/or strategic investments may also bring us into businesses we have not previously conducted and expose us to additional business risks that are different than those we have traditionally experienced.

Acquisitions, strategic investments and divestitures create various business risks and uncertainties during the pendency of the transaction.

Consummation of any merger, strategic investment or divestiture is subject to the satisfaction of customary conditions, including one or more of the following: (i) due diligence and its associated time and cost commitments, (ii) board and shareholder approval, (iii) regulatory approvals, (iv) the absence of any legal restraint that would prevent the consummation of the transaction, (v) the absence of material adverse conditions which can prevent the consummation of the transaction, and (vi) compliance with covenants and the accuracy of representations and warranties contained in the transaction agreement, among others. One or more of these conditions may not be fulfilled and, accordingly, the transaction may not be consummated or may be significantly delayed. In such case, our ongoing business, financial condition and results of operations may be materially adversely affected and the market price of our common stock may decline, particularly to the extent that the market price reflects a market assumption that the transaction will be consummated or will be consummated within a particular timeframe.

Furthermore, most transactions require the Company to incur substantial expense associated with closing and if the transaction is not consummated, we will incur these expenses without realizing the expected benefits. The pursuit of the transaction will also require management attention and use of internal resources that would otherwise be focused on general business operations. In addition, customers’ uncertainty about the effect of the transaction may have an adverse effect on the ability to win customer contracts, or could cause existing clients to seek to change existing business relationships. Employee morale due to the uncertainties associated with the transaction could also be negatively affected. Any of the foregoing, or other risks arising in connection with a failure or delay in consummating a transaction, including the diversion of management attention or loss of other opportunities during the pendency of the transaction, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may make minority investments that subject us to risks and uncertainties outside of our control.

From time to time, the Company may make minority investments in the equity securities of companies that we do not control. Minority investments inherently involve a lesser degree of control over business operations, thereby potentially increasing the financial, legal, operational and/or compliance risks associated with the minority investment.

To the extent we hold only a minority equity interest in a company, we may lack affirmative control rights, which may diminish our ability to influence the company’s affairs in a manner intended to enhance the value of our investment in the company. We could incur losses if the majority stakeholders or the management of the company takes risks or otherwise acts in a manner that does not serve our interests. In addition, we could be subject to reputational harm if the company in which the investment is made makes business, financial or management decisions with which we do not agree. These circumstances could also lead to disputes and litigation with management or employees of the company in which the investment is made, or its other stockholders.

In most cases, the companies in which we make investments will have indebtedness or equity securities, or may be permitted to incur indebtedness or to issue equity securities, that rank senior to our investment. We also may make investments in early-stage companies that depend on venture funding and are not profitable. In the event of insolvency, liquidation, dissolution, reorganization or bankruptcy of a company in which an investment is made, holders of debt instruments and securities ranking senior to our investment would typically be entitled to receive payment in full before distributions could be made in respect of our investment.

We may also enter into separate commercial arrangements with these companies, whether before, concurrently with, or after making such minority investment. In certain cases, the commercial arrangement may be a driving factor behind our investment. We cannot assure you that that the commercial arrangement will further our business strategy as we expected. We may not realize all the economic benefits expected from the commercial agreement, or realize the expected return on our investments.

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Unavailability or cancellation of third-party insurance coverage could increase our overall risk exposure as well as disrupt the management of our business operations.

We maintain insurance coverage from third-party insurers as part of our overall risk management strategy and because some of our contracts require us to maintain specific insurance coverage limits. If any of our third-party insurers fail, suddenly cancel our coverage or otherwise are unable to provide us with adequate insurance coverage, then our overall risk exposure and our operational expenses could increase, and the management of our business operations could be disrupted. In addition, there can be no assurance that any of our existing insurance coverage will be renewable upon the expiration of the coverage period or that future coverage will be affordable at the required limits.

Assertions by third parties of infringement, misappropriation or other violations by us of their intellectual property rights could result in significant costs and substantially harm our business, financial condition and operation results.

In recent years, there has been significant litigation involving intellectual property rights in technology industries. We may face from time to time, allegations that we or a supplier or customer have violated the rights of third parties, including patent, trademark, and other intellectual property rights. If, with respect to any claim against us for violation of third-party intellectual property rights, we are unable to prevail in the litigation or retain or obtain sufficient rights or develop non-infringing intellectual property or otherwise alter our business practices on a timely or cost-efficient basis, our business, financial condition or results of operations may be adversely affected.

