Note 18. Commitments and Contingencies

  

Purchase Commitments

 

As of October 31, 2025, the Company was contractually committed for $35.5 million of capital expenditures for purchases of property and equipment. A majority of these obligations are expected to be satisfied in the next twelve months.

 

Insurance

 

Commercial Self-Insured Losses

 

The following table summarizes as of October 31, 2025 and 2024 for (1) recorded liabilities, related to both asserted as well as unasserted insurance claims and (2) any related insurance claims receivables.

 

   

As of October 31, 2025

  

As of October 31, 2024

 

(in thousands)

Classification on the Consolidated Balance Sheets

        

Self-insured commercial liability, current

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

 $11,134  $12,210 

Self-insured commercial liability, non-current

Other non-current liabilities

  10,789   12,332 

Total self-insured commercial liabilities

 $21,923  $24,542 
          

Expected recoveries related to self-insured commercial liabilities, current

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 $954  $3,155 

Expected recoveries related to self-insured commercial liabilities, non-current

Other non-current assets

  10,789   12,170 

Total expected recoveries related to self-insured commercial liabilities

 $11,743  $15,325 
          

Total self-insured commercial liability, net of expected recoveries

 $10,180  $9,217 

 

The Company has accrued $10.2 million and $9.2 million, as of October 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, for estimated (1) losses reported and (2) claims incurred but not reported, net of recoveries.

 

Medical Self-Insured Losses

 

As of October 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company had accrued $1.4 million and $1.7 million, respectively, for estimated health claims incurred but not reported based on historical claims amounts and average lag time. These accruals are included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company contracts with a third-party administrator to process claims, remit benefits, etc. The third-party administrator required the Company to maintain a bank account to facilitate the administration of claims.

 

Litigation

 

The Company is currently involved in certain legal proceedings and other disputes with third parties that have arisen in the ordinary course of business. Management believes that the outcomes of these matters will not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements and does not believe that any amounts need to be recorded for contingent liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet.

 

Washington Department of Revenue Sales Tax Issue

 

Historically, the Company has not charged sales tax to its Washington State customers that provide a reseller certificate, treating this as a wholesale transaction rather than as a retail sale. Effective April 1, 2020, the state of Washington Department of Revenue ("DOR") published a rule which amended Washington Administrative Code 458-20-211, otherwise known as Rule 211, by designating sales of stand-alone concrete pumping services as solely retail transactions. The Company sought to defend its position that no sales tax should be charged for customers that provide a reseller certificate. As such, for the period from April 1, 2020 through January 31, 2024, the Company did not charge sales tax where its customers provided a reseller certificate and petitioned for declaratory relief from the amended rule.

 

In February 2023, the Company received an adverse ruling from the Thurston County superior court in Washington State regarding its position, which it appealed. As of October 31, 2023, no liability had been recorded in connection with this contingency as a loss was not deemed probable at that time.

 

In February 2024, oral arguments were heard in the Court of Appeals in Tacoma, Washington and the Company received an unfavorable judgement during the same month. As a result of this unfavorable judgment, the Company concluded that loss is probable and therefore recorded a loss of $3.5 million. The loss is included in general and administrative expenses in the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months ended January 31, 2024. During the quarter ended January 31, 2024, the Company made a payment of $1.8 million to the DOR. Beginning with the second quarter of fiscal year 2024, the Company started assessing sales tax related to its customers in the state of Washington.

 

Letters of credit

 

The ABL Facility provides for up to $32.5 million of standby letters of credit. As of October 31, 2025, total outstanding letters of credit totaled $18.5 million, all of which had been committed to the Company’s commercial insurance providers. 

   

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Jan 13, 2026Showing above
2024Jan 10, 2025
2023Jan 16, 2024
2022Jan 31, 2023
2021Jan 12, 2022
2020Jan 12, 2021
2019Jan 14, 2020
2017Mar 29, 2018

About Commitments Disclosures

Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.

Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.