UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549 

FORM 10-Q 

(Mark One)
ýQUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended March 31, 20182019
or
¨TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from            to            .
Commission File Number: 001-36730
 

SYNEOS HEALTH, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 27-3403111
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
3201 Beechleaf Court, Suite 600, Raleigh,1030 Sync Street, Morrisville, North Carolina 27604-154727560-5468
(Address of principal executive offices and Zip Code)
(919) 876-9300
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ý    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ý    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one): 
Large accelerated filer x  Accelerated filer 
¨

Non-accelerated filer 
¨(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
  Smaller reporting company ¨
    Emerging growth company 
¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  ý
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, $0.01 par value per shareSYNHThe Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
As of May 1, 2018,April 30, 2019, there were approximately 102,781,233103,755,391 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding.



Table of Contents






SYNEOS HEALTH, INC.
FORM 10-Q


TABLE OF CONTENTS
   
  
  Page
Item 1.
 
 
 
 
 
Item 2.
Item 3.
Item 4.
   
  
   
Item 1.
Item 1A.
Item 2.
Item 5.
Item 6.
 


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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements.
SYNEOS HEALTH, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended March 31,
2018 20172019 2018
(In thousands, except per share data)(In thousands, except per share data)
Service revenue$1,057,196
 $252,078
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses
 129,840
Total revenue1,057,196
 381,918
Revenue$1,119,006
 $1,057,196
      
Costs and operating expenses:      
Direct costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)532,057
 154,835
886,802
 840,823
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses308,766
 129,840
Selling, general, and administrative99,259
 44,934
Selling, general, and administrative expenses113,117
 99,259
Restructuring and other costs13,707
 1,927
14,413
 13,707
Transaction and integration-related expenses25,211
 2
16,658
 25,211
Depreciation18,028
 6,164
19,571
 18,028
Amortization49,993
 9,464
41,629
 49,993
Total operating expenses1,047,021
 347,166
1,092,190
 1,047,021
Income from operations10,175
 34,752
26,816
 10,175
      
Other (expense) income, net:   
Other expense, net:   
Interest income839
 112
1,502
 839
Interest expense(31,736) (3,100)(34,630) (31,736)
Loss on extinguishment of debt(248) 
(4,355) (248)
Other expense, net(12,554) (3,457)(8,921) (12,554)
Total other expense, net(43,699) (6,445)(46,404) (43,699)
(Loss) income before provision for income taxes(33,524) 28,307
Income tax benefit (expense)8,972
 (7,120)
Net (loss) income$(24,552) $21,187
Loss before provision for income taxes(19,588) (33,524)
Income tax (expense) benefit(10,416) 8,972
Net loss$(30,004) $(24,552)
      
(Loss) earnings per share:   
Loss per share:   
Basic$(0.24) $0.39
$(0.29) $(0.24)
Diluted$(0.24) $0.38
$(0.29) $(0.24)
Weighted average common shares outstanding:      
Basic104,449
 54,015
103,365
 104,449
Diluted104,449
 55,123
103,365
 104,449

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

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SYNEOS HEALTH, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(Unaudited)

 Three Months Ended March 31,
 2018 2017
 (In thousands)
Net (loss) income$(24,552) $21,187
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments, net of income tax (expense) of $0 and $(87), respectively434
 150
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of income tax (expense) of $(2,868) and $0, respectively33,923
 4,846
Comprehensive income$9,805
 $26,183
 Three Months Ended March 31,
 2019 2018
 (In thousands)
Net loss$(30,004) $(24,552)
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments, net of income tax benefit (expense) of $95 and $0, respectively(4,216) 434
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of income tax benefit (expense) of $0 and $(2,868), respectively20,604
 33,923
Comprehensive income (loss)$(13,616) $9,805

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.



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SYNEOS HEALTH, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited)
March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
(In thousands, except share data)(in thousands, except par value)
ASSETS      
Current assets:      
Cash and cash equivalents$186,719
 $321,262
Restricted cash2,236
 714
Accounts receivable billed, net600,796
 642,985
Accounts receivable unbilled392,536
 373,003
Contract assets111,934
 
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash$107,921
 $155,932
Accounts receivable and unbilled services, net1,221,660
 1,256,731
Prepaid expenses and other current assets94,291
 84,215
78,179
 79,299
Total current assets1,388,512
 1,422,179
1,407,760
 1,491,962
Property and equipment, net173,051
 180,412
175,990
 183,486
Operating lease right-of-use assets239,391
 
Goodwill4,306,244
 4,292,571
4,344,744
 4,333,159
Intangible assets, net1,241,709
 1,286,050
1,096,619
 1,133,612
Deferred income tax assets27,709
 20,159
9,153
 9,317
Other long-term assets104,679
 84,496
113,873
 103,373
Total assets$7,241,904
 $7,285,867
$7,387,530
 $7,254,909
      
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY      
Current liabilities:      
Accounts payable$69,500
 $58,575
$94,278
 $98,624
Accrued liabilities518,383
 500,303
Contract liabilities643,338
 559,270
Current portion of capital lease obligations15,889
 16,414
Accrued expenses535,521
 563,527
Deferred revenue713,313
 777,141
Current portion of operating lease obligations28,792
 
Current portion of finance lease obligations11,808
 13,806
Current portion of long-term debt31,250
 25,000

 50,100
Total current liabilities1,278,360
 1,159,562
1,383,712
 1,503,198
Capital lease obligations, non-current15,607
 20,376
Long-term debt, non-current2,908,366
 2,945,934
Long-term debt2,785,658
 2,737,019
Operating lease long-term obligations236,905
 
Finance lease long-term obligations27,144
 26,759
Deferred income tax liabilities22,265
 37,807
26,823
 25,120
Other long-term liabilities110,047
 99,609
88,918
 106,669
Total liabilities4,334,645
 4,263,288
4,549,160
 4,398,765
      
Commitments and contingencies (Note 15)
 
Commitments and contingencies (Note 18)
 
      
Shareholders' equity:      
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 30,000,000 shares authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively
 
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 600,000,000 shares authorized, 103,803,581 and 104,435,501 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively1,038
 1,044
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; 30,000 shares authorized, 0 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018
 
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 600,000 shares authorized, 103,753 and 103,372 shares issued and outstanding at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively1,038
 1,034
Additional paid-in capital3,394,586
 3,414,389
3,402,953
 3,402,638
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax15,822
 (22,385)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax(71,807) (88,195)
Accumulated deficit(504,187) (370,469)(493,814) (459,333)
Total shareholders' equity2,907,259
 3,022,579
2,838,370
 2,856,144
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$7,241,904
 $7,285,867
$7,387,530
 $7,254,909

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

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SYNEOS HEALTH, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended March 31,
2018 20172019 2018
(In thousands)(In thousands)
Cash flows from operating activities:      
Net (loss) income$(24,552) $21,187
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities:   
Net loss$(30,004) $(24,552)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:   
Depreciation and amortization68,021
 15,628
61,200
 68,021
Amortization of capitalized loan fees and original issue discount, net of Senior Notes premium(34) 201
Amortization of Senior Notes premium, net of capitalized loan fees and original issue discount(169) (34)
Share-based compensation7,879
 5,819
14,267
 7,879
Provision for (recovery of) doubtful accounts171
 (7)
Provision for deferred income taxes(10,735) 87
Foreign currency transaction losses6,364
 2,707
Fair value adjustment of contingent tax-sharing obligation1,194
 
Provision for doubtful accounts1,302
 171
Provision for (benefit from) deferred income taxes1,544
 (10,735)
Foreign currency transaction adjustments(77) 6,364
Fair value adjustment of contingent obligations724
 1,194
Loss on extinguishment of debt248
 
4,355
 248
Other non-cash items1,796
 364
(474) 1,796
Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of business combinations:      
Accounts receivable, unbilled services, and advanced billings(90,617) 47,496
Accounts receivable, unbilled services, and deferred revenue(25,471) (90,617)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses(14,241) (20,457)(26,682) (14,241)
Other assets and liabilities7,521
 2,674
(13,821) 7,521
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities(46,985) 75,699
Net cash used in operating activities(13,306) (46,985)
Cash flows from investing activities:      
Purchases of property and equipment(21,286) (10,571)(11,445) (21,286)
Net cash used in investing activities(21,286) (10,571)(11,445) (21,286)
Cash flows from financing activities:      
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt, net of discount183,195
 
Payments of debt financing costs(184) 
Repayments of long-term debt(31,250) 
(216,136) (31,250)
Proceeds from revolving line of credit
 15,000
Repayments of revolving line of credit
 (25,000)
Payments of capital leases(4,479) 
Proceeds from accounts receivable financing agreement26,500
 
Payments of contingent consideration related to business combinations(8) 
Payments of finance leases(1,274) (4,479)
Payments for repurchase of common stock(37,493) 
(26,616) (37,493)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options5,668
 5,153
19,724
 5,668
Payments related to tax withholding for share-based compensation(2,323) (1,173)(11,539) (2,323)
Net cash used in financing activities(69,877) (6,020)(26,338) (69,877)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash5,127
 2,854
3,078
 5,127
Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash(133,021) 61,962
(48,011) (133,021)
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash - beginning of period321,976
 103,078
155,932
 321,976
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash - end of period$188,955
 $165,040
$107,921
 $188,955
   
Supplemental disclosures of non-cash investing activities:   
Purchases of property and equipment included in liabilities$5,494
 $1,757
Vehicles acquired through capital lease agreements$1,184
 $