Any infringement, misappropriation or related claims, whether or not meritorious, are time consuming, divert technical and management personnel, and are costly to resolve. As a result of any such dispute, we may have to develop non-infringing technology, pay damages, enter into royalty or licensing agreements, cease utilizing products or services, or take other actions to resolve the claims. These actions, if required, may be costly or unavailable on terms acceptable to us.

Our professional reputation and relationships with U.S. government agencies are critical to our business, and any harm to our reputation or relationships could decrease the amount of business the U.S. government does with us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

A significant portion of our revenue is earned directly or indirectly from agencies of the U.S. federal government. If our reputation or relationships with these agencies were harmed, our future revenue and growth prospects would be materially and adversely affected. Our reputation and relationship with the U.S. government is a key factor in maintaining and growing revenue under contracts with the U.S. government. Negative press reports regarding poor contract performance, employee misconduct, information security breaches, engagements in or perceived connections to politically or socially sensitive activities, or other aspects of our business, or regarding government contractors generally, could harm our reputation. In addition, to the extent our performance under a contract does not meet a U.S. government agency’s expectations, the client might seek to terminate the contract prior to its scheduled expiration date, provide a negative assessment of our performance to government-maintained contractor past-performance data repositories, fail to award us additional business under existing contracts or otherwise, and direct future business to our competitors. If our reputation or relationships with these agencies are negatively affected, or if we are suspended or debarred from contracting with government agencies for any reason, such actions would decrease the amount of business that the U.S. government does with us, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our focus on new growth areas for our business entails risks, including those associated with new relationships, clients, talent needs, capabilities, service offerings, and maintaining our collaborative culture and core values.

We are focused on growing our presence in our addressable markets by: expanding our relationships with existing clients, developing new clients by leveraging our core competencies, further developing our existing capabilities and service offerings, creating new capabilities and service offerings to address our clients' emerging needs, and undertaking business development efforts focused on identifying near-term developments and long-term trends that may pose significant challenges for our clients. These efforts entail inherent risks associated with innovation and competition from other participants in those areas, potential failure to help our clients respond to the challenges they face, our ability to comply with uncertain evolving legal standards applicable to certain of our service offerings, including those in the cybersecurity area, and, with respect to potential international growth, risks associated with operating in foreign jurisdictions, such as compliance with applicable foreign and U.S. laws and regulations that may impose different and, occasionally, conflicting or contradictory requirements, and the economic, legal, and political conditions in the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. As we attempt to develop new relationships, clients, capabilities, and service offerings, these efforts could harm our results of operations due to, among other things, a diversion of our focus and resources and actual costs, opportunity costs of pursuing these opportunities in lieu of others and a failure to reach a profitable return on

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our investments in new technologies, capabilities, and businesses, including expenses on research and development investments, and these efforts could ultimately be unsuccessful.

The needs of our customers change and evolve regularly and in particular due to complex and rapidly changing technologies. Our success depends upon our ability to identify emerging technological trends; develop technologically advanced, innovative, and cost-effective products and services; and market these products and services to our customers. Our success also depends on our continued access to suppliers of important technologies and components. The possibility exists that our competitors might develop new capabilities or service offerings that might cause our existing capabilities and service offerings to become obsolete. If we fail in our new capabilities development efforts or our capabilities or services fail to achieve market acceptance more rapidly than our competitors, our ability to procure new contracts could be negatively impacted, which would negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition.

Our ability to grow our business by leveraging our operating model to efficiently and effectively deploy our people across our client base is also largely dependent on our ability to maintain our collaborative culture. To the extent that we are unable to maintain our culture for any reason, including our effort to focus on new growth areas, we may be unable to grow our business. Any such failure could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

In addition, with the growth of our U.S. and international operations, we provide client services and undertake business development efforts in numerous and disparate geographic locations, both domestically and internationally. Our ability to effectively serve our clients is dependent upon our ability to successfully leverage our operating model across all of these and any future locations, maintain effective management controls over all of our locations to ensure, among other things, compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, and instill our core values in all of our personnel at each of these and any future locations. Any inability to ensure any of the foregoing could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Risks Related to Regulatory Compliance

Past and future environmental, health, and safety laws could impose significant additional costs and liabilities.

