Bowman Consulting Group Ltd. (BWMN) FY 2024 MD&A

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, technology 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 technical services to over 4,750 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 not a 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, 2024, and 2023 was $426.6 million and $346.3 million, respectively. Gross contract revenue derived from our workforce (see Net service billing – non-GAAP below) represented 89.0% and 87.8% of gross contract revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our net income (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023 was $3.0 million and ($6.6) million, respectively. Our Adjusted EBITDA (see Adjusted EBITDA - non-GAAP below) was $59.5 million on net income of $3.0 million and $47.0 million on net loss of $6.6 million for the years ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively.

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 revenue, which represents total revenue billed to customers excluding taxes collected from customers. Gross 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 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.

We generally do not generate profit from the pass-through of sub-consultants and reimbursable expenses. As such, contract profitability is most heavily impacted by the mix of labor utilized to complete the tasks and the efficiency of those resources in completing the tasks. Our largest direct contract cost is consistently our labor. To grow our revenue and maximize overall profitability we carefully monitor and manage our fixed cost of labor and the utilization thereof. Maintaining an optimal level of utilization on a balanced pool of growing labor resources represents our greatest prospect for delivering increasing profitability.

We enter into contracts that contain two types of pricing characteristics:

Hourly contracts, 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 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 contracts, also referred to 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 tasks.

The majority of our assignments are lump sum in nature representing approximately 60% and 62% of our gross contract revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Recognizing revenue from lump sum assignments requires management estimates of both total contract value when there are contingent compensation 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.

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 machinery or other long term depreciable assets. 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.

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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-Sholes-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 and amortization expense of our property and general IT equipment, capital lease assets, tenant improvements and intangible assets.

(Gain) loss on sale represents gains or losses inclusive of foreign exchange and accumulated depreciation recapture resulting from the disposal of an asset upon the sale or retirement of such asset.

Other (Income) Expense

Other (income) expense consists of other non-operating and non-core expenses.

Tax (Benefit) Expense

Income tax (benefit) expense, current and deferred, includes estimated federal, state and local tax expense associated with our net income, as apportioned to the states in which we operate. Estimates of our tax expense include both current and deferred tax expense along with all available tax incentives and credits.

Other Financial Data, Non-GAAP Measurements and Key Performance Indicators

Backlog

We measure the value of our undelivered gross revenue in real time to calculate our backlog and predict future revenue. Backlog includes awarded, contracted and otherwise secured commitments along with revenue we expect to realize over time for predictable long-term and reoccurring assignments. We report backlog quarterly as of the end of the last day of the reporting period. We use backlog to predict revenue growth and anticipate appropriate future staffing needs. Backlog definitions and methods of calculation vary within our industry. As such, backlog is not a reliable metric on which to evaluate us relative to our peers. Backlog neither derives from, nor connects to, any GAAP results.

Net Service Billing

In the normal course of providing services to our customers, we routinely subcontract services and incur direct third-party contract expenses that may or may not be reimbursable and may or may not be billed to customers with mark-up. Gross revenue less revenue derived from pass-through sub-consultant fees and reimbursable expenses represents our net service billing, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, or that portion of our gross contract revenue attributable to services performed by our employees. Because the ratio of sub-contractor and direct expense costs to gross billing varies between contracts, gross revenue is not necessarily indicative of trends in our business. As a professional services company, we believe that metrics derived from net service billings more accurately demonstrate the productivity and profitability of our workforce. Our industry uses the calculation of net service billing to normalize peer performance assessments and provide meaningful insight into trends over time.

Adjusted EBITDA

We view Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, as an important indicator of normalized performance. We define Adjusted EBITDA as net income before interest expense, income taxes and depreciation and amortization, plus expenses associated with discontinued operations, legal settlements not related to our general course of

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business professional services, and other costs not in the ordinary course of business, non-cash stock-based compensation (inclusive of expenses associated with the adjustment of our liability for common shares subject to redemption), and other adjustments such as costs associated with raising equity and other forms of capital. Our peers may define Adjusted EBITDA differently.

Adjusted EBITDA Margin, net

Adjusted EBITDA Margin, net, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, represents Adjusted EBITDA, as defined above, as a percentage of net service billings, as defined above.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

We use estimates in the determination of certain financial results. Estimates used in financial reporting utilize only information available to us at the time of formulation. These estimates are subject to change as new information becomes available. Discussed below are the accounting policies for which we believe our judgments and estimates have the greatest potential impact.