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

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SYNEOS HEALTH, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
(Unaudited)
 Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
 (in thousands)
 Common Stock Additional
Paid-in
Capital
 Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
(Loss) Income
 Accumulated
Deficit
 Total
Shareholders'
Equity
 Shares Amount    
Balance at December 31, 2018103,372
 $1,034
 $3,402,638
 $(88,195) $(459,333) $2,856,144
Stock repurchase(673) (7) (22,132) 
 (4,477) (26,616)
RSU distributions net of shares for tax withholding380
 4
 (11,537) 
 
 (11,533)
Stock option exercises674
 7
 19,717
 
 
 19,724
Share-based compensation
 
 14,267
 
 
 14,267
Net loss
 
 
 
 (30,004) (30,004)
Unrealized loss on derivative instruments, net of taxes
 
 
 (4,216) 
 (4,216)
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes
 
 
 20,604
 
 20,604
Balance at March 31, 2019103,753
 $1,038
 $3,402,953
 $(71,807) $(493,814) $2,838,370
 Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 (in thousands)
 Common Stock Additional
Paid-in
Capital
 Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
(Loss) Income
 Accumulated
Deficit
 Total
Shareholders'
Equity
 Shares Amount    
Balance at December 31, 2017104,436
 $1,044
 $3,414,389
 $(22,385) $(370,469) $3,022,579
Impact from adoption of ASU 2014-09
 
 
 
 (98,815) (98,815)
Impact from adoption of ASU 2018-02
 
 
 3,850
 (3,850) 
Balance at January 1, 2018104,436
 1,044
 3,414,389
 (18,535) (473,134) 2,923,764
Stock repurchase(948) (9) (30,982) 
 (6,501) (37,492)
RSU distributions net of shares for tax withholding100
 1
 (2,324) 
 
 (2,323)
Stock option exercises216
 2
 5,624
 
 
 5,626
Share-based compensation
 
 7,879
 
 
 7,879
Net loss
 
 
 
 (24,552) (24,552)
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments, net of taxes
 
 
 434
 
 434
Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of taxes
 
 
 33,923
 
 33,923
Balance at March 31, 2018103,804
 $1,038
 $3,394,586
 $15,822
 $(504,187) $2,907,259
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.


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SYNEOS HEALTH, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation and Changes in Significant Accounting Policies
Nature of Operations
Syneos Health, Inc. (the “Company”) is a global provider of end-to-end biopharmaceutical outsourcing biopharmaceutical solutions organization.solutions. The Company operates under two reportable segments, Clinical Solutions and Commercial Solutions, and derives its revenue through a suite of services designed to enhance its customers’ ability to successfully develop, launch, and market their products. The Company offers its solutions on both a standalone and integrated basis with biopharmaceutical development and commercialization services ranging from Phase I-IV clinical trial services to services associated with the commercialization of biopharmaceutical products. The Company’s customers include small, mid-sized, and large companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries.
Merger
On August 1, 2017, the Company completed the merger (the “Merger”) with Double Eagle Parent, Inc. (“inVentiv”), the parent company of inVentiv Health, Inc. Upon closing, inVentiv was merged with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation. Beginning August 1, 2017, inVentiv’s results of operations are included in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. For additional information related to the Merger, see “Note 3 - Business Combinations.”
Unaudited Interim Financial Information
The Company prepared the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information. The significant accounting policies followed by the Company for interim financial reporting are consistent with the accounting policies followed for annual financial reporting.
The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, in management’s opinion, include all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for a fair presentation. The information included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Company’s audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20172018, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2018.March 18, 2019. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 20182019 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full year ending December 31, 20182019 or any other future period. The unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet at December 31, 20172018 is derived from the amounts in the audited consolidated balance sheet included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.2018.
Recently Adopted Accounting Standards
Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The Company adopted Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method for all contracts not completed as of the date of adoption. The reported results for the three months ended March 31, 2018 reflect the application of ASC 606, while the reported results for the three months ended March 31, 2017 were prepared under ASC 605, Revenue Recognition (“ASC 605”). For additional information related to the impact of adopting this standard, see “Note 10 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers.”

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Statement of Cash Flows - Restricted Cash. Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted ASU No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted Cash using the retrospective transition method, as required by the new standard. The adoption of this ASU had an immaterial impact to the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows. The following table provides a reconciliation of cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash reported within the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets at March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, that sum to the total of such amounts in the consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):
 March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
Cash and cash equivalents$186,719
 $321,262
Restricted cash2,236
 714
Total cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash shown in the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows$188,955
 $321,976
Comprehensive Income - Reclassifications of Certain Tax Effects. Effective January 1, 2018, the Company elected to early adopt ASU No. 2018-02, Income Statement - Reporting Comprehensive Income (Topic 220): Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive IncomeLeases. Under the updated accounting guidance, the Company is allowed to reclassify the stranded tax effects within accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings in each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”) is recorded. Upon adoption, the Company recorded an increase to other comprehensive income of $3.9 million and a reduction in retained earnings of $3.9 million. There was no impact on prior periods.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
Leases. In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards boardBoard (“FASB”) issued ASUAccounting Standards Update No. 2016-02 (“ASU 2016-02”),Leases (Topic 842)., as further amended, to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by requiring the recognition of, at the lease commencement date, a lease liability for the obligation to make lease payments, and a right-of-use ("ROU") asset for the right to use the underlying asset, on the balance sheet. The Company adopted ASU 2016-02, requires organizationsand all related amendments, collectively “ASC 842”, as of January 1, 2019, using the modified retrospective approach. Results for reporting periods beginning on January 1, 2019 are presented under ASC 842, while prior period amounts continue to be reported and disclosed in accordance with the Company’s historical accounting treatment under Accounting Standards Codification 840, Leases (“ASC 840”). In addition, the Company elected the package of practical expedients permitted under the transition guidance within the new standard, which among other things, does not require the Company to reassess if a contract is or contains a lease and allows the Company to carry forward the historical lease classifications and historical initial direct costs. The Company made an accounting policy election under ASC 842 not to recognize leaseROU assets and lease liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less. Lease payments for these leases are recognized as lease costs on a straight-line basis over the balance sheet, including leases that were previously classified as operating leases.lease term. The ASUCompany also requires additional disclosures about leasing arrangements relatedelected to the amount, timing, and uncertainty of cash flows arising from leases. The amendments in this ASU are effectiveaccount for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption of the amendments is permittedlease components and the new guidance will be applied using a modified retrospective approach. The Company plans to adopt the standard on January 1, 2019 and is currently assessing the potential impact of this standard on its consolidated financial statements.
2. Financial Statement Details
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries participate in a notional cash pooling arrangement to manage global liquidity requirements. The parties to the arrangement combine their cash balances in pooling accounts with the ability to offset bank overdrafts of one subsidiary against positive cash account balances maintained in another subsidiary’s bank account at the same financial institution. The net cash balance related to this pooling arrangement is includedassociated non-lease components in the “Cash and cash equivalents” line item in the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. The Company’s net cash pool position consistedcontracts as a single lease component for all classes of the following (in thousands):underlying assets.
 March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
Gross cash position$145,210
 $195,376
Less: cash borrowings(128,578) (88,226)
Net cash position$16,632
 $107,150

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Billed Adoption of the new standard resulted in the recording of additional net lease assets and lease liabilities, mainly related to operating leases, of approximately $214.0 million, as of January 1, 2019. The Company’s accounting for finance leases (previously classified as capital leases under ASC 840) remained substantially unchanged.
2. Financial Statement Details
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries participate in a notional cash pooling arrangement to manage global liquidity requirements. The participants combine their cash balances in pooling accounts at the same financial institution with the ability to offset bank overdrafts of one participant against positive cash account balances held by another participant. The net cash balance related to this pooling arrangement is included in Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash in the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets.
Accounts Receivable Netand Unbilled Services, net
BilledAccounts receivable and unbilled services, net of allowance for doubtful accounts, receivable, net consisted of the following (in thousands):
March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
Accounts receivable billed$610,333
 $652,061
$729,727
 $733,142
Allowance for doubtful accounts(9,537) (9,076)
Less allowance for doubtful accounts(5,882) (4,587)
Accounts receivable billed, net$600,796
 $642,985
723,845
 728,555
Accounts receivable unbilled392,810
 422,860
Contract assets105,005
 105,316
Accounts receivable billed and unbilled services, net$1,221,660
 $1,256,731
Accounts Receivable Factoring Arrangement
In May 2017, the Company entered into an accounts receivable factoring agreement to sell certain eligible unsecured trade accounts receivable, without recourse, to an unrelated third-party financial institution for cash. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company retains no rights or interest and has no obligations with respect to the sold accounts receivable. The Company accounts for sales of trade accounts receivable under this agreement as true sales, and trade accounts receivable balances that are sold are derecognized from the consolidated balance sheets. The cash proceeds received are reflected as cash provided by operating activities on the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows. For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018, the Company factored $73.8 million and $45.4 million, respectively, of trade accounts receivable on a non-recourse basis and received $73.2 million and $45.2 million, respectively, in cash proceeds from the sale. The fees associated with this transactionthese transactions were immaterial. The Company did not sell any trade accounts receivables under this agreement during the year ended December 31, 2017.insignificant.

