Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. (BWMN)
SIC breadcrumb: Services > SIC Major Group 87 > SIC 8742 Services-Management Consulting Services
SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1847590. Latest filing source: 0001628280-26-015252.
Informational only. Descriptive public-record data — not a rating, forecast, or investment advice. See Disclaimer.
At a glance
- Revenue
- 490,017,000 USD verified
- Net income
- 12,849,000 USD verified
- Assets
- 579,682,000 USD verified
- Free cash flow
- 33,434,000 USD computed
- Net margin
- 2.62% computed
- Operating margin
- 4.01% computed
- Revenue YoY
- +14.88% computed
- ROE
- 4.92% computed
Peer & cluster context
Peer percentile fingerprint
Percentile = share of the N covered peers reporting that ratio whose value is lower (ties counted half); computed among grepcent-covered companies in SIC industry 8742 Services-Management Consulting Services, not the whole market. A higher percentile means a higher value of the ratio, not a better company. Ratios with fewer than 8 reporting peers are omitted. Latest reported values per company; fiscal periods may differ. Descriptive arithmetic - not a score, rating, or ranking.
Selected Fundamentals
| Metric | Value | Unit | FY | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 490,017,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-03-05 |
| Net income | 12,849,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-03-05 |
| Assets | 579,682,000 | USD | 2025 | 2026-03-05 |
Financials
Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-03-05. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001847590.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.
| Metric | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 149,970,000 | 261,714,000 | 346,256,000 | 426,564,000 | 490,017,000 | ||
| Net income | 990,000 | 299,000 | 5,005,000 | -6,624,000 | 3,034,000 | 12,849,000 | |
| Operating income | 1,869,000 | 160,000 | 5,120,000 | -656,000 | -2,000,000 | 19,660,000 | |
| Diluted EPS | 0.17 | 0.03 | 0.37 | -0.53 | 0.17 | 0.73 | |
| Operating cash flow | 10,770,000 | 4,717,000 | 9,170,000 | 11,722,000 | 24,301,000 | 35,827,000 | |
| Capital expenditures | 924,000 | 905,000 | 902,000 | 2,093,000 | 626,000 | 2,393,000 | |
| Share buybacks | 1,261,000 | 582,000 | 0.00 | 745,000 | 23,348,000 | 18,806,000 | |
| Assets | 63,638,000 | 138,170,000 | 255,757,000 | 402,785,000 | 505,881,000 | 579,682,000 | |
| Liabilities | 46,501,000 | 59,757,000 | 132,898,000 | 239,504,000 | 259,766,000 | 318,577,000 | |
| Stockholders' equity | -23,283,000 | 17,137,000 | 78,413,000 | 122,859,000 | 163,281,000 | 246,115,000 | 261,105,000 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 386,000 | 20,619,000 | 13,282,000 | 20,687,000 | 6,698,000 | 11,066,000 | |
| Free cash flow | 9,846,000 | 3,812,000 | 8,268,000 | 9,629,000 | 23,675,000 | 33,434,000 |
Ratios
| Metric | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net margin | 0.20% | 1.91% | -1.91% | 0.71% | 2.62% | ||
| Operating margin | 0.11% | 1.96% | -0.19% | -0.47% | 4.01% | ||
| Return on equity | 5.78% | 0.38% | 4.07% | -4.06% | 1.23% | 4.92% | |
| Return on assets | 1.56% | 0.22% | 1.96% | -1.64% | 0.60% | 2.22% | |
| Liabilities / equity | 2.71 | 0.76 | 1.08 | 1.47 | 1.06 | 1.22 | |
| Current ratio | 1.50 | 2.26 | 1.48 | 1.22 | 1.31 | 0.99 |
Industry Peer Context
Net margin peer context
Operating margin peer context
ROE peer context
ROA peer context
Financial Bridges
Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts FY 2025. Operating cash flow: accession 0001628280-26-015252; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities | Capital expenditures: accession 0001628280-26-015252; concept PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment | Free cash flow: accession 0001628280-26-015252; concept NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment; source concepts us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment
Financial Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: OperatingIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:OperatingIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock. Source concepts: us-gaap:PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: Assets. Source concepts: us-gaap:Assets.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: Liabilities. Source concepts: us-gaap:Liabilities.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: StockholdersEquity. Source concepts: us-gaap:StockholdersEquity.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue. Source concepts: us-gaap:CashAndCashEquivalentsAtCarryingValue.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2025 ended 2025-12-31; accession 0001628280-26-015252; filed 2026-03-05. Concept: NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities - PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetCashProvidedByUsedInOperatingActivities; us-gaap:PaymentsToAcquirePropertyPlantAndEquipment.