We are subject to a variety of environmental, health, and safety laws and regulations governing, among other things, discharges to air and water, the handling, storage and disposal of hazardous or waste materials and the remediation of contamination associated with the releases of hazardous substances, and human health and safety. These laws and regulations and the risk of attendant litigation can cause significant delays to a project and add significantly to its cost. Violations of these regulations could subject us and our management to civil and criminal penalties and other liabilities.

Various U.S. federal, state, local and foreign environmental laws and regulations may impose liability for property damage and costs of investigation and cleanup of hazardous or toxic substances on property currently or previously owned by us or arising out of our waste management or environmental remediation activities. These laws may impose responsibility and liability without regard to knowledge of or causation of the presence of contaminants. The liability under these laws may be joint and several. We have potential liabilities associated with our past waste management and other activities and with our current and prior ownership of various properties. The discovery of additional contaminants or the imposition of unforeseen clean-up obligations at these or other sites could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.

When we perform our services, our personnel and equipment may be exposed to radioactive and hazardous materials and conditions. We are subject to liability claims by employees, customers and third parties as a result of such exposures. In addition, we are subject to fines, penalties or other liabilities arising under environmental or safety laws. A claim, if not covered or only partially covered by insurance, could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations and financial condition.

Health, safety, and environmental laws and regulations and policies are reviewed periodically and any changes thereto could affect us in substantial and unpredictable ways. Such changes could, for example, relax or repeal laws and regulations relating to the environment, which could result in a decline in the demand for our environmental services and, in turn, could negatively impact our revenue. Changes in the environmental laws and regulations, remediation obligations, enforcement actions, stricter interpretations of existing requirements, future discovery of contamination or claims for damages to persons, property, natural resources or the environment could result in material costs and liabilities that we currently do not anticipate. Failure to comply with any environmental, health, or safety laws or regulations, whether actual

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or alleged, exposes us to fines, penalties or potential litigation liabilities, including costs, settlements and judgments, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, we and many of our clients operate in highly regulated environments, which requires us or our clients to obtain, and to comply with, federal, state and local government permits and approvals. These permits or approvals are subject to denial, revocation or modification under various circumstances. Failure to obtain or comply with, or the loss or modification of, the conditions of permits or approvals subjects us to the risk of penalties or other liabilities, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and result of operations.

If we fail to comply with federal, state, local or foreign governmental requirements, our business may be adversely affected.

We are subject to U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations that affect our business. For example, our global operations require importing and exporting goods and technology across international borders which requires compliance with both export regulatory laws and International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”). Although we have policies and procedures to comply with U.S. and foreign international trade laws, the violation of such laws could subject the Company and its employees to civil or criminal penalties, including substantial monetary fines, or other adverse actions including denial of import or export privileges or debarment from participation in U.S. government contracts, and could damage our reputation and our ability to do business.

We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, including the requirements to maintain accurate information and internal controls. We operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree and in certain circumstances; strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Despite our training and compliance programs, there is no assurance that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from acts committed by our employees or agents. If we are found to be liable for FCPA or other violations (either due to our own acts or our inadvertence, or due to the acts or inadvertence of others), we could suffer from civil and criminal penalties or other sanctions, including contract cancellations or debarment and loss of reputation, any of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Climate Change

Climate change and related environmental issues could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Climate change related events, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, freezing conditions, and other natural disasters, may have a long-term impact on our business, financial condition and results of operation. While we seek to mitigate our business risks associated with climate change, we recognize that there are inherent climate related risks regardless of where we conduct our businesses. For example, a catastrophic natural disaster could negatively impact any of our office locations and the locations of our customers. Access to clean water and reliable energy in the communities where we conduct our business is critical to our operations. Accordingly, a natural disaster has the potential to disrupt our and our customers’ businesses and may cause us to experience work stoppages, project delays, financial losses and additional costs to resume operations, including increased insurance costs or loss of cover, legal liability and reputational losses.