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Goodwill
ChangesThe changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment for the three months ended March 31, 20182019 were as follows (in thousands):
 Total Clinical
Solutions
 Commercial
Solutions
Balance at December 31, 2017:     
Gross carrying amount$4,308,737
 $2,808,975
 $1,499,762
Accumulated impairment losses (a)
(16,166) (8,142) (8,024)
Goodwill net of accumulated impairment losses4,292,571
 2,800,833
 1,491,738
2018 Activity:     
Business combinations (b)
(4,214) (2,529) (1,685)
Impact of foreign currency translation17,887
 11,927
 5,960
Balance at March 31, 2018:     
Gross carrying amount4,322,410
 2,818,373
 1,504,037
Accumulated impairment losses (a)
(16,166) (8,142) (8,024)
Goodwill net of accumulated impairment losses$4,306,244
 $2,810,231
 $1,496,013
 Total Clinical
Solutions
��Commercial
Solutions
Balance at December 31, 2018:     
Gross carrying amount$4,349,325
 $2,780,945
 $1,568,380
Accumulated impairment losses (a)
(16,166) (8,142) (8,024)
Goodwill, net of accumulated impairment losses4,333,159
 2,772,803
 1,560,356
2019 Activity:     
Impact of foreign currency translation11,585
 8,616
 2,969
Balance at March 31, 2019:     
Gross carrying amount4,360,910
 2,789,561
 1,571,349
Accumulated impairment losses (a)
(16,166) (8,142) (8,024)
Goodwill, net of accumulated impairment losses$4,344,744
 $2,781,419
 $1,563,325
(a) Accumulated impairment losses associated with the Clinical Solutions segment were recorded in fiscal periods prior to 20182019 and related to the former Phase I Services segment, now a component of the Clinical Solutions segment. Accumulated impairment losses associated with the Commercial Solutions segment were recorded in fiscal periods prior to 20182019 and related to the former Global Consulting segment, now a component of the Commercial Solutions segment. No impairment of goodwill was recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2018.2019.
(b) Amount represents measurement period adjustments to goodwill recognized in connection withTransaction and Integration-Related Expenses
Transaction and integration-related expenses consisted of the Merger. Goodwill associated with the Merger is not deductible for income tax purposes. See “Note 3 - Business Combinations” for further information.

following (in thousands):
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 Three Months Ended March 31,
 2019 2018
Professional fees$12,846
 $14,700
Debt modification and related expenses2,241
 
Integration and personnel retention-related costs847
 9,293
Fair value adjustments to contingent obligations724
 1,194
Other
 24
Total transaction and integration-related expenses$16,658
 $25,211
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss),Loss, Net of Tax
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss),loss, net of tax, consisted of the following (in thousands):
 March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax$14,003
 $(23,514)
Unrealized gains on derivative instruments, net of tax1,819
 1,129
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax$15,822
 $(22,385)
Changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows (in thousands):
 Unrealized gain on derivative instruments, net of tax Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of tax Total
Balance at December 31, 2017$1,129
 $(23,514) $(22,385)
Reclassification of income tax benefit due to adoption of ASU 2018-02256
 3,594
 3,850
Balance at January 1, 20181,385
 (19,920) (18,535)
Other comprehensive gain before reclassifications711
 33,923
 34,634
Amount of gain reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) into the statements of operations(277) 
 (277)
Net current period other comprehensive gain, net of tax434
 33,923
 34,357
Balance at March 31, 2018$1,819
 $14,003
 $15,822
Unrealized gains on derivative instruments represent the effective portion of gains associated with interest rate swaps. Designated as cash flow hedges, the interest rate swaps limit the variable interest rate exposure associated with the Company’s term loans. The Company reclassifies these gains into net income as it makes interest payments on its term loan. Amounts to be reclassified to net income in the next 12 months are expected to be immaterial.
The tax effects allocated to each component of other comprehensive income for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows (in thousands):
 Before-Tax Amount Tax (Expense) or Benefit Net-of-Tax Amount
Foreign currency translation adjustments$36,791
 $(2,868) $33,923
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments:     
Unrealized gains arising during period711
 
 711
Reclassification adjustment of realized gains to net income(277) 
 (277)
Net unrealized gain434
 
 434
Other comprehensive income$37,225
 $(2,868) $34,357
 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
Foreign currency translation adjustments$(60,351) $(80,955)
Unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments(11,456) (7,240)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss$(71,807) $(88,195)

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Changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 were as follows (in thousands):
 Unrealized gain (loss) on derivative instruments Foreign currency translation adjustments Total
Balance at December 31, 2018$(7,240) $(80,955) $(88,195)
Other comprehensive gain (loss) before reclassifications(3,729) 20,604
 16,875
Amount of gain reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into the statement of operations(487) 
 (487)
Net current period other comprehensive gain (loss), net of tax(4,216) 20,604
 16,388
Balance at March 31, 2019$(11,456) $(60,351) $(71,807)
The tax effects allocated to each component of other comprehensive income (loss) for the three months ended March 31, 20172019 were as follows (in thousands):
 Before-Tax Amount Tax (Expense) or Benefit Net-of-Tax Amount
Foreign currency translation adjustments$4,846
 $
 $4,846
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments:     
Unrealized gains arising during the period305
 (112) 193
Reclassification adjustment of realized gains to net income(68) 25
 (43)
Net unrealized gain237
 (87) 150
Other comprehensive income$5,083
 $(87) $4,996
 Before-Tax Amount Tax Benefit Net-of-Tax Amount
Foreign currency translation adjustments$20,604
 $
 $20,604
Unrealized loss on derivative instruments:     
Unrealized loss arising during period(3,805) 76
 (3,729)
Reclassification adjustment of realized gains to net income (loss)(506) 19
 (487)
Net unrealized loss on derivative instruments(4,311) 95
 (4,216)
Other comprehensive income (loss)$16,293
 $95
 $16,388
The tax effects allocated to each component of other comprehensive income (loss) for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were as follows (in thousands):
 Before-Tax Amount Tax Benefit Net-of-Tax Amount
Foreign currency translation adjustments$36,791
 $(2,868) $33,923
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments:     
Unrealized gain arising during the period711
 
 711
Reclassification adjustment of realized gains to net loss(277) 
 (277)
Net unrealized gain on derivative instruments434
 
 434
Other comprehensive income (loss)$37,225
 $(2,868) $34,357
Other Expense, Net
Other expense, net consisted of the following (in thousands):
Three Months Ended March 31, Three Months Ended March 31,
2018 2017 2019 2018
Net realized foreign currency loss$(5,517) $(670)
Net unrealized foreign currency loss(6,364) (2,707)
Net realized foreign currency gain (loss) $(8,406) $(5,517)
Net unrealized foreign currency gain (loss) 77
 (6,364)
Other, net(673) (80) (592) (673)
Total other expense, net$(12,554) $(3,457) $(8,921) $(12,554)

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3. Business Combinations
Transaction OverviewinVentiv Health Merger
On August 1, 2017 (the “Merger Date”), the Company completed a merger (the “Merger”) with Double Eagle Parent, Inc. (“inVentiv”), the Merger withparent company of inVentiv Health, Inc., with the Company surviving as the accounting and legal entity acquirer. The Merger was accounted for as a business combination using the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations. The purchase price has been preliminarily allocated to the tangible assets and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based upon their fair values. The excess of the purchase price over the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed has been recorded as goodwill. The goodwill in connection with the Merger is primarily attributable to the assembled workforce of inVentiv and the expected synergies of the Merger.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company incurred $25.2 million of integration-related expenses which were accounted for separately from the business combination and expensed as incurred within the “Transaction and integration-related expenses” line item of the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations. These costs consisted primarily of consulting, accounting fees, and employee retention bonuses.
In connection with the Merger, the Company assumed certain contingent tax-sharing obligations of inVentiv. The fair value of the contingent tax-sharing liability is remeasured at the end of each reporting period, with changes in the estimated fair value reflected in earnings until the liability is fully settled. The estimated fair value of the contingent tax-sharing obligationobligations liability was $51.7$16.4 million and $50.5$15.7 million as of March 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, respectively. The liability is included in the “Accrued liabilities”accrued expenses and “Otherother long-term liabilities” line items ofliabilities on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet.sheets.
Kinapse Limited Acquisition
In August 2018, the Company completed its acquisition of Kinapse Topco Limited (“Kinapse”), a provider of advisory and operational solutions to the global life sciences industry. The resultstotal purchase consideration was $100.1 million plus assumed debt, and included cash acquired of inVentiv’s operations have been included in the Company’s statements$4.9 million. The Company recognized $74.8 million of operations since the Merger Date. Computing separate measuresgoodwill and $57.3 million of inVentiv’s stand-alone revenue and profitability for the period after the Merger Date is impracticable.

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Allocation of Consideration Transferred
The Merger Date fair valueintangible assets, principally customer relationships, as a result of the consideration transferred was $4.51 billion.acquisition. The following table summarizes the preliminary allocation of the consideration transferred based on management’s estimates of Merger Date fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired recorded as goodwill (in thousands):     
 March 31, 2018
Assets acquired: 
Cash and cash equivalents$57,338
Restricted cash433
Accounts receivable367,169
Unbilled accounts receivable261,585
Other current assets95,506
Property and equipment113,674
Intangible assets1,334,200
Other assets50,052
Total assets acquired2,279,957
Liabilities assumed: 
Accounts payable38,072
Accrued liabilities306,649
Contract liabilities247,474
Capital leases40,928
Long-term debt, current and non-current737,872
Deferred income taxes, net11,382
Other liabilities121,238
Total liabilities assumed1,503,615
Total identifiable assets acquired, net776,342
Goodwill$3,729,281
The goodwill recognized in connection with the Merger was $3.73 billion, with $2.24 billion of the goodwill assigned to the Clinical Solutions segment and $1.49 billion assigned to the Commercial Solutions segment. Goodwill generated in the Merger is not deductible for income tax purposes. The Company’s assessment of fair value and the purchase price allocation arerelated to this acquisition is preliminary and subject to change upon completion of the measurement period. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company made adjustments to the preliminary fair value of acquired assets and assumed liabilities to reflect additional information obtained in connection with the Merger. The net effect of the adjustments was a decrease in goodwill of $4.2 million. Furtherfurther adjustments may be necessary as additional information related to the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is assessed during the measurement period (up to one year from the Merger Date)acquisition date). The operating results from the Kinapse acquisition have been included in the Company’s Commercial Solutions segment from the date of acquisition.
4. Long-Term Debt Obligations
The Company’s debt obligations consisted of the following (in thousands):
 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
Secured Debt   
Term Loan A due March 2024$1,150,000
 $975,000
Term Loan B due August 20241,017,364
 1,221,000
Accounts receivable financing agreement due June 2020195,900
 169,400
Total secured debt2,363,264
 2,365,400
Unsecured Debt   
7.5% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2024403,000
 403,000
Total debt obligations2,766,264
 2,768,400
Add: unamortized Senior Notes premium, net of term loan original issuance discount29,305
 32,303
Less: unamortized deferred issuance costs(9,911) (13,584)
Less: current portion of debt
 (50,100)
Total debt obligations, non-current portion$2,785,658
 $2,737,019