As-reported value updates
Quarterly
Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-08-10. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001847590.json.
| Quarter | End Date | Revenue | Net Income | Diluted EPS | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-Q3 | 2022-09-30 | 0.25 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q1 | 2023-03-31 | 0.04 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q2 | 2023-06-30 | -0.05 | reported discrete quarter | ||
| 2023-Q3 | 2023-09-30 | 94,434,000 | 1,183,000 | 0.08 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2023-Q4 | 2023-12-31 | 92,966,000 | -7,710,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2024-Q1 | 2024-03-31 | 94,907,000 | -1,558,000 | -0.11 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q2 | 2024-06-30 | 104,501,000 | -2,082,000 | -0.13 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q3 | 2024-09-30 | 113,932,000 | 771,000 | 0.04 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2024-Q4 | 2024-12-31 | 113,223,000 | 5,903,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2025-Q1 | 2025-03-31 | 112,931,000 | -1,744,000 | -0.11 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q2 | 2025-06-30 | 122,090,000 | 6,009,000 | 0.34 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q3 | 2025-09-30 | 126,033,000 | 6,618,000 | 0.37 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2025-Q4 | 2025-12-31 | 128,963,000 | 1,966,000 | derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD | |
| 2026-Q1 | 2026-03-31 | 126,479,000 | -3,702,000 | -0.22 | reported discrete quarter |
| 2026-Q2 | 2026-06-30 | 146,125,000 | 2,495,000 | 0.14 | reported discrete quarter |
Quarterly Charts
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001628280-26-055250; filed 2026-08-10. Concept: RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax. Source concepts: us-gaap:RevenueFromContractWithCustomerExcludingAssessedTax.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001628280-26-055250; filed 2026-08-10. Concept: NetIncomeLoss. Source concepts: us-gaap:NetIncomeLoss.
Figure provenance: SEC companyfacts. Latest point: FY 2026 ended 2026-06-30; accession 0001628280-26-055250; filed 2026-08-10. Concept: EarningsPerShareDiluted. Source concepts: us-gaap:EarningsPerShareDiluted.
Business
Read BWMN's verbatim Item 1 Business section from its latest 10-K: Business.
Risk Factors
Read BWMN's verbatim Item 1A Risk Factors from its latest 10-K: Risk Factors.
Latest quarter (10-Q)
Latest 10-Q source: 0001628280-26-055250.
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. This discussion contains “forward-looking statements” reflecting our current expectations, estimates and assumptions concerning events and financial trends that may affect our future operating results or financial position. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements due to several factors. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory changes, and other uncertainties, as well as those factors discussed in the Risk Factors section of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (the “Annual Report on Form 10-K”) filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on March 5, 2026 (the “Annual Report on Form 10-K”) and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, particularly in “Cautionary Statement about Forward-Looking Statements,” all of which are difficult to predict. Considering these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed may not occur. We assume no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws or rules. Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Bowman,” the “company,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Bowman Consulting Group Ltd., its wholly owned subsidiaries and combined entities under common control, or either or all of them as the context may require.
Overview
Bowman is a professional services firm delivering innovative engineering, technical consulting and program management services to customers who own, develop and maintain the built environment. We provide planning, engineering, construction management, commissioning, environmental consulting, geospatial imaging, surveying, land procurement and other advisory services to customers operating in a diverse set of end markets. We work as both a prime and sub-consultant for a broad base of public and private sector customers that generally operate in highly regulated environments.
We have a diversified business that is not dependent on any one customer service line, geographic region, or end market. We are deliberate in our efforts to balance our sources of revenue and avoid reliance on any one significant customer, service line, geography or end market concentration. Our strategic focus is on penetrating and expanding our presence in markets which best afford us opportunities to secure assignments that provide reoccurring revenue and multi-year engagements thus resulting in dependable and predictable revenue streams and high employee utilization. We limit our exposure to risk by providing professional and related services exclusively. We do not engage in general contracting activities either directly, or through joint ventures, and therefore have no related exposure. We are likewise not a financial partner in any design-build construction projects. We carry no heavy equipment inventory, and our risk of contract loss is generally limited to time associated with fixed fee professional services assignments.
As AI-enhanced software applications and environments have rapidly commercialized, we are adopting a technology-forward approach toward the development and implementation of automation tools we believe will improve our efficiency on repetitive, non-critical tasks such as regulatory inquiry, modelling and iteration, feasibility assessment, productivity enhancement and quality control. Our strategy for technology relies on early adoption and leadership. We believe technological advancements and AI-enabled automation will provide us with the opportunity to meet increasing customer demand for timely execution of infrastructure planning and operational oversight thereby extending the breadth and tenure of our engagements.