Revenue Recognition

To determine the proper revenue recognition method under ASC Topic 606, we evaluate whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as one single contract and if so, whether to account for the combined or single contract as more than one performance obligation. For most of our contracts, we conclude there to be a single performance obligation because the promise to transfer individual goods or services is not separately identifiable from the commitment to the deliverable of the contract and, therefore, is not distinct.

Our performance obligations are satisfied as work progresses. We recognize revenue for our lump sum contracts ratably over time based on cost-basis percentage of completion, calculated as a percentage of direct costs incurred to date relative to estimated total direct costs of the performance obligation at completion. Contract costs include labor, sub-consultant costs and other direct costs as incurred. We recognize revenue from lump sum contracts as we advance our work and transfer results to the customer. Contract change orders covering changes in scope, specifications, design, performance or period of completion are common with our customers. In most cases, we account for contract modifications as part of the existing contracts because they are for services that are not distinct from the original contract.

We base contract estimates on various assumptions about future costs and other inputs. Uncertainties inherent in the estimating process present the possibility that actual completion costs may vary from estimates. When estimated total costs on contracts indicate a loss, we recognize these losses in the period in which we identify the loss. We record adjustments required to align revenue with costs in place on the cumulative catch-up basis in the period in which we identify the revisions. We apply changes to projected revenue from contingent fee awards or penalties during the period in which we determine such contingencies to be probable.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

The purchase price of an acquired business is allocated to the tangible assets and separately identifiable intangible assets acquired, less liabilities assumed, based upon their respective fair values with any excess purchase price over such fair values being recorded as goodwill. We review goodwill and intangible assets acquired in a business combination determined to have indefinite useful life annually for impairment, or more frequently if impairment indicators arise. We do not amortize such assets. We do however amortize intangible assets with estimable useful lives over such lives and review such assets for impairment if indicators are present.

We perform an annual impairment test as of October 1 of each year with quarterly confirmations that no triggering events have occurred. As our business is highly integrated and its components have similar economic characteristics, we have concluded we operate as one reporting unit at the combined entity level. We evaluate goodwill for potential impairment on an annual basis or at other times during the year if indicators of impairment exist. We evaluate goodwill for potential impairment by comparing the carrying value of the reporting unit to its fair value. When we evaluate goodwill for potential impairment, generally, we first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. If we determine qualitatively that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, or if we decide to bypass the qualitative assessment, we perform a quantitative analysis. The quantitative analysis is used to identify both the existence of impairment and the amount of the impairment loss by comparing the estimated fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. The estimated fair value is based on forward-looking estimates of performance and cash flows of our reporting

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units, which are based on historical operating results, adjusted for current and expected future market conditions, as well as various internal projections and external sources. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value, an impairment loss would be recognized in our consolidated statement of operations in an amount equal to the excess of the carrying value over the estimated fair value, limited to the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit.

We performed our annual impairment analysis for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 and did not identify any indicators of impairment.

Income Tax

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. in which we operate and record our tax provision for the anticipated tax consequences in our reported results of operations. Tax laws are complex and subject to different interpretations by the taxpayer and respective government taxing authorities. Significant judgment is required in determining our tax expense and in evaluating our tax positions, including evaluating uncertainties in the application of tax laws and regulations.

We account for income taxes under the provisions of ASC 740, "Income Taxes" ("ASC 740"). Under ASC 740, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the difference between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. The assessment of the realizability of deferred tax assets involves a high degree of judgment and complexity. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets to the amounts that are expected to be realized. When we determine that it is more likely than not that we will be able to realize our deferred tax assets in the future in excess of our net recorded amount, an adjustment to the deferred tax asset would be made and reflected either in income or as an adjustment to goodwill. This determination will be made by considering various factors, including our expected future results, that in our judgment will make it more likely than not that these deferred tax assets will be realized.

Our actual effective tax rate and income tax expense could vary from estimated amounts due to the future impacts of various items, including changes in income tax laws, tax planning and our forecasted financial condition, and results of operations in future periods. Although we believe current estimates are reasonable, actual results could differ from these estimates.

ASC 740 prescribes a comprehensive model for how a company should recognize, measure, present and disclose in its financial statements uncertain tax positions that a company has taken or expects to take on a tax return. Under ASC 740, the financial statements reflect expected future tax consequences of such positions presuming the taxing authorities' full knowledge of the position and all relevant facts, but without considering time values. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs.