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Unaudited Pro Forma Financial Information
The following unaudited pro forma financial information was derived fromConcurrent with the historical financial statementscompletion of the Merger on August 1, 2017, the Company entered into a credit agreement (as amended, the "Credit Agreement") for: (i) a $1.0 billion Term Loan A facility that would mature on August 1, 2022 (the “Term Loan A”); (ii) a $1.6 billion Term Loan B facility that would mature on August 1, 2024 (the “Term Loan B”); and inVentiv(iii) a five-year $500.0 million revolving credit facility (the “Revolver”) that would mature on August 1, 2022.
On May 4, 2018, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Credit Agreement, which, among other things, modified the terms of the Credit Agreement to reduce by 0.25% overall the applicable margins for alternate base rate loans and presentsAdjusted Eurocurrency Rate loans with respect to both the combined resultsTerm Loan A and Term Loan B facilities.
In February 2019, the Company voluntarily prepaid $25.0 million towards reducing its outstanding Term Loan B balance, which was applied against the regularly-scheduled quarterly principal payments. As a result of operations as ifthese and previous voluntary prepayments, the Merger had occurred on January 1, 2016. The pro forma financial information is presented for comparative purposes only andCompany is not necessarily indicativerequired to make a mandatory principal payment against the Term Loan B principal balance until maturity in August 2024. Additionally, during the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company made mandatory principal repayments of $12.5 million towards its Term Loan A.
Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement
On March 26, 2019, the Company entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement (“the Second Amendment”). The Second Amendment, among other things, modifies the terms of the resultsCredit Agreement to refinance the existing Term Loan A facility and the Revolver as follows:
(a) to increase the existing Term Loan A facility by $587.5 million to $1.55 billion. $187.5 million of such increase was applied at closing to repay a portion of the Company’s existing Term Loan B facility and the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Second Amendment, and the remaining $400.0 million will be available to be funded in multiple draws within 9 months of closing and applied to further prepay loans under the Term Loan B facility and/or redeem, repay, defease or discharge all or a portion of the Company’s Senior Unsecured Notes due 2024;
(b) to increase the existing Revolver commitments available by $100.0 million to $600.0 million, and reduce the margin spread by 0.25% overall, resulting in (i) for Adjusted Eurocurrency Rate loans, a margin spread of 1.50% and (ii) for alternate base rate loans, a margin spread of 0.50%, with a single 0.25% step-down based on the achievement of certain leverage ratios; and
(c) to extend the maturity such that would have actually occurred had the Merger been completedTerm Loan A facility and the Revolver will mature 5 years from March 26, 2019.
The Term Loan A facility and the Revolver will continue to be subject to the same affirmative covenants and negative covenants. The financial covenant will be set at a First Lien Leverage Ratio of 5.00:1.00 with a single step-down to 4.50:1.00 commencing with the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2020. The Company was in compliance with all covenants of the Credit Agreement as of March 31, 2019.
In connection with the Second Amendment, during the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company recorded a $4.4 million loss on January 1, 2016. In addition,extinguishment of debt, mainly due to the write-off of the deferred issuance costs and debt discount.
The funded amount of the Term Loan A facility was issued net of a discount and debt issuance costs totaling $2.8 million. These costs are being accreted as a component of interest expense using the effective interest rate method over the term of this facility.
The Company recorded debt issuance costs and related fees in connection with the Revolver and the unfunded amount of the Term Loan A facility of approximately $3.5 million, which are included in other assets in the unaudited pro forma financial information does not give effect to any anticipated cost savings, operating efficiencies or other synergiescondensed consolidated balance sheet. These costs are amortized as a component of interest expense on a straight-line basis over the related terms.

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Covenant Restrictions under our Lease Agreement
The lease agreement for the Company’s new corporate headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina includes a provision that may result from the Merger, or any estimated costs that have been or will be incurred byrequires the Company to integrateissue a letter of credit in certain amounts to the landlord based on the Company’s debt rating issued by Moody’s Investors Service (or other nationally-recognized debt rating agency). As of March 31, 2019 (and through the date of this filing), the Company’s credit rating was Ba3. As such, no letter of credit was required through the date of this filing. Any letters of credit issued in accordance with the aforementioned requirements would be issued under the Revolver, and would reduce its available borrowing capacity by the same amount.
As of March 31, 2019, the Company had $580.5 million (net of $19.5 million in outstanding letters of credit) of available borrowings for working capital and other purposes under the Revolver and $0.8 million of letters of credit that were not secured by the Revolver.
Accounts Receivable Financing Agreement
On June 29, 2018, the Company entered into an accounts receivable financing agreement (as amended) with a termination date of June 29, 2020, unless terminated earlier pursuant to its terms. Under this agreement, certain of the Company’s consolidated subsidiaries will sell accounts receivable and unbilled services (including contract assets) balances to a wholly-owned, bankruptcy-remote special purpose entity (“SPE”). The SPE can borrow up to $250.0 million from a third-party lender, secured by liens on certain receivables and other assets of the SPE. The Company has guaranteed the performance of the obligations of existing and operationsfuture subsidiaries that sell and service the accounts receivable under this agreement. The available borrowing capacity varies monthly according to the levels of inVentiv. Consequently, actual future resultsthe Company’s eligible accounts receivable and unbilled receivables. Loans under this agreement will accrue interest at a reserve-adjusted LIBOR rate or a base rate equal to the higher of (i) the applicable lender’s prime rate, and (ii) the federal funds rate plus 0.50%. The Company may prepay loans upon one business day’s prior notice and may terminate or reduce the facility limit of the accounts receivable financing agreement with 15 days’ prior notice.
As of March 31, 2019, the Company had $195.9 million of outstanding borrowings under the accounts receivable financing agreement, which is recorded in long term debt on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. The remaining maximum capacity available for borrowing under this agreement was $54.1 million as of March 31, 2019.
Maturities of Debt Obligations
As of March 31, 2019, the contractual maturities of the Company’s debt obligations were as follows (in thousands):
 Principal Interest
2019$
 $100,123
2020239,024
 128,807
202179,063
 122,189
2022107,813
 118,252
2023115,000
 112,726
2024 and thereafter2,225,364
 57,441
Less: deferred issuance costs(9,911)  
Unamortized Senior Notes premium, net of term loan original issuance discount29,305
  
Total$2,785,658
 $639,538

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5. Leases
The Company’s operating leases are primarily related to its office facilities. The Company’s finance leases are related to vehicles that the Company leases for certain sales representatives in its Commercial Solutions segment. These leases have remaining lease terms of less than 1 year to 13 years, some of which include options to extend the term or terminate the lease. These options to extend or terminate a lease are included in the lease terms when it is reasonably certain that the Company will differexercise that option.
ROU assets and lease liabilities are recognized based on the present value of the fixed lease payments over the lease term at the commencement date. The ROU assets also include any initial direct costs incurred and lease payments made at or before the commencement date, and are reduced by lease incentives. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate to determine the present value of the lease payments for leases that do not have a readily determinable implicit discount rate. The Company’s incremental borrowing rate is the rate of interest that it would have to borrow on a collateralized basis over a similar term and amount in a similar economic environment. The Company determines the incremental borrowing rates for its leases by adjusting the local risk free interest rate with a credit risk premium corresponding to the Company’s credit rating.
The Company records rent expense for its operating leases on a straight-line basis from the unaudited pro forma financial information presented.
 Three Months Ended March 31, 2017
 (In thousands, except per share data)
Pro forma total revenue$1,064,963
Pro forma net income3,119
Pro forma income per share: 
   Basic$0.03
   Diluted$0.03
lease commencement date until the end of the lease term. The unaudited pro forma adjustments primarily relate toCompany records finance lease cost as a combination of the depreciation of acquired property and equipment, amortization of acquired intangibleexpense for the ROU assets and interest expense and amortization of deferred financing costsfor the outstanding lease liabilities using the discount rate discussed above. Variable lease payments for operating leases are related to the new financing arrangements.office facilities and include but are not limited to common area maintenance, parking, electricity and management fees. The variable lease payments for finance leases are related to maintenance programs for leased vehicles. Variable lease payments are based on occurrence or based on usage; therefore, they are not included as part of the initial ROU assets and liabilities’ calculation.
The components of lease cost were as follows (in thousands):
  Three Months Ended
 ClassificationMarch 31, 2019
Operating leases: 
Fixed lease costsSelling, general, and administrative expenses$17,140
Short-term lease costsSelling, general, and administrative expenses379
Variable lease costsSelling, general, and administrative expenses7,790
Total operating lease costs $25,309
Finance leases:  
Amortization of right-of-use assetsDepreciation$4,319
Interest on lease liabilitiesInterest expense394
Variable lease costsSelling, general, and administrative expenses1,827
Total finance lease costs $6,540

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Supplemental balance sheet information related to finance leases was as follows (in thousands):
Finance leases:March 31, 2019
Property and equipment, gross$53,545
Accumulated depreciation(19,932)
Property and equipment, net$33,613
  