Gross contract revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 was $146.1 million and $122.1 million, respectively, representing year-over-year growth of 19.7%. Gross contract revenue derived from our workforce represented 88.3% and 88.5% of gross contract revenue for the three months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively (see Net service billing – non-GAAP below). Our net income for the three months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 was $2.5 million and $6.0 million, respectively. Our Adjusted EBITDA for the three months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 was $24.1 million on net income of $2.5 million and $20.2 million on net income of $6.0 million, respectively. (see Adjusted EBITDA – non-GAAP below).
Gross contract revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 was $272.6 million and $235.0 million, respectively, representing year over year growth of 16.0%. Gross contract revenue derived from our workforce represented 89.2% and 88.6% of gross contract revenue for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025, respectively (see Net service billing – non-GAAP below). Our net income for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 was ($1.2) million and $4.3 million, respectively. Our Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 was $40.9 million on net loss of ($1.2) million and $34.7 million on net income of $4.3 million, respectively. (see Adjusted EBITDA – non-GAAP below).
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In connection with the extensive investment of time and resources we have made in the automation of certain components of our business, we are now realizing, and expect to continue to realize, productivity improvements that have reduced estimated costs to complete for certain projects in process. Accordingly, management revised estimated costs to complete for those projects, which, consistent with the Company's revenue recognition policy, resulted in cumulative catch-up adjustments that increased gross contract revenue during the three and six months ended June 30, 2026.
Subsequent Events
On August 9, 2026, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Prive Parent, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Parent”) and Prive Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub”, and together with Parent, the “Buyer Parties”), pursuant to which Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation (such merger, the “Merger”). The Buyer Parties are affiliated with Bernhard Capital Partners (“Bernhard”).
If the Merger is consummated, the shares of our common stock that trade on The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) will be delisted from Nasdaq and deregistered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).
The Merger is expected to close in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2026 or the first quarter of calendar year 2027.
Methods of Evaluation
We use a variety of financial and other information in monitoring the financial condition and operating performance of our business. Some of the information we use to evaluate our operations is financial information that is in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), while other information may be financial in nature and either built upon GAAP results or may not be in accordance with GAAP (Non-GAAP). We use all this information together for planning and monitoring our operations, as well as determining certain management and employee compensation.
The Company operates as a single business segment represented by our core business of providing multi-disciplinary professional engineering solutions to customers. While we evaluate revenue and other key performance indicators relating to various divisions of labor, our leadership neither manages the business nor deliberately allocates resources by service line, geography, or end market. Our financial statements present results as a single operating segment.
Components of Income and Expense
Revenue
We generate revenue from services performed by our employees, pass-through fees from sub-consultants, and reimbursable contract costs. On our condensed consolidated financial statements, we report gross contract revenue, which represents total revenue billed to customers excluding taxes collected from customers. Gross contract revenue less revenue derived from pass-through sub-consultant fees, reimbursable expenses and other direct expenses represents our net service billing, or that portion of our gross contract revenue attributable to services performed by our employees. Our industry uses the calculation underlying net service billing to normalize peer performance assessments and provide meaningful insight into trends over time. Refer to — Other Financial Data, Non-GAAP measurements and Key Performance Indicators below for further discussion of the use of this non-GAAP financial measure.
In general, we do not realize profit from the pass-through of sub-consultants and reimbursable expenses. As such, contract profitability is most heavily impacted by the mix of labor and assets utilized to complete the tasks and the efficiency of those resources in completing the assignments. Our largest and most consistent direct contract cost is our labor. To increase our revenue and maximize overall profitability we carefully monitor and manage our fixed and hourly labor and the utilization thereof. Maintaining an optimal level of utilization on a balanced pool of labor resources represents our greatest prospect for delivering increasing profitability.
We enter into contracts that contain two types of pricing characteristics:
Hourly, also referred to as time and materials, are common for professional and technical consulting assignments both short-term and multi-year in duration. Under these types of contracts, there is generally no predetermined maximum fee and we generally experience no risk associated with cost overruns. For hourly contracts, we negotiate billing rates and charge our customers based upon the actual hours expended toward a deliverable. These contracts may have not-to-exceed
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parameters requiring us to receive additional authorizations from our customer to continue working, but we likewise do not have to continue working without assurances of payment for such additional work.