We receive an annual research and development tax credit in connection with certain at-risk work performed on behalf of customers. We reduce our current and deferred tax provision by the estimated net annual R&D tax credit projection, limited to the statutory allowance for utilization of the credit. We reconcile the tax credit and its impact during the subsequent year after calculating the credit in connection with our tax returns. We maintain what we believe to be an appropriate reserve against our accumulated credits. Estimates of our tax expense include both current and deferred tax expense along with all available tax incentives and credits.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has released Pillar Two Model Rules, a 15% minimum effective tax rate designed to ensure that large multinational enterprises pay a minimum level of tax on the income arising in each jurisdiction where they operate and mandates sharing of certain company information with taxing authorities on a local and global basis. Certain jurisdictions have enacted, and others have proposed, legislation to implement certain provisions of Pillar Two. We are continuing to monitor the implications resulting from the potential enactment of Pillar Two rules in the jurisdictions where we operate, and do not currently anticipate a material impact.

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Results of Operations

Consolidated results of operations

The following represents our consolidated results of operations for periods indicated (in thousands):

1Represents non-GAAP financial measures. See Other Financial Information and Non-GAAP key performance indicators below in results of operations.

Year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023

Gross Contract Revenue

Gross contract revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased $80.3 million or 23.2% to $426.6 million as compared to $346.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2024, gross contract revenue attributable to work performed by our workforce increased $75.7 million, or 24.9% to $379.7 million or 89.0% of gross contract revenue as compared to $304.0 million or 87.8% for year ended December 31, 2023 (see Net service billing – non-GAAP). Of the $80.3 million increase in gross contract revenue during the year ended December 31, 2024, acquisitions completed in 2024 represented $42.5 million or 52.9% of the increase.

Changes in gross contract revenue (“GCR”) for the year ended December 31, 2024, disaggregated between our core and emerging end markets, were as follows (in thousands other than percentages):

1 Represents environmental, mining, water resources, imaging and mapping and other.

2.Acquired revenue in prior periods is as previously reported; four quarters post-closing, acquired revenue is thereafter reclassified as organic for the purpose of calculating organic growth rates.

3 Includes periodic reclassifications of revenue between categories from prior periods for consistency of presentation.

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For the year ended December 31, 2024, gross contract revenue from our building infrastructure market increased $24.7 million or 12.7% as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. Building Infrastructure includes commercial, municipal and residential infrastructure. The increase in building infrastructure revenue is the result of organic growth and acquisitions. Within the building infrastructure market, 36.0% of gross contract revenue was derived from residential assignments including single family, multi-family and mixed-use housing stock, 45.0% from commercial assignments including retail, hospitality and quick-serve restaurants (QSR), office and industrial, data centers and healthcare, and 19.0% from municipal assignments. Within residential, 53.3% of gross contract revenue was derived from for-sale homebuilding assignments, 40.4% from residential multi-family and 6.3% from mixed use projects. While the homebuilding market shows signs of rebounding from prior year interest rate impacts, for-sale residential services represented just 9.9% of our total gross contract revenue for year ended December 31, 2024. Within commercial, 36.6% of revenue was derived from office and industrial assignments, 40.0% from retail, hospitality, and quick serve restaurants, 15.1% from data centers, 8.3% from healthcare. We continue to experience strong demand for our building infrastructure services and maintain a positive outlook on this market as we continue to experience strength in markets including data centers, quick serve restaurants, industrial distribution facilities, schools, and build-for-rent communities.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, revenue from transportation increased $14.9 million or 20.5% as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was attributable to new contract awards in transportation both from public and private customers along with acquired transportation backlog which we were able to deliver to customers, within transportation, 61.8% of our gross contract revenue was derived directly from public sector customers including DOTs, tollway operators, transit authorities aviation operators and others with the remaining 38.2% derived from private sector customers. We expect to continue to increase our transportation revenue and improve the diversification of our revenue. We believe the transportation market continues to present significant opportunity for future growth and we remain committed to investing in leadership, technical expertise, business development and acquisitions for this market.