Current portion of finance lease obligations$11,808
Finance lease long-term obligations27,144
Total finance lease liabilities$38,952
Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows (in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: 
Operating cash flows for operating leases$(16,238)
Operating cash flows for finance leases(394)
Financing cash flows for finance leases(1,274)
  
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations: 
Operating leases$39,002
Finance leases1,171
Weighted average remaining lease termMarch 31, 2019
Operating leases8 years
Finance leases3 years
Weighted average discount rateMarch 31, 2019
Operating leases4.9%
Finance leases3.2%
As of March 31, 2019, maturities of lease liabilities were as follows (in thousands):
 Operating Leases Finance Leases Total
2019 (remaining 9 months)$27,533
 $12,853
 $40,386
202050,350
 13,447
 63,797
202144,824
 9,922
 54,746
202239,255
 5,476
 44,731
202335,678
 37
 35,715
2024 and thereafter131,452
 
 131,452
Total lease payments329,092
 41,735
 $370,827
Less: management fee  (559)  
Less: imputed interest(63,395) (2,224)  
Total lease liabilities$265,697
 $38,952
  
Under ASC 840, as of December 31, 2018, the Company had total capital lease assets of $55.3 million and accumulated depreciation of $17.6 million, which are included within property and equipment, net, on

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the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. The related capital lease obligations totaled $40.6 million as of December 31, 2018. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded rent expense of $16.7 million for operating leases.
4.6. Derivatives
In May 2016, the Company entered into interest rate swaps with a combined notional value of $300.0 million in an effort to limit its exposure to variable interest rates on its term loans. The swaps became effective on June 30, 2016 and a portion of the interest rate swaps expired on June 30, 2018, with the remainder expiring on May 14, 2020. As of March 31, 2019, the remaining notional value of these interest rate swaps was $100.0 million. In June 2018, the Company entered into an interest rate swap with an aggregate notional value of $1.01 billion, that became effective on December 31, 2018, and that will expire on June 30, 2021. The significant terms of these derivatives are substantially the same as those contained within the Credit Agreement, including monthly settlements with the swap counterparties. Interest rate swaps are designated as hedging instruments. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the amount of loss recognized in other income (expense), net with respect to these contracts was inconsequential.
As a result of an acquisition, the Company became a party to certain foreign currency exchange rate forward contracts that have expiration dates through April 2019. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, the amount of loss recognized in other expense, net with respect to these contracts was inconsequential.
The fair values of the Company’s derivative financial instruments and the line items on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets to which they were recorded are as follows (in thousands):
 Balance Sheet Classification March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
Interest rate swaps - currentPrepaid expenses and other current assets $1,132
 $1,355
Interest rate swaps - non-currentOther long-term assets 111
 441
Foreign currency exchange rate swaps - currentAccrued expenses 
 (138)
Interest rate swaps - currentAccrued expenses (4,328) (3,031)
Interest rate swaps - non-currentOther long-term liabilities (8,832) (6,201)
7. Fair Value Measurements
Assets and Liabilities Carried at Fair Value
As of March 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, the Company’s financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value included cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, trading securities, billed and unbilled accounts receivable (including contract assets,assets), accounts payable, accrued liabilities, contract liabilities,expenses, deferred revenue, assumed contingent tax-sharing obligations, capitalfinance leases, liabilities under the accounts receivable financing agreement, and interest rate derivative instruments.
The fair valuevalues of cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, billed and unbilled accounts receivable (including contract assets,assets), accounts payable, accrued expenses, deferred revenue, and the liabilities and contract liabilities approximatesunder the accounts receivable financing agreement approximate their respective carrying amounts because of the liquidity and short-term nature of these financial instruments.

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Financial Instruments Subject to Recurring Fair Value Measurements

As of March 31, 2019, the fair values of the major classes of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands):
 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
Assets:       
Trading securities(a)
$20,674
 $
 $
 $20,674
Derivative instruments(b)

 1,243
 
 1,243
Total assets$20,674
 $1,243
 $
 $21,917
        
Liabilities:       
Derivative instruments(b)
$
 $13,160
 $
 $13,160
Contingent obligations related to business combinations(c)

 
 20,966
 20,966
Total liabilities$
 $13,160
 $20,966
 $34,126
As of December 31, 2018, the fair values of the major classes of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands):
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 TotalLevel 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
Assets:              
Trading securities(a)$16,137
 $
 $
 $16,137
$14,945
 $
 $
 $14,945
Derivative instruments(b)
 2,601
 
 2,601

 1,796
 
 1,796
Total assets$16,137
 $2,601
 $
 $18,738
$14,945
 $1,796
 $
 $16,741
              
Liabilities:              
Contingent tax-sharing obligation assumed through business combinations$
 $
 $51,674
 $51,674
Derivative instruments(b)
$

$9,370

$

$9,370
Contingent consideration obligations related to business combinations(c)




20,127

20,127
Total liabilities$
 $
 $51,674
 $51,674
$
 $9,370
 $20,127
 $29,497
(a) Represents fair value of investments in mutual funds based on quoted market prices which are used to fund the liability associated with the deferred compensation plan.

13



Table(b) Represents fair value of Contentsinterest rate swap and foreign currency exchange rate forward contract arrangements (see "Note 6 - Derivatives" for further information).



As(c) Represents fair value of December 31, 2017,contingent obligations related to business combinations (see "Note 3 - Business Combinations" for further information). The fair value of these liabilities are determined based on the fair valuesCompany’s best estimate of the major classesprobable timing and amount of the Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows (in thousands):settlement.
 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total
Assets:       
Trading securities$16,318
 $
 $
 $16,318
Derivative instruments
 2,179
 
 2,179
Total assets$16,318
 $2,179
 $
 $18,497
        
Liabilities:       
Contingent tax-sharing obligation assumed through business combinations$
 $
 $50,480
 $50,480
Total liabilities$
 $
 $50,480
 $50,480

The following table presents changes in the carrying amount of contingent tax-sharing obligations classified as Level 3 category within the fair value hierarchy for the three months ended March 31, 20182019 (in thousands):
Balance at December 31, 2017$50,480
Changes in fair value recognized in earnings1,194
Payments
Balance at March 31, 2018$51,674
Balance at December 31, 2018$20,127
Additions
Accretion recognized in earnings839
Balance at March 31, 2019$20,966
During the three months ended March 31, 2018,2019, there were no transfers of assets or liabilities between Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 fair value measurements.

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Financial Instruments Subject to Non-Recurring Fair Value Measurements
Certain assets, including goodwill and identifiable intangible assets, are carried on the balance sheets at cost and, subsequent to initial recognition, are measured at fair value on a non-recurring basis when certain identified events or changes in circumstances that may have a significant adverse effect on the carrying values of these assets occur. These assets are classified as Level 3 fair value measurements within the fair value hierarchy. Goodwill is tested for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate a triggering event has occurred. Intangible assets are tested for impairment upon the occurrence of certain triggering events. As of March 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, assets subject to non-recurring fair value measurements totaled $5.55$5.44 billion and $5.58$5.47 billion, respectively.
Fair Value Disclosures for DebtFinancial Instruments Not Carried at Fair Value
The estimated fair value of the outstanding term loans and Senior Unsecured Notes is determined based on the exit price that the Company would have to pay to settle the liabilities. As these liabilities are not actively traded, they are classified as Level 2 fair value measurements. The estimated fair values of the Company’s outstanding term loans and Senior Unsecured Notes were as follows (in thousands):
 March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
 Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value Carrying Value Estimated Fair Value
Term Loan A due August 2022$993,750
 $993,750
 $1,000,000
 $1,000,000
Term Loan B due August 2024 (net of original issue debt discount)1,523,261
 1,525,000
 1,548,149
 1,550,000
7.5% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2024 (inclusive of unamortized premium)442,092
 433,225
 443,507
 433,729
 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
 
Carrying Value (a)
 Estimated Fair Value 
Carrying Value (a)
 Estimated Fair Value
Term Loan A due March 2024$1,146,253
 $1,150,000
 $973,218
 $975,000
Term Loan B due August 20241,016,371
 1,017,364
 1,219,755
 1,221,000
7.5% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2024437,045
 426,173
 438,330
 423,150

(a) The carrying value of the term loan debt is shown net of original issue debt discounts. The carrying value of the Senior Notes is inclusive of unamortized premiums.
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5.8. Restructuring and Other Costs
Merger-Related Restructuring
In connection with the Merger, the Company established a restructuring plan to eliminate redundant positions and reduce its facility footprint worldwide. The Company expects to continue the ongoing evaluations of its workforce and facilities infrastructure needs through 2020 in an effort to optimize its resources. Additionally, in conjunction with the Merger, the Company assumed certain liabilities related to employee severance and facility closure costs as a result of actions taken by inVentiv prior to the Merger. During the three months ended March 31, 2018,2019, the Company recognized approximately: (i) $8.4$6.3 million of employee severance and benefits related costs; and (ii) $2.2$2.0 million of facility closure and lease termination costs; and (iii) $0.3 million of other costs related to the Merger.costs. Over the next several years, the Company expects to incur significant costs related to the restructuring of its operations in order to achieve targeted synergies fromas a result of the Merger. TheHowever, the timing and the amount of these costs may differ significantly from current management’s estimates and dependsdepend on various factors, including, but not limited to, identifying and realizing synergy opportunities and executing the integration of the Company’s operations.
Non-Merger Restructuring and Other RestructuringCosts
During the three months ended March 31, 2018,2019, the Company incurred $0.8$0.2 million of facility closure and lease termination costs related to the Company’s pre-Merger activities aimed at optimizing its resources worldwide. Additionally, during the three months ended March 31, 2018,2019, the Company recognized (i) approximately $1.7 million of consulting costs related to the restructuring of its contract management processes to meet the requirements of the newly adopted revenue recognition accounting standard; (ii) $0.2$6.0 million of employee severance and benefits related costs, and (iii) $0.1 millioncosts.