Lump sum, referred to interchangeably as fixed fee, typically require the performance of some, or all, of the obligations under the contract for a specified amount, subject to price adjustments only if the scope of the project changes or unforeseen requirements arise. Our fixed fee contracts generally include a specific scope of work and defined deliverables. Lump sum contracts can involve both hourly and fixed fee pricing components. Cost plus contracts and hourly contracts with not-to exceed parameters are characterized as fixed fee contracts when we distinguish percentages of revenue based on contracts.
From a financial reporting perspective, a contract is categorized as fixed fee and therefore subjected to percentage completion accounting under Accounting Standards Codification "ASC" Topic 606 if any one discrete assignment within the contract is priced on a lump sum or unit basis. For management discussion and analysis purposes, we evaluate the percentages of our revenues that are fixed fee and hourly based on the pricing of individual assignments within our contracts.
The majority of our assignments within a contract are lump sum in nature, representing approximately 54% of gross contract revenue for both the three and six months ended June 30, 2026, compared to approximately 61% and 59% for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025, respectively. However, when evaluated at the overa
[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]
Latest 10-K MD&A (excerpt)
Latest 10-K Item 7 source: 0001628280-26-015252. The complete FY 2025 MD&A is published at /company/BWMN/mda/fy2025/.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains “forward-looking statements” reflecting our current expectations, estimates and assumptions concerning events and financial trends that may affect our future operating results or financial position. Actual results and the timing of events may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements due to several factors. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory changes, and other uncertainties, as well as those factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section and “Cautionary Statements about Forward-Looking Statements,” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, all of which are difficult to predict. Considering these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed may not occur. We assume no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable laws or rules. Unless the context otherwise requires, references to “Bowman,” the “company,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Bowman Consulting Group Ltd., its wholly owned subsidiaries and combined entities under common control, or either or all of them as the context may require.
Overview
Bowman is a professional services firm delivering innovative engineering, technical consulting and program management services to customers who own, develop, and maintain the built environment. We provide planning, engineering, construction management, commissioning, environmental consulting, geospatial imaging, surveying, land procurement and other advisory services to customers operating in a diverse set of end markets. We work as both a prime and sub-consultant for a broad base of public and private sector customers that generally operate in highly regulated environments.
We have a diversified business that is not dependent on any one customer service line, geographic region, or end market. We are deliberate in our efforts to balance our sources of revenue and avoid reliance on any one significant customer, service line, geography or end market concentration. Our strategic focus is on penetrating and expanding our presence in markets which best afford us opportunities to secure assignments that provide reoccurring revenue and multi-year engagements thus resulting in dependable and predictable revenue streams with high employee utilization. We limit our exposure to risk by providing professional and related services exclusively. We do not engage in general contracting activities either directly, or through joint ventures, and therefore have no related exposure. We are likewise not a financial partner in any design-build construction projects. We carry no heavy equipment inventory, and our risk of contract loss is generally limited to time associated with fixed fee professional services assignments.
Gross contract revenue for the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024 was $490.0 million and $426.6 million, respectively. Gross contract revenue derived from our workforce (see Net service billing – non-GAAP below) represented 88.7% and 89.0% of gross contract revenue for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Our net income for the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024 was $12.8 million and $3.0 million, respectively. Our Adjusted EBITDA (see Adjusted EBITDA - non-GAAP below) was $72.9 million on net income of $12.8 million and $59.5 million on net income of $3.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, respectively. See “Other Financial Information and Non-GAAP Measurements and Key Performance Indicators” below for additional information.
Methods of Evaluation
We use a variety of financial and other information in monitoring the financial condition and operating performance of our business. Some of the information we use to evaluate our operations is financial information that is in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), while other information may be financial in nature and either built upon GAAP results or may not be in accordance with GAAP (Non-GAAP). We use all of this information together for planning and monitoring our operations, as well as determining certain management and employee compensation.
The Company operates as a single business segment represented by our core business of providing multi-disciplinary professional engineering solutions to customers. While we evaluate revenue and other key performance indicators relating to various divisions of labor, our leadership neither manages the business nor deliberately allocates resources by service line, geography, or end market. Our financial statements present results as a single operating segment.
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Components of Income and Expense
Revenue
We generate revenue from services performed by our employees, pass-through fees from sub-consultants, and reimbursable contract costs. On our consolidated financial statements, we report gross contract revenue, which represents total revenue billed to customers excluding taxes collected from customers. Gross contract revenue less revenue derived from pass-through sub-consultant fees, reimbursable expenses and other direct expenses represents our net service billing, or that portion of our gross contract revenue attributable to services performed by our employees. Our industry uses the calculation underlying net service billing to normalize peer performance assessments and provide meaningful insight into trends over time. Refer to — Other Financial Data, Non-GAAP measurements and Key Performance Indicators below for further discussion of the use of this Non-GAAP financial measure.