With the convergence of renewable energy with traditional transmission infrastructure and the continued growth we are projecting in the clean energy transition, we have consolidated renewable energy into the power and utilities category (sometimes referred to herein as the power, utilities and energy market) of our revenue mix and have adjusted historical balances accordingly. For the year ended December 31, 2024, revenue from power and utilities increased $10.9 million or 16.9% as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. The additional increase in gross contract revenue from the power and utilities market is principally attributable to acquisitions and increased revenue associated with the expansion of a multi-year utility undergrounding assignment in Florida, along with additional increases derived from gas pipeline and electric transmission projects nationally. Within the power and utilities market, 75.4% of our gross contract revenue was derived from customers operating traditional power operations and 24.6% was derived from customers focused on renewables, EV infrastructure and energy transition operations. The power and utilities market continues to experience increasing infrastructure investment as changing weather patterns, energy transition mandates and other safety initiatives positively impact demand for the services we provide. Based on recent increases in program commitments within the gas pipeline replacement market, we believe trends in power and utilities provide meaningful opportunity for continued growth and we are committed to investing resources accordingly.

Our emerging markets consist of mining, water resources, environmental consulting, imaging and mapping and other natural resources services. For the year ended December 31, 2024, revenue from emerging markets increased $29.8 million or 206.8% as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase is primarily due to the acquisition of Surdex Corporation; see Note 4 - Acquisitions for additional information. Emerging market sectors represent lines of business that have not yet grown to a size whereby we would distinguish them as a separate market. Gross contract revenue within our emerging markets was 43.7% from imaging and mapping, 19.9% from mining activities where we have specialized in copper mining, 26.3% from water resources activities, and 10.1% from environmental and other natural resources consulting. Scarcities in water resources and the increasing need for water management gives us confidence that we will be able to increase revenue accordingly. With recent and future acquisitions, we expect to experience continued growth from investment in various emerging market services.

For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, public sector customers, defined as direct contracts with municipalities, public agencies, or governmental authorities, represented 26.8% and 20.8% of our gross contract revenue,, respectively. A portion of that increase is due to the reclassification of Pike Corporation from the private sector to the public sector. This does not include work done indirectly on public sector projects. Gross contract revenue from projects for public sector customers are included in the end market most aligned with work performed.

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Contract costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)

Total contract costs, exclusive of depreciation and amortization, increased $33.6 million or 19.7% to $203.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $170.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, total contract costs represented 47.8% and 49.1% of total contract revenue, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 total contract costs represented 53.7% and 56.0% of revenue attributable to our workforce, respectively (see Net Service Revenue). Total contract costs include both direct payroll costs, and sub-consultants and other expenses.

Total direct payroll costs increased $28.9 million or 22.6% to $156.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $128.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 due to increased staffing resulting from acquisitions and organic growth. Total direct payroll accounted for 77.0% of total contract costs for the year ended December 31, 2024, an increase of 1.8 percentage points as compared to 75.2% for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Direct labor, the component of total direct payroll costs associated with the cost of labor relating to work performed on contracts (often referred to within our industry as utilization) increased $22.0 million or 22.9% to $118.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared $96.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. For the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, direct labor costs represented 27.7% and 27.7% of gross contract revenue, respectively and represented 31.1% and 31.6% of the revenue attributable to our workforce, respectively. Labor costs not charged directly to customer contracts is considered indirect time and is treated as selling, general and administrative expense.

Other direct payroll costs, the component of total direct payroll costs associated with fringe and incentive compensation (cash and non-cash) increased by $6.9 million or 21.6% to $38.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to $31.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase includes a $3.5 million increase in employee payroll taxes and a $1.1 million increase in health benefits for the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the increase in the overall labor pool. This increase includes an increase of $1.1 million in the cost of non-cash stock compensation relating to direct payroll costs to $8.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $7.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase in non-cash stock compensation is likewise attributable to the increase in the overall labor pool.

Sub-consultants and expenses increased $4.6 million or 10.9% to $46.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $42.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, sub-consultant and expenses represented 11.0% and 12.2% of gross contract revenue, respectively. We expect sub-consultant costs to be in the range of 10-15% of gross contract revenue depending on contract mix at any given time, with transportation contracts tending to have a slightly higher sub-consultant percentage. The growth in sub-consultants and expenses is directly in-line with the increase of gross contract revenue.