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Table of other costs.Contents



Accrued Restructuring Liabilities
The following table summarizes activity related to the liabilities associated with restructuring and other costs during the three months ended March 31, 20182019 (in thousands):
 Employee Severance Costs, Including Executive Transition Costs Facility Closure and Lease Termination Costs Other Costs Total
Balance at December 31, 2017$8,858
 $7,411
 $524
 $16,793
Expenses incurred(a)
8,572
 1,303
 1,801
 11,676
Cash payments made(9,511) (1,697) (1,683) (12,891)
Balance at March 31, 2018$7,919
 $7,017
 $642
 $15,578
 Employee Severance Costs, Including Executive Transition Costs Facility Closure and Lease Termination Costs Other Costs Total
Balance at December 31, 2018$7,474
 $16,761
 $52
 $24,287
Adoption of ASC 842 (a)


(16,761)

 (16,761)
Expenses incurred (b)
12,232
 
 8
 12,240
Cash payments made(4,071) 
 (38) (4,109)
Balance at March 31, 2019$15,635
 $
 $22
 $15,657
(a) As a result of the adoption of ASC 842, accrued expenses related to facility closure and lease termination costs are now reflected within the current portion of operating lease obligations and operating lease long-term obligations on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of March 31, 2019. These facility costs will be paid over the remaining terms of exited facilities, which range from 2019 through 2027.
(b)The amount of expenses incurred presented in the reconciliation of accrued restructuring liabilities excludes $2.0 million of non-cash restructuring and other expenses incurred for the three months ended March 31, 20182019 excludes $2.2 million of facility lease closure and lease termination costs. Under ASC 842, these costs are reflected as these expenses were not subject to accrual prior toa reduction of operating lease right-of-use assets on the period in which they were incurred.unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet.
The Company expects that substantially all of the employee severance costs accrued as of March 31, 20182019 will be paid within the next twelve months. Certain facility costs will be paid over the remaining terms of exited facility leases, which range from 2018 through 2027. Liabilities associated with these costs are included in the “Accrued liabilities” and “Other long-term liabilities” line items inaccrued expenses on the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets. Restructuring and other costs included in net loss for the three months ended March 31, 20182019 are presented in the “Restructuringrestructuring and other costs” line itemcosts in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.

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6.9. Shareholders' Equity
2018 Stock Repurchase Program
On February 26, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to an aggregate of $250.0 million of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, to be executed from time to time in open market transactions effected through a broker at prevailing market prices, in block trades or through privately negotiated transactions (“2018 stock repurchase program”). The 2018 stock repurchase program commenced on March 1, 2018 and will end no later than December 31, 2019. The Company intends to use cash on hand and future operating cash flow to fund the stock repurchase program.
The 2018 stock repurchase program does not obligate the Company to repurchase any particular amount of the Company’s common stock and may be modified, extended, suspended, or discontinued at any time. The timing and amount of repurchases will be determined by the Company’s management based on a variety of factors such as the market price of the Company’s common stock, the Company’s corporate requirements for cash, and overall market conditions. The stock repurchase program will be subject to applicable legal requirements, including federal and state securities laws.laws and the applicable Nasdaq rules. The Company may also repurchase shares of its common stock pursuant to a trading plan meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which would permit shares of the Company’s common stock to be repurchased when the Company might otherwise be precluded from doing so by law.
In March 2018, the Company repurchased 948,100 shares of its common stock in open market transactions at an average price of $39.55 per share, resulting in a total purchase price of approximately $37.5 million. The Company immediately retired all of the repurchased common stock and charged the par value of the shares to common stock. The excess of the repurchase price over par was applied on a pro rata basis against additional paid-in-capital, with the remainder applied to accumulated deficit.

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In January 2019, the Company repurchased 552,100 shares of its common stock in open market transactions at an average price of $39.16 per share, resulting in a total purchase price of approximately $21.6 million. In February 2019, the Company repurchased 120,600shares of its common stock in open market transactions at an average price of $41.40 per share, resulting in a total purchase price of approximately $5.0 million. The Company immediately retired all of the repurchased common stock and charged the par value of the shares to common stock. The excess of the repurchase price over the par value was applied on a pro rata basis against additional paid-in-capital, with the remainder applied to accumulated deficit.
As of March 31, 2018,2019, the Company has remaining authorization to repurchase up to $212.5approximately $148.4 million of shares of its common stock under the 2018 stock repurchase program.
7.10. Share-Based Compensation
Restricted Stock Unit Award Activity
The following table summarizes the RSU activity during the three months ended March 31, 2018:
 Number of Shares Weighted Average
Grant Date Fair Value
Non-vested at December 31, 2017907,580
 $49.30
Granted1,798,554
 $38.22
Vested(172,277) $49.39
Forfeited(4,387) $39.68
Non-vested at March 31, 20182,529,470
 $41.44
At March 31, 2018, total unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested RSUs was $91.7 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.6 years.
20182019 Performance-Based RSU Awards
In February 2018,During 2019, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors granted performance-based RSU awards (“PRSUs”) to certain executive officers. The total target number of PRSUs granted was 185,432159,490, which will vest in a percentage ranging from 0% to 150% depending on the level of achievement of the performance targets. Each award is scheduled to cliff-vest in approximately three

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years from the grant date and consists of three equal tranches with vesting conditionalis conditioned upon: (i) the attainment of performance targets related to the Company’s revenue growthadjusted earnings per share (“adjusted EPS”) for each of the fiscal years 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2020;2021; (ii) the three-year return on invested capital (“ROIC”) (tax-adjusted earnings before interest and (ii)taxes divided by average invested capital); and (iii) the continued employment and service of the employee from the grant date through the date when determination of the target attainment level for the last performance period is made. The vesting eligibility of the PRSUs granted will be split evenly between the adjusted EPS performance goals, which have three equal tranches, and the ROIC performance goal. The Company recognizes share-based compensation expense for PRSUs when attainment of each performance target is probable of achievement.becomes probable.

Share-based Compensation Expense
The total amount of share-based compensation expense recognized in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations was as follows (in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31,
Statement of Operations Classification2018 2017
Direct costs$3,752
 $2,713
Selling, general, and administrative expenses4,036
 3,106
Restructuring and other costs91
 
Total share-based compensation expense$7,879
 $5,819
8.11. Earnings (Loss) Per Share
Basic earnings per share is computed based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is computed based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the effect of dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the period. AThe following table provides a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators of the basic and diluted earnings (loss) per share computations of weighted average common shares outstanding based on the Company’s consolidated net (loss) income is as follows (in thousands, except per share amounts)data):
Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended March 31,
2018 20172019 2018
Numerator:      
Net (loss) income$(24,552) $21,187
Net loss$(30,004) $(24,552)
Denominator:      
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding104,449
 54,015
103,365
 104,449
Effect of dilutive securities:      
Stock options and other awards under deferred share-based compensation programs
 1,108

 
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding104,449
 55,123
103,365
 104,449
(Loss) earnings per share:   
Loss per share:   
Basic$(0.24) $0.39
$(0.29) $(0.24)
Diluted$(0.24) $0.38
$(0.29) $(0.24)
Potential common shares outstanding that are considered antidilutiveanti-dilutive are excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share. Potential common shares related to stock options and other awards under deferred share-based compensation programs may be determined to be antidilutiveanti-dilutive based on the application of the treasury stock method. Potential common shares are also considered antidilutiveanti-dilutive in the event of a net loss from operations.loss.

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The number of potential shares outstanding that were considered antidilutiveanti-dilutive using the treasury stock method and therefore excluded from the computation of diluted earnings (loss) per share, weighted for the portion of the period they were outstanding are as follows (in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31,
 2018 2017
Anti-dilutive stock options and other awards1,097
 908
Anti-dilutive stock options and other awards under deferred share-based compensation programs excluded based on reporting of net loss for the period898
 
Total common stock equivalents excluded from diluted earnings per share computation1,995
 908
 Three Months Ended March 31,
 2019 2018
Anti-dilutive stock options and other awards294
 1,097
Anti-dilutive stock options and other awards under share-based compensation programs excluded based on reporting a net loss for the period1,438
 898
Total common stock equivalents excluded from diluted loss per share1,732
 1,995
9.12. Income Taxes
Income Tax Expense
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company recorded income tax expense of $10.4 million, compared to pre-tax loss of $19.6 million. The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2019 varied from the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21.0% primarily due to: (i) base erosion anti-abuse minimum tax, (ii) foreign income inclusions such as the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income provisions (“GILTI”), and (iii) a valuation allowance change on domestic deferred tax assets.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company recorded an income tax benefit of $9.0 million, representing an effective tax ratecompared to pre-tax loss of 26.8%.$33.5 million. The Company’s effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2018 varied from the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21.0% primarily due to: (i) research tax credits in foreign jurisdictions; (ii) a decrease in unrecognized tax benefits; and (iii) a valuation allowance change on domestic deferred tax assets.
For the three months ended March 31,BEAT
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 the Company recorded incomeintroduced a new tax expense of $7.1 million, representing an effective tax rate of 25.2%. The effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was lower than theon U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 35.0% primarily due to: (i) income earned in various international tax jurisdictionscorporations that apply lower income tax rates; (ii) research tax credits; and (iii) discrete tax adjustments related to excessderive tax benefits from deductible payments to non-US affiliates called the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”). BEAT applies when base eroding payments are in excess of three percent of the Company’s total deductible payments and also where BEAT exceeds regular US taxable income, similar to an alternate minimum tax. Changes to the Company’s contractual arrangements, operating structure, and/or final regulations that modify the application of this provision could have a material impact on share-based compensation payments.the Company’s tax provision.
Unrecognized Tax Benefits
The Company's gross unrecognized tax benefits, exclusive of associated interest and penalties, were $42.4$19.6 million and $43.7$19.2 million as of March 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, respectively. The decreaseincrease of $1.3$0.4 million during the three months endedMarch 31, 2018 was primarily due to the settlement of aan unrecognized tax auditbenefit in a foreign jurisdiction.
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017Returns Under Audit
The Company’s accounting forDuring the effects of the Tax Act is incomplete as ofquarter ended March 31, 2018. However, as discussed in “Note 12 - Income Taxes” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017,2019, the Company was able to reasonably estimate certain effectsnotified by the Internal Revenue Service that the legacy inVentiv tax return was under audit for the tax year beginning November 10, 2016 and therefore, recorded provisional adjustments associated with the deemed repatriation transition tax and remeasurement of net deferred tax assets. The Company did not make any additional measurement-period adjustments related to these items during the three months ended Marchending December 31, 2018, because the Company has not completed its analysis of the components of the computation, including: (i) the amount of foreign earnings subject to the U.S. income tax; (ii) the portion of foreign earnings held in cash or other specified assets; and (iii) the state tax treatment of the provisions of the Tax Act. The Company is continuing to gather additional information for these items and expects to complete its accounting within the prescribed measurement period.2016.