Further, the risks caused by climate change span across the full spectrum of the industry sectors we serve. Our services and solutions span water, energy, the natural and built environment, transportation, national security, cyber and aerospace. The direct physical risks that climate change poses to infrastructure through chronic environmental changes, such as rising sea levels and temperatures, and acute events, such as hurricanes, droughts and wildfires, is common to each of these sectors. Infrastructure owners could face increased costs to maintain their assets, which could result in reduced profitability and fewer resources for strategic investment. These types of physical risks could in turn lead to transitional risks (i.e., the degree to which society responds to the threat of climate change), such as market and technology shifts, including decreased demand for our services and solutions, reputational risks, such as how our values and practices

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regarding a low carbon transition are viewed by external and internal stakeholders, and policy and legal risks, such as the extent to which low carbon transitions are driven by the governments in which we operate around the globe, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations

We may be affected by market or regulatory responses to climate change.

Growing public concern about climate change has resulted in the increased focus of local, state, regional, national and international regulatory bodies on GHG emissions and climate change issues. Legislation to regulate GHG emissions has periodically been introduced in the U.S. Congress, and there has been a wide-ranging policy debate, both in the United States and internationally, regarding the impact of these gases and possible means for their regulation. The Biden Administration has made climate change and the limitation of GHG emissions one of its initial and primary objectives. For example, in January 2021, President Biden signed a number of executive orders with respect to GHGs, including one recommitting the United States to the Paris Agreement, pursuant to which nearly 200 nations have committed to reduce global emissions. Additionally, President Biden announced the United States’ Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement at his summit on climate change on April 22, 2021. The target aims to reduce U.S. emissions by 50-52% compared to a 2005 baseline by 2030. Several states and geographic regions in the United States have also adopted legislation and regulations to reduce emissions of GHGs. Additional legislation or regulation by these states and regions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and/or any international agreements to which the United States may become a party, that control or limit GHG emissions or otherwise seek to address climate change could result in increased compliance costs for us and our clients and have other impacts on our clients, including those who are involved in the exploration, production or refining of fossil fuels, emit greenhouse gases through the combustion of fossil fuels or emit greenhouse gases through the mining, manufacture, utilization or production of materials or goods. In addition, the recent announcement of the Methane Reduction Pledge as part of the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26 could also have implications for some of our clients’ businesses.. Such policy changes could increase the costs of projects for our clients or, in some cases, prevent a project from going forward, thereby potentially reducing the need for our services, which would in turn have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Further, climate legislation across all geographies poses a similar risk to us and our clients as we operate globally. However, policy changes and climate legislation could also increase the overall demand for our services as our clients and partners work to comply with such policies, such as by decarbonizing their industries, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and developing integrated and sustainable solutions, which could have a positive impact on our business. We cannot predict when or whether any of these various proposals may be enacted or what their effect will be on us or on our customers.

We may be unable to achieve our climate commitments and targets.

At Jacobs, we have committed to help solve the climate crisis by setting ambitious climate commitments and targets, including our goal to be carbon negative for our operations and business travel. However, achievement of our climate commitments and targets, including our carbon negative goal, is subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: our ability to execute our operational strategies and achieve our goals within the currently projected costs and the expected timeframes; the availability and cost of alternative fuels, global electrical charging infrastructure, off-site renewable energy and other materials and components; unforeseen design, operational and technological difficulties; the outcome of research efforts and future technology developments, including the ability to scale projects and technologies on a commercially competitive basis such as carbon sequestration and/or other related processes; compliance with, and changes or additions to, global and regional regulations, taxes, charges, mandates or requirements relating to GHG emissions, carbon costs or climate-related goals; labor-related regulations and requirements that restrict or prohibit our ability to impose requirements on third party contractors; adapting products to customer preferences and customer acceptance of sustainable supply chain solutions; the actions of competitors and competitive pressures; an acquisition of or merger with another company that has not adopted similar carbon negative goals or whose progress towards reaching its carbon negative goals is not as advanced as ours; and the pace of regional and global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, there is no assurance that we will be able to successfully execute our operational strategies and achieve our climate commitments and targets.