Operating Expense

Total operating expense increased $48.1 million or 27.2% to $224.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $176.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $39.1 million or 24.7% to $197.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $158.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Indirect labor increased $19.2 million or 27.0% to $90.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $71.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, as a result of increased staffing to accommodate growth. General overhead increased $15.1 million or 29.6% to $66.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $51.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to increased costs associated with operating as a public company, geographic expansion, and the overall growth of the company. Non-cash stock compensation associated with indirect labor hours, those not charged to customer contracts, decreased ($0.1) million or (0.6%) to $17.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $17.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Depreciation and amortization increased $9.1 million or 48.7% to $27.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $18.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. This increase is primarily due to an increase in leased assets and intangible assets accumulated through acquisitions. We continue to increase the use of our finance lease facility as we continue to grow. Intangible assets have increased due to multiple acquisitions in 2024. Gains on the sale of certain IT equipment and automobiles increased $0.1 million or 25.0% to $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

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(Loss) Income from Operations

Loss from operations increased $1.3 million to ($2.0) million for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to ($0.7) million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Other Expense

Other expense increased by $1.1 million to $6.9 million of expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to $5.8 million of expense for the year ended December 31, 2023. Interest expense increased by $2.6 million. This increase is primarily attributable to increases in finance leases and acquisitions.

Income Tax (Expense) Benefit

Income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased $12.2 million or 6,100% to $12.0 million benefit, as compared to ($0.2) million income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2023. As an accrual basis taxpayer, this affects the timing of the payment of tax but not the expense of tax. Our effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2024 was 133.91%.

Income (Loss) Before Tax Expense and Net Income

Loss before tax expense increased by $2.5 million or 39.1% to $8.9 million loss for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to a $6.4 million loss for the year ended December 31, 2023. Net income (loss) increased by $9.6 million or 145.5% to $3.0 million of income for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to ($6.6) million of loss for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Other financial information and non-GAAP key performance indicators

Net service billing (non-GAAP)

Net service billing increased $75.7 million or 24.9% to $379.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $304.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Net service billing reconciles to gross contract revenue as follows (in thousands):

Net service billing increased by 1.2 percentage points to 89.0% of gross contract revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to 87.8% for the year ended December 31, 2023. This change was within our expected range of 85% to 90% of gross contract revenue, and varies depending on contract mix.

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Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP)

Adjusted EBITDA increased $12.5 million or 26.6% to $59.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to $47.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Adjusted EBITDA reconciles to net income as follows (in thousands):

For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Adjusted EBITDA includes $25.8 million and $25.0 million, respectively, relating to non-cash stock compensation expenses resulting from the on-going vesting of restricted stock awards.

Adjusted EBITDA Margin, net (non-GAAP)

Adjusted EBITDA Margin, net represents Adjusted EBITDA (as defined above) as a percentage of net service billing (as defined above). For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, net was 15.7% and 15.5% respectively.

Backlog (other key performance metrics)

Our backlog increased $93 million or 30.5% to approximately $399 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, as compared to $306 million at December 31, 2023. At December 31, 2024 and 2023, our backlog was comprised as follows:

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Our principal sources of liquidity are our cash and cash equivalents balances, cash flow from operations, borrowing capacity under our Revolving Credit Facility (as defined below), lease financing, proceeds from stock sales and other structured debt securities. Our principal uses of cash are operating expenses, working capital requirements, capital expenditures, repayment of debt, acquisitions, and acquisition related payments. On December 31, 2024, we maintained a $100.0 million Revolving Credit Facility with Bank of America, our primary lender. See -"Credit Facilities and Other Financing" below for more information on our Revolving Credit Facility. Under the terms of our Revolving Credit Facility, available cash in our primary operating account sweeps against the outstanding balance every evening. Our cash on hand therefore generally consists of petty cash and other non-operating funds not included in the nightly sweep. Cash on hand includes the cash we keep in short-term investment accounts along with deposits and payments in transit in our

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operating sweep account. Our cash on hand decreased by $14.0 million at December 31, 2024 as compared to December 31, 2023.

We regularly monitor our capital requirements and believe our sources of liquidity, including cash flow from operations, existing cash, and borrowing availability under our credit and lease facilities will be sufficient to fund our projected cash requirements and strategic initiatives for the next year. To the extent we experience any potential liquidity or capital shortfalls relating to growth and acquisition, we currently expect to rely on debt financing to meet those shortfalls. We use our equity as a component of consideration in acquisitions. In addition, depending on market conditions, we may opportunistically access the public debt and equity markets.

We are actively pursuing acquisitions as part of our strategic growth initiative. At any given time, we are assessing multiple opportunities at varying stages of due diligence. These acquisition opportunities range in size, timing of closing, valuation and composition of consideration. In connection with acquisitions, we use a combination of cash, bank financing, seller financing, and equity to satisfy the purchase price. There can be no assurance that any opportunity in the process of being reviewed will close but we expect over time to utilize a meaningful portion our current liquidity and capital resources for acquisitions.

Cash Flows

The following table summarizes our cash flows for the periods presented:

Operating Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2024, net cash provided by operating activities was $24.3 million, which primarily consisted of $3.0 million net income, adjusted for stock-based compensation expense of $25.7 million and depreciation and amortization expense of $28.4 million, offset by an increase in deferred taxes relating to the capitalization of research and development costs of $20.0 million, and an increase in a net cash inflow of $14.5 million from changes in operating assets and liabilities. The net inflow from changes in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a $9.3 million increase in accounts receivable resulting from increased billing to our customers as well as additional billing from the acquired companies, a $5.7 million increase in prepaid expenses and a $7.1 million net increase in contract assets and liabilities, offset by a $7.6 million increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses, inclusive of a long-term accrual relating to an uncertain tax position with respect to the capitalization of research and development expenses.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, net cash provided by operating activities was $11.7 million, which primarily consisted of ($6.6) million net loss, adjusted for stock-based compensation expense of $24.7 million and depreciation and amortization expense of $18.7 million, offset by an increase in deferred taxes relating to the capitalization of research and development costs of $25.5 million, and an increase in a net cash outflow of $0.3 million from changes in operating assets and liabilities. The net outflow from changes in operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a $13.6 million increase in accounts receivable resulting from increased billing to our customers as well as additional billing from the acquired companies, a $0.1 million decrease in prepaid expenses and a $14.6 million net increase in contract assets and liabilities, offset by a $27.7 million increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses, inclusive of a long-term accrual relating to an uncertain tax position with respect to the capitalization of research and development expenses.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $27.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, $27.4 million was related to acquisitions that occurred in 2024 and $0.1 million was for purchases of property and equipment.

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Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities was $10.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2024. This was primarily due to net borrowing of $8.3 million from our Revolving Credit Facility, $11.1 million of payments for the purchase of treasury stock, $23.3 million for repurchase of common stock, $9.0 million of payments on finance leases and $16.6 million of payments on notes payable and our fixed lines of credit, offset by $47.2 million of proceeds from a common share offering.

Credit Facilities and Other Financing

As of December 31, 2024, we maintained a $100.0 million revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility 2024”) pursuant to a credit agreement with lenders, Bank of America N.A., as Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and L/C Issuer, and TD Bank, N.A. as syndication agent. The Revolving Credit Facility 2024 has a maturity date of May 2, 2029. Under the terms of the Revolving Credit Facility 2024, available cash in our primary operating account sweeps against the outstanding balance every evening. As of December 31, 2024, the balance on this Revolving Credit Facility 2024 was $37.0 million.

The Revolving Credit Facility 2024 is secured by all the assets of the Company and the subsidiary guarantors. Under the Revolving Credit Facility 2024, we are required to comply with certain covenants, including covenants on indebtedness, investments, liens and restricted payments, as well as to maintain certain financial covenants, including a fixed charge coverage ratio and leverage ratio of debt to EBITDA (as defined in the Revolving Credit Facility 2024). At December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with all covenants.

We utilize master lease facilities primarily with Honour Capital LLC (“Honour”) and Enterprise Leasing (“Enterprise”). The Honour Capital lease facility finances our acquisition of IT infrastructure, geospatial and survey equipment, furniture and other long-lived assets. The Enterprise lease facility finances the acquisition of field trucks and other service vehicles. At December 31, 2024, we maintained a fleet of approximately 500 vehicles. All of our leasing facilities allow for both operating and finance leasing. We allocate finance lease payments between amortization and interest. The payment terms on the lease agreements range between 30 and 50 months with payments totaling approximately $0.6 million per month. We utilize a third party valuation specialist to formulate the incremental borrowing rates for the Company, to calculate the present value on new leases.

We regularly evaluate our options with respect to capital and our requirements for operations and growth. We do not limit our consideration to traditional bank financing, but rather include other structured debt and equity as option for additional capital.

For more information about our credit facilities, see Note 11 – Revolving Credit Facility and Fixed Credit Facility.

Other Acquisitions

For information on the terms of additional promissory notes issued by the Company in connection with acquisitions during 2024 and 2023 that were not deemed significant acquisitions, see Note 4 – Acquisitions and Note 12 – Notes Payable.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements, no special purpose entities, and no activities that include non-exchange-traded contracts accounted for at fair value.

Effects of Inflation

Based on our analysis of the periods presented, we believe that inflation has not had a material effect on our operating results. There can be no assurance that future inflation will not have an adverse impact on our operating results and financial condition.