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10.13. Revenue from Contracts with Customers
Service RevenueUnsatisfied Performance Obligations
The Company adopted ASC 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all the related amendments (“new revenue standard” or “ASC 606”) on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method for all contracts not completed asAs of the date of adoption. The reported results for the three months ended March 31, 2018 reflect2019, the application of ASC 606, while the reported results for the three months ended March 31, 2017 were prepared under ASC 605 - Revenue Recognition and other authoritative guidance in effect for this period. In accordance with ASC 606, revenue is now recognized when, or as, a customer obtains control of promised services. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration to which the Company expects to be entitled to receive in exchange for these services.
A performance obligation is a promise (or a combination of promises) in a contract to transfer distinct goods or services to a customer and is the unit of accounting under ASC 606 for the purposes of revenue recognition. A contract’stotal aggregate transaction price is allocated to each separatethe unsatisfied performance obligation based upon the standalone selling price and is recognized as revenue, when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The majority of the Company’s contracts have a single performance obligation because the promise to transfer individual services is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts, and therefore, is not distinct. Forobligations under contracts with multiple performance obligations, the contract’s transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation using the best estimate of the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract.
The majority of the Company's revenue arrangements are service contracts that range in duration from a few months to several years. Substantially all of the Company’s performance obligations,contract terms greater than one year and associated revenue, are transferred to the customer over time. The Company generally receives compensation based on measuring progress toward completion using anticipated project budgets for direct labor and prices for each service offering. The Company is also reimbursed for certain third party pass-through and out-of-pocket costs. In addition, in certain instances a customer contract may include forms of variable consideration such as incentive fees, volume rebates or other provisions that can increase or decrease the transaction price. This variable consideration is generally awarded upon achievement of certain performance metrics, program milestones or cost targets. For the purposes of revenue recognition, variable consideration is assessed on a contract-by-contract basis and the amount to be recorded is estimated based on the assessment of the Company’s anticipated performance and consideration of all information that is reasonably available. Variable consideration is recognized as revenue if and when it is deemed probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved in the future.
Most of the Company's contracts can be terminated by the customer without cause with a 30-day notice. In the event of termination, the Company's contracts generally provide that the customer pay the Company for: (i) fees earned through the termination date; (ii) fees and expenses for winding down the project, which include both fees incurred and actual expenses; (iii) non-cancellable expenditures; and (iv) in some cases, a fee to cover a portion of the remaining professional fees on the project. The Company’s long term clinical trial contracts contain implied substantive termination penalties because of the significant wind-down cost of terminating a clinical trial. These provisions for termination penalties result in these types of contracts being treated as long-term for revenue recognition purposes.
Changes in the scope of work are common, especially under long-term contracts, and generally result in a renegotiation of future contract pricing terms and change in contract transaction price. If the customer does not agree to a contract modification, the Company could bear the risk of cost overruns. Most of the Company’s contract modifications are for services that are not distinct from the services under the existing contract due to the significant integration service provided in the context of the contract and therefore result in a cumulative catch-up adjustment to revenue at the date of contract modification.accounted for as

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Contract Balances
Contract assets include unbilled amounts typically resulting from revenue recognized in excess of the amounts billed to the customer for which the right to payment is subject to factors other than the passage of time. These amounts may not exceed their net realizable value. Contract assets are generally classified as current. Contract liabilities consist of customer payments received in advance of performance and billings in excess of revenue recognized, net of revenue recognized from the balance at the beginning of the period. Contract assets and liabilities are presented on the balance sheet on a net contract-by-contract basis at the end of each reporting period.
Capitalized Costs
The Company capitalizes certain costs associated with commissions and bonuses paid to its employees in the Clinical Solutions segment because these costs are incurred in obtaining contracts that have a term greater than one year. The Company amortizes these costs in a manner that is consistent with the pattern of revenue recognition described below. The Company expenses obtainment costs for contracts that have a term of one year or less.
Additionally, certain recruiting and training costs within the selling solutions services offering are incurred prior to deployment of the contract field promotion teams that are reimbursed by the customer. These costs are capitalized and amortized ratably from the deployment date through the end of the accounting contract term. Capitalized costs and the related amortization are as follows (in thousands):
 March 31, 2018
Capitalized costs incurred to obtain or fulfill contracts with customers$20,973
 Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
Amortization of capitalized costs$3,134
Clinical Solutions
The Company’s Clinical Solutions segment provides solutions to address the clinical development needs of customers. The Company provides biopharmaceutical program development services through the Full Service Clinical Development (“Full Service”) platform, discrete services for any part of a customer clinical trial through a Functional Service Provider offering, Early Stage services, and Real World and Late Phase services. The services provided via the Full Service platform generally span several years and a significant benefit to the customer is provided by integrating those services provided by the Company’s employees as well as those performed by third parties.
As the Company provides a significant benefit to the customer of integrating the services provided by the Full Service offering, there is one performance obligation for revenue recognition purposes. Revenue is recognized over time using an input measure of progress. The input measure reflects costs (including investigator payments and pass-through costs) incurred to date relative to total estimated costs to complete (“cost-to-cost measure of progress”). Under the cost-to-cost measure of progress methodology, revenue is recorded proportionally to costs incurred. Contract costs principally include direct labor, investigator payments, and pass-through costs.
The remaining service offerings within the Clinical Solutions segment are generally short-term, month-to-month contracts, time and materials basis contracts, or provide a series of distinct services that are substantially the same and have the same pattern of transfer to the customer (“series”). As such, revenue for these service offerings is generally recognized as services are performed for the amount the Company estimates it is entitled to for the period, similar to the pattern of recognition under ASC 605. For contracts billed on a fixed price basis, revenue is recognized over time based on the proportion of labor costs expended to total labor costs expected to complete the contract performance obligation.

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The estimate of total revenue and costs at completion requires significant judgment. Contract estimates are based on various assumptions to project future outcomes of events that often span several years. These estimates are reviewed periodically and any adjustments are recognized on a cumulative catch up basis in the period they become known.
Unsatisfied Performance Obligations
As of March 31, 2018, the total aggregate transaction price allocated to the unsatisfied performance obligations under contracts with a contract term greater than one year and which are not accounted for as a series pursuant to ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606606”) was $4.86$5.94 billion. This amount includes revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses. The Company expects to recognize revenue over the remaining contract term of the individual projects, with contract terms generally ranging from one to five years. The amount of unsatisfied performance obligations is presented net of any constraints and as a result, is lower than the potential contractual revenue. Specifically, certain contracts whichthat do not commence within a certain period of time require the Company to undertake numerous activities to fulfill these performance obligations, including various activities that are outside of the Company’s control. Accordingly, such contracts have been excluded from the unsatisfied performance obligations balance presented above.
Commercial Solutions
The Company’s Commercial Solutions segment provides a broad suite of complementary commercialization services including selling solutions, communications (advertising and public relations), and consulting services. The largest of the service offerings within the Commercial Solutions segment relates to selling solutions. Selling solutions contracts are comprised of a single performance obligation that represents a series of daily outsourced detailing services to promote and sell commercial products on behalf of a customer.
The remaining Commercial Solutions contracts are generally short-term, month-to-month contracts or time and materials contracts. As such, Commercial Solutions revenue is generally recognized as services are performed for the amount the Company estimates it is entitled to for the period, similar to the pattern of recognition under ASC 605. For contracts billed on a fixed price basis, revenue is recognized over time based on the proportion of labor costs expended to total labor costs expected to complete the contract performance obligation.
Pass-through and out-of-pocket costs are recognized in service revenue in the unaudited condensed consolidated income statement as incurred. Certain media purchases and the related reimbursements are recorded on a net basis in the unaudited condensed consolidated income statement as such activities are controlled by the customer.
The Commercial Solutions segment does not have material unsatisfied performance obligations that are required to be disclosed under ASC 606 because the contracts are short-term in nature or represent a series pursuant to ASC 606.
Timing of Billing and Performance
Differences in the timing of revenue recognition and associated billings and cash collections result in recording of billed accounts receivable, unbilled accounts receivable, contract assets and contract liabilities on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. Amounts are billed as work progresses in accordance with agreed-upon contractual terms either at periodic intervals or upon achievement of contractual milestones. Billings generally occur subsequent to revenue recognition, resulting in recording of: (i) unbilled accounts receivable in instances where the right to bill is contingent solely on the passage of time (e.g., in the following month); and (ii) contract assets in instances where the right to bill is associated with a contingency (e.g., achievement of a milestone). Cash payments received in advance of the Company’s performance result in recording of contract liabilities which are liquidated as revenue is recognized.