In general, we do not realize profit from the pass-through of sub-consultants and reimbursable expenses. As such, contract profitability is most heavily impacted by the mix of labor and assets utilized to complete the tasks and the efficiency of those resources in completing the assignments. Our largest and most consistent direct contract cost is our labor. To increase our revenue and maximize overall profitability we carefully monitor and manage our fixed and hourly labor and utilization thereof. Maintaining an optimal level of utilization on a balanced pool of labor resources represents our greatest prospect for delivering increasing profitability.
We enter into contracts that contain two types of pricing characteristics:
Hourly, also referred to as time and materials, are common for professional and technical consulting assignments both short-term and multi-year in duration. Under these types of contracts, there is generally no predetermined maximum fee and we generally experience no risk associated with cost overruns. For hourly contracts, we negotiate billing rates and charge our customers based upon the actual hours expended toward a deliverable. These contracts may have not-to-exceed parameters requiring us to receive additional authorizations from our customer to continue working, but we likewise do not have to continue working without assurances of payment for such additional work.
Lump sum, referred to interchangeably as fixed fee, typically require the performance of some, or all, of the obligations under the contract for a specified amount, subject to price adjustments only if the scope of the project changes or unforeseen requirements arise. Our fixed fee contracts generally include a specific scope of work and defined deliverables. Lump sum contracts can involve both hourly and fixed fee pricing components. Cost plus contracts and hourly contracts with not-to exceed parameters are characterized as fixed fee contracts when we distinguish percentages of revenue based on contracts.
From a financial reporting perspective, a contract is categorized as fixed fee and therefore subjected to percentage completion accounting under Accounting Standards Codification "ASC" Topic 606 if any one discrete assignment within the contract is priced on a lump sum or unit basis. For management discussion and analysis purposes, we evaluate the percentages of our revenues that are fixed fee and hourly based on the pricing of individual assignments within our contracts.
The majority of our assignments within a contract are lump sum in nature, representing approximately 59% and 60% of our gross contract revenue for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. However, when evaluated at the overall contract or project level, approximately 92% and 91% of our gross contract revenue for those same periods was recognized over time. This difference reflects the presence of both hourly and lump sum assignments within individual contracts. Recognizing revenue from lump sum assignments requires management estimates of both total contract value when there are variable elements of the fee arrangement and expected cost at completion. We closely monitor our progress to completion and adjust our estimates when necessary. We do not recognize revenue from work that is performed at risk with no documented customer commitment.
Contract Costs
Contract costs consists of direct payroll costs, sub-consultant costs and other direct expenses exclusive of depreciation and amortization.
Direct payroll costs represent the portion of salaries and wages incurred in connection with the production of deliverables under customer assignments and contracts. Direct payroll costs include allocated fringe costs (i.e. health benefits, employer payroll taxes, and retirement plan contributions), paid leave and incentive compensation.
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Sub-consultants and direct expenses include both sub-consultants and other outside costs associated with performance under our contracts. Sub-consultant and direct costs are generally reimbursable by our customers with little or no mark-up under the terms of our contracts.
Performance under our contracts does not involve significant heavy machinery or other long term depreciable assets, other than geospatial equipment. Most of the equipment we employ involves desktop computers and other shared ordinary course IT equipment, along with various geospatial systems and scanners. We present direct costs exclusive of depreciation and amortization and as such we do not present gross profit on our consolidated financial statements.
Operating Expense
Operating expenses consists of selling, general and administrative costs, non-cash stock compensation, depreciation and amortization and settlements and other non-core expenses.
Selling, general and administrative expenses represent corporate and other general overhead expenses, salaries and wages not allocated to customer projects including management and administrative personnel costs, incentive compensation, personal leave, office lease and occupancy costs, legal, professional and accounting fees.
Non-cash stock compensation represents the expenses incurred with respect to shares and options issued by the Company, both vested and unvested, to employees as long-term incentives. This expense is based on the amortization of the grant date fair value of equity grants over the vesting period. Non-cash stock compensation cost for permanent equity is the grant date fair value of the awards, or the Black-Scholes-Merton value of stock options on the grant date, recognized ratably over the vesting periods of each award. Stock issued as consideration in connection with acquisitions where there is no service period, and no risk of forfeiture, is considered a component of the purchase price and does not run through our income statement as non-cash compensation expense.
Depreciation and amortization represent the depreciation an
[Excerpt truncated for page length; the complete text is on the linked full-MD&A page.]
MD&A history
Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. Each year's full verbatim text is on its own sub-page.