While our climate commitments and targets are ambitious, we believe that they are realistic and achievable. We have also developed a roadmap for implementation of our carbon reduction goals and our global emissions reduction trajectory suggests that we are on the pathway to meet our targets. However, we also recognize that some of our emission reductions over the past two years may have been primarily the result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Our roadmap recognizes this and we are putting measures in place now to ensure that we remain on that same trajectory however we cannot guarantee that such measures will be successful. Failure to achieve our climate commitments and targets could damage our reputation and our customer and other stakeholder relationships. Further, investors have recently increased their focus on environmental, social and governance matters, including practices related to GHGs and climate change. An increasing percentage of the investment community considers sustainability factors in making investment decisions, and

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an increasing number of entities are considering sustainability factors in awarding business. If we are unable to meet our climate commitments and targets and appropriately address sustainability enhancement, we may lose investors, customers, or partners, our stock price may be negatively impacted, our reputation may be negatively affected, and it may be more difficult for us to compete effectively, all of which would have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, as well as on the price of our common stock.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

We rely on cash provided by operations and liquidity under our credit facilities to fund our business. Negative conditions in the credit and financial markets and delays in receiving client payments could adversely affect our cost of borrowing and our business.

Although we finance much of our operations using cash provided by operations, at times we depend on the availability of credit to grow our business and to help fund business acquisitions. We are currently a borrower under several credit facilities. These facilities all contain customary covenants restricting, among other things, our ability to incur certain liens and indebtedness. We are also subject to certain financial covenants, including maintenance of a maximum consolidated leverage ratio. A breach of any covenant or our inability to comply with the required financial ratios could result in a default under one or more of our credit facilities and limit our ability to do further borrowing. Instability in the credit markets in the U.S. or abroad could cause the availability of credit to be relatively difficult or expensive to obtain at competitive rates, on commercially reasonable terms or in sufficient amounts. This situation could make it more difficult or more expensive for us to access funds, refinance our existing indebtedness, enter into agreements for new indebtedness, or obtain funding through the issuance of securities or such additional capital may not be available on terms acceptable to us, or at all. We may also enter into business acquisition agreements that require us to access credit, which if not available at the closing of the acquisition could result in a breach of the acquisition agreement and a resulting claim for damages by the sellers of such business. In addition, market conditions could negatively impact our clients’ ability to fund their projects and, therefore, utilize our services, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

In addition, we are subject to the risk that the counterparties to our credit agreements may go bankrupt if they suffer catastrophic demand on their liquidity that will prevent them from fulfilling their contractual obligations to us. We also routinely enter into contracts with counterparties including vendors, suppliers and subcontractors that may be negatively impacted by events in the credit markets. If those counterparties are unable to perform their obligations to us or our clients, we may be required to provide additional services or make alternate arrangements on less favorable terms with other parties to ensure adequate performance and delivery of services to our clients. These circumstances could also lead to disputes and litigation with our partners or clients, which could have a material adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations.

Some of our customers, suppliers and subcontractors depend on access to commercial financing and capital markets to fund their operations. Disruptions of the credit or capital markets could adversely affect our clients’ ability to finance projects and could result in contract cancellations or suspensions, project delays and payment delays or defaults by our clients. In addition, clients may be unable to fund new projects, may choose to make fewer capital expenditures or otherwise slow their spending on our services or to seek contract terms more favorable to them. Our government clients may face budget deficits that prohibit them from funding proposed and existing projects or that cause them to exercise their right to terminate our contracts with little or no prior notice. In addition, any financial difficulties suffered by our subcontractors or suppliers could increase our cost or adversely impact project schedules. These disruptions could materially impact our backlog and have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, we typically bill our clients for our services in arrears and are, therefore, subject to our clients delaying or failing to pay our invoices after we have already committed resources to their projects. In weak economic environments, we may experience increased delays and failures due to, among other reasons, our clients’ unwillingness to pay for alleged poor performance or to preserve their own working capital. If one or more clients delays in paying or fails to pay us a significant amount of our outstanding receivables, it could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, financial condition and results of operations.

Furthermore, our cash balances and short-term investments are maintained in accounts held by major banks and financial institutions located primarily in North America, Europe, South America, Australia and Asia. Some of our accounts hold deposits in amounts that exceed available insurance. Although none of the financial institutions in which we hold our cash and investments have gone into bankruptcy or forced receivership, or have been seized by their governments, there is

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a risk that such events may occur in the future. If any such events were to occur, we would be at risk of not being able to access our cash, which may result in a temporary liquidity crisis that could impede our ability to fund our operations, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Maintaining adequate bonding and letter of credit capacity is necessary for us to successfully bid on and win some contracts.

In line with industry practice, we are often required to provide performance or payment bonds or letters of credit to our customers. These instruments indemnify the customer should we fail to perform our obligations under the contract. If a bond or a letter of credit is required for a particular project and we are unable to obtain an appropriate bond or letter of credit, we cannot pursue that project. Historically, we have had adequate bonding and letter of credit capacity but, as is typically the case, the issuance of a bond is at the surety’s sole discretion and the issuance of a letter of credit is based on the Company's credit-worthiness. Because of an overall lack of worldwide bonding capacity, we may find it difficult to find sureties who will provide required levels of bonding or such bonding may only be available at significant additional cost. There can be no assurance that our bonding capacity will continue to be available to us on reasonable terms. In addition, future projects may require us to obtain letters of credit that extend beyond the term of our existing credit facilities. Our inability to obtain adequate bonding and, as a result, to bid on new contracts that require such bonding or letter of credit could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our quarterly results may fluctuate significantly, which could have a material negative effect on the price of our common stock.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly or fall below the expectations of securities analysts, which could have a material adverse impact on the price of our common stock. Fluctuations are caused by a number of factors, including:

•Legal proceedings, disputes and/or government investigations;

•Fluctuations in the spending patterns of our government and commercial customers;

•The number and significance of projects executed during a quarter;

•Unanticipated changes in contract performance, particularly with contracts that have funding limits;

•The timing of resolving change orders, requests for equitable adjustments, and other contract adjustments;

•Delays incurred in connection with a project;

•Changes in prices of commodities or other supplies;

•Changes in foreign currency exchange rates;

•Weather conditions that delay work at project sites;

•The timing of expenses incurred in connection with acquisitions or other corporate initiatives;

•The decision by the Board of Directors to begin or cease paying a dividend, and the expectation that if the Company pays dividends, it would declare dividends at the same or higher levels in the future;

•Natural disasters or other crises;

•Staff levels and utilization rates;

•Changes in prices of services offered by our competitors; and

•General economic and political conditions.

There can be no assurance that we will pay dividends on our common stock.

Our Board of Directors initiated a quarterly cash dividend program in fiscal 2017 under which we have paid, and intend to continue paying, regular quarterly dividends. The declaration, amount and timing of such dividends are subject to capital availability and determinations by our Board of Directors that cash dividends are in the best interest of our stockholders and are in compliance with all respective laws and applicable agreements. Our ability to pay dividends will depend upon, among other factors, our cash balances and potential future capital requirements for strategic transactions,

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including acquisitions, debt service requirements, results of operations, financial condition and other factors that our Board of Directors may deem relevant. A reduction in or elimination of our dividend payments and/or our dividend program could have a material negative effect on our stock price.

In the event we issue stock as consideration for certain acquisitions we may make, we could dilute share ownership, and if we receive stock in connection with a divestiture, the value of stock is subject to fluctuation.

One method of acquiring companies or otherwise funding our corporate activities is through the issuance of additional equity securities. If we issue additional equity securities, such issuances could have the effect of diluting our earnings per share as well as our existing shareholders’ individual ownership percentages in the Company.

In addition, if we receive stock or other equity securities in connection with a sale or divestiture of a business, the value of such stock will fluctuate and/or be subject to trading restrictions. Stock price changes may result from, among other things, changes in the business, operations or prospects of the issuer prior to or following the transaction, litigation or regulatory considerations, general business, market, industry or economic conditions, the ability to sell all or a portion of the stock based on current market conditions, and other factors both within and beyond the control of the Company. In addition, if the stock received is valued in a currency other than U.S. dollars, the value of such stock will also fluctuate based on foreign currency rates.

Delaware law and our charter documents may impede or discourage a takeover or change of control.

We are a Delaware corporation. Certain anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware general corporation law impose restrictions on the ability of others to acquire control of us. In addition, certain provisions of our charter documents may impede or discourage a takeover. For example:

•Only our Board of Directors can fill vacancies on the board;

•There are various restrictions on the ability of a shareholder to nominate a director for election; and

•Our Board of Directors can authorize the issuance of preferred shares.

These types of provisions, as well as our ability to adopt a shareholder rights agreement in the future, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders. Accordingly, shareholders may be limited in the ability to obtain a premium for their shares.