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Contract assets and liabilities are recorded net on a contract-by-contract basis at the end of each reporting period. The changes in contract assets and liabilities balances generally reflect: (i) revenue recognized in the current period from services completed in prior periods, including adjustments attributable to changes in estimates such as estimated total contract costs; (ii) contract modifications on long-term fixed price contracts executed in the current period, which result in changes to the transaction price; and (iii) revenue recognized related to advance billings recorded as of January 1, 2018.
Impact of Adopting ASC 606
The Company adopted ASC 606 using the modified retrospective method. The cumulative effect of applying the new guidance to all contracts with customers that were not completed as of January 1, 2018 was recorded as an adjustment to accumulated deficit as of the adoption date, with the impact primarily related to the performance obligations related to the Full Service customer clinical trials in the Clinical Solutions segment.

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As a result of applying the modified retrospective method to adopt the new accounting guidance, the following adjustments were made to the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2018 (in thousands):
 As Reported Adjustments Adjusted
 December 31, 2017 ASC 606 Adoption January 1, 2018
ASSETS     
Current assets:     
Cash and cash equivalents$321,262
 $
 $321,262
Restricted cash714
 
 714
Accounts receivable billed, net642,985
 
 642,985
Accounts receivable unbilled373,003
 (152,644) 220,359
Contract assets
 94,567
 94,567
Prepaid expenses and other current assets84,215
 19,452
 103,667
Total current assets1,422,179
 (38,625) 1,383,554
Property and equipment, net180,412
 
 180,412
Goodwill4,292,571
 
 4,292,571
Intangible assets, net1,286,050
 
 1,286,050
Deferred income tax assets20,159
 5,857
 26,016
Other long-term assets84,496
 12,601
 97,097
Total assets$7,285,867
 $(20,167) $7,265,700
      
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 
    
Current liabilities:     
Accounts payable$58,575
 $
 $58,575
Accrued liabilities500,303
 49,611
 549,914
Contract liabilities559,270
 34,075
 593,345
Current portion of capital lease obligations16,414
 
 16,414
Current portion of long-term debt25,000
 
 25,000
Total current liabilities1,159,562
 83,686
 1,243,248
Capital lease obligations, non-current20,376
 
 20,376
Long-term debt, non-current2,945,934
 
 2,945,934
Deferred income tax liabilities37,807
 (8,355) 29,452
Other long-term liabilities99,609
 3,317
 102,926
Total liabilities4,263,288
 78,648
 4,341,936
Shareholders' equity:     
Preferred stock
 
 
Common stock1,044
 
 1,044
Additional paid-in capital3,414,389
 
 3,414,389
Accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax(22,385) 
 (22,385)
Accumulated deficit(370,469) (98,815) (469,284)
Total shareholders' equity3,022,579
 (98,815) 2,923,764
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$7,285,867
 $(20,167) $7,265,700

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The following table compares the reported unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations forDuring the three months ended March 31, 2018 to2019, the amounts as ifCompany recognized approximately $364.7 million of revenue that was included in the previousdeferred revenue recognition guidance remained in effect forbalance at the beginning of the period. During the three months ended March 31, 2018 (in thousands, except per share amounts):
 Three Months Ended March 31, 2018
 ASC 606
As Reported
 ASC 605
As Adjusted
Service revenue$1,057,196
 $760,058
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses
 310,098
Total revenue1,057,196
 1,070,156
Direct costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)532,057
 536,888
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses308,766
 310,098
Selling, general, and administrative99,259
 99,716
Restructuring and other costs13,707
 13,707
Transaction and integration-related expenses25,211
 25,211
Depreciation18,028
 18,028
Amortization49,993
 49,993
Total operating expenses1,047,021
 1,053,641
Income from operations10,175
 16,515
Other expense, net: 
  
Interest income839
 839
Interest expense(31,736) (31,736)
Loss on extinguishment of debt(248) (248)
Other expense, net(12,554) (12,554)
Total other expense, net(43,699) (43,699)
Loss before provision for income taxes(33,524) (27,184)
Income tax benefit8,972
 8,177
Net loss$(24,552) $(19,007)
Loss per share attributable to common shareholders:   
Basic$(0.24) $(0.18)
Diluted$(0.24) $(0.18)
    
Weighted average common shares outstanding:   
Basic104,449
 104,449
Diluted104,449
 104,449

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The following is a summary2019, approximately $13.2 million of the significantCompany’s revenue recognized was allocated to performance obligations partially satisfied in previous periods and predominately related to changes in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations as a result of adopting ASC 606 on January 1, 2018, compared to the amounts as if the Company had continued to report its results under ASC 605:
ASC 606 delayed the recognition of revenue principally related to Full Service customerscope and estimates in full service clinical trialsstudies. Changes in the Company’s Clinical Solutions segment as revenue was previously recognized when contractual items (i.e. “units”) were delivered or on a proportional performance basis, generally using output measures of progress specific to the services provided, such as site or investigator recruitment, patient enrollment and data management. These measures excluded reimbursed investigator payments, other pass-through costs, and out-of-pocket expenses, which were recognized as incurred and presented separately as a component of total revenue in the unaudited condensed consolidated statement of operations. Pursuant to the adoption of ASC 606, the majority of revenue recognized related to Full Service customer clinical trials is accounted for using project costs as an input measure of progress, and includes reimbursable pass-through costs and out-of-pocket expenses.
ASC 606 delayed the recognition of revenue in the Company’s Commercial Solutions segment as certain costs to recruit and train the contract field promotion teams, and revenue for the related reimbursements, are deferred and amortized over the contract term under ASC 606. These amounts were previously recognized as each separate service was delivered to the customer. These delays were partially offset by the acceleration of revenue recognition on certain incentive fee programs that were previously recognized upon customer approval.

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The following table compares the reported unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2018 to the amounts as if the previous revenue recognition guidance remained in effect as of March 31, 2018 (in thousands):
 March 31, 2018
 ASC 606
As Reported
 ASC 605
As Adjusted
ASSETS   
Current assets:   
Cash and cash equivalents$186,719
 $186,719
Restricted cash2,236
 2,236
Accounts receivable billed, net600,796
 600,796
Accounts receivable unbilled392,536
 578,043
Contract assets111,934
 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets94,291
 72,981
Total current assets1,388,512
 1,440,775
Property and equipment, net173,051
 173,051
Goodwill4,306,244
 4,306,244
Intangible assets, net1,241,709
 1,241,709
Deferred income tax assets27,709
 21,617
Other long-term assets104,679
 92,402
Total assets$7,241,904
 $7,275,798
    
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY   
Current liabilities:   
Accounts payable$69,500
 $69,500
Accrued liabilities518,383
 466,185
Contract liabilities643,338
 617,236
Current portion of capital lease obligations15,889
 15,889
Current portion of long-term debt31,250
 31,250
Total current liabilities1,278,360
 1,200,060
Capital lease obligations, non-current15,607
 15,607
Long-term debt, non-current2,908,366
 2,908,366
Deferred income tax liabilities22,265
 31,536
Other long-term liabilities110,047
 106,500
Total liabilities4,334,645
 4,262,069
Shareholders' equity:   
Preferred stock
 
Common stock1,038
 1,038
Additional paid-in capital3,394,586
 3,394,586
Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax15,822
 17,932
Accumulated deficit(504,187) (399,827)
Total shareholders' equity2,907,259
 3,013,729
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity$7,241,904
 $7,275,798


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The following is a summary of the significant changes in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as a result of adopting ASC 606 on January 1, 2018, compared to the amounts as if the Company had continued to report its results under ASC 605:
The reported assets were less than the total assets that would have been reported had the prior revenue recognition guidance remained in effect. This was largely due to unbilled accounts receivable and contract assets being derecognized on certain Clinical Solutions contracts for which ASC 606 adoption delayed revenue recognition, partially offset by the deferral of certain recruiting and training costs in Commercial Solutions contracts and capitalized sales commissions. The reported liabilities were greater than the total liabilities that would have been reported had the prior revenue recognition guidance remained in effect. This was largely due to advances and deferred revenue in excess of contract assets that are required to be presented net on a contract-by-contract basis.
The adoption of ASC 606 primarily resulted in a revenue recognition delay as of January 1, 2018, which resulted in an increase ofbalances during the Company’s deferred tax asset position. As the Company records full reserves for its net federal deferred tax assets in the United States, a portion of the impact was offsetthree months ended March 31, 2019 were not materially impacted by a corresponding increase to the valuation allowance against the deferred tax asset position.
The adoption of ASC 606 had no net impact on the Company’s cash flows from operations.any other factors.
11.14. Segment Information
During the third quarter of 2017, theThe Company realigned its operating segments as a result of the Merger to reflect the current structure under which performance is evaluated, strategic decisions are made and resources are allocated. As a result of this realignment, effective August 1, 2017, the Company began evaluating its financial performance based onhas two reportable segments: Clinical Solutions and Commercial Solutions. Historical segment reporting has been revised to reflect these changes to the Company’s segment structure.

Each reportable business segment is comprised ofcomprises multiple similar service offerings that, when combined, create a fully integrated biopharmaceutical outsourcing solutions organization. Clinical Solutions offers a variety of services spanning Phase I to Phase IV of clinical development, including full-service global studies, as well as individual service offerings such as clinical monitoring, investigator recruitment, patient recruitment, data management, and study startup to assist customers with their drug development process. Commercial Solutions provides commercialization services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare