Dell Technologies Inc.DELL
Dell Technologies Inc. Commitments Disclosure
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Purchase Obligations
The Company has contractual obligations to purchase goods or services, which specify significant terms (including fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased), fixed, minimum, or variable price provisions, and the approximate timing of the transaction. Purchase obligations are primarily related to commitments with suppliers and software maintenance and support services. Other purchase obligations include the non-cancelable portion or the minimum cancellation fee under the contract. As of January 30, 2026, such purchase obligations were $16.8 billion for Fiscal 2027, $0.6 billion for Fiscal 2028, $0.7 billion for Fiscal 2029, $0.3 billion for Fiscal 2030, and $0.4 billion for Fiscal 2031 and thereafter.
Legal Matters
The Company is involved in various claims, suits, assessments, investigations, and legal proceedings that arise from time to time in the ordinary course of its business, including those identified below, consisting of matters involving consumer, antitrust, tax, intellectual property, and other issues on a global basis.
The Company accrues a liability when it believes that it is both probable that a liability has been incurred and that it can reasonably estimate the amount of the loss. The Company reviews these accruals at least quarterly and adjusts them to reflect ongoing negotiations, settlements, rulings, advice of legal counsel, and other relevant information. To the extent new information is obtained and the Company’s views on the probable outcomes of claims, suits, assessments, investigations, or legal proceedings change, changes in the Company’s accrued liabilities are recorded in the period in which such a determination is made. For some matters, the incurrence of a liability is not probable or the amount cannot be reasonably estimated and therefore accruals have not been made.
Class Action Relating to Dell 401(k) Plan — On January 28, 2026, a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in a putative class action captioned Lowbruck et al. v. Dell Technologies Inc., et al., against the Company, the Company’s Board of Directors, and the Dell Benefits Administration Committee alleging a breach of fiduciary duties under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”). In the complaint, the plaintiffs seek a judicial declaration that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties by failing to remove imprudent investments from the Dell 401(k) (“Plan”) in a reasonable time, engaging in transactions allegedly prohibited under ERISA, and failing to monitor the fiduciaries responsible for the Plan’s administration. The plaintiffs also seek, among other remedies, an award of damages, fees, and costs in an unspecified amount. The Company intends to vigorously defend this action.
In accordance with the relevant accounting guidance, the Company provides disclosures of matters where it is at least reasonably possible that the Company could experience a material loss exceeding the amounts already accrued for across all proceedings or matters. In addition, the Company also discloses matters based on its consideration of other matters and qualitative factors, including the experience of other companies in the industry, and investor, customer, and employee relations considerations. As of January 30, 2026, the Company does not believe there is a reasonable possibility that a material loss exceeding the amounts already accrued for across all proceedings or matters has been incurred. However, since the ultimate resolution of any such proceedings and matters is inherently unpredictable, the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows could be materially affected in any particular period by unfavorable outcomes in one or more of these proceedings or matters. Whether the outcome of any claim, suit, assessment, investigation, or legal proceeding, individually or collectively, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows will depend on a number of factors, including the nature, timing, and amount of any associated expenses, amounts paid in settlement, damages, or other remedies or consequences.
Indemnifications Obligations
In the ordinary course of business, the Company enters into various contracts under which it may agree to indemnify other parties for losses incurred from certain events as defined in the relevant contract, such as litigation, regulatory penalties, or claims relating to past performance. Such indemnification obligations may not be subject to maximum loss clauses. Historically, payments related to these indemnification obligations have not been material to the Company.
Under the Separation and Distribution Agreement entered into with VMware, Inc. upon completion of its spin-off of VMware, Inc. on November 1, 2021, Dell Technologies agreed to indemnify VMware, Inc., each of its subsidiaries and each of their respective directors, officers, employees, as well as any successors and assigns of the foregoing, from and against all liabilities relating to, arising out of or resulting from, among other matters, the liabilities allocated to Dell Technologies as part of the separation of Dell Technologies and VMware, Inc. (currently operating under the name VMware LLC, and individually and together with its subsidiaries, “VMware”) and their respective businesses (the “Separation”). VMware similarly agreed to indemnify Dell Technologies Inc., each of its subsidiaries and each of their respective directors, officers, and employees from and against all liabilities relating to, arising out of or resulting from, among other matters, the liabilities allocated to VMware as part of the Separation. The amounts that VMware and Dell Technologies may be obligated to pay each other could vary depending on the outcome of certain unresolved tax matters, which may not be resolved for several years. Net income tax indemnification receivables from VMware were immaterial as of January 30, 2026 and January 31, 2025.
Certain Concentrations
The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents, derivatives, and certain other financial instruments with various financial institutions that potentially subject it to concentration of credit risk. As part of its risk management processes, the Company performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these financial institutions. The Company has not sustained material credit losses from instruments held at these financial institutions. Further, the Company does not expect nonperformance by any of the counterparties.
The Company markets and sells its products and services to large corporate clients, governmental agencies, and health care and education accounts, as well as to small and medium-sized businesses and individuals. One customer accounted for 12% of the Company’s consolidated net revenue for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2026, with substantially all of such net revenue attributable to the sale of ISG offerings. No single customer accounted for 10% or more of the Company’s consolidated net revenue for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2025 and February 2, 2024.
The Company utilizes a limited number of contract manufacturers that assemble a portion of its products. The Company purchases components from suppliers and sells those components to such contract manufacturers. The Company reflects the sale of such components by recognizing non-trade receivables from the contract manufacturers and a reduction in inventory when title and risk of loss pass to the manufacturer. Cash flows related to such transactions are recorded within cash flows from operating activities. The Company does not reflect the sale of the components in revenue and does not recognize any profit on the component sales until the Company sells the related products to the customer. The agreements with the majority of the contract manufacturers permit the Company to offset its payables against the receivables, thus mitigating the credit risk wholly or in part. Such receivables were $13.2 billion and $5.4 billion as of January 30, 2026 and January 31, 2025, respectively, and primarily consisted of receivables from the Company’s three largest contract manufacturers. The Company offset its corresponding payables against $13.0 billion and $4.7 billion of such receivables as of January 30, 2026 and January 31, 2025, respectively. The portion of receivables not offset is included in other current assets in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.
Historical Timeline
| Fiscal Year | Filed | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mar 16, 2026 | Showing above |
| 2025 | Mar 25, 2025 | |
| 2024 | Mar 25, 2024 | |
| 2023 | Mar 30, 2023 | |
| 2022 | Mar 24, 2022 | |
| 2021 | Mar 26, 2021 | |
| 2020 | Mar 27, 2020 | |
| 2019 | Mar 29, 2019 | |
| 2018 | Mar 29, 2018 | |
| 2017 | Mar 31, 2017 | |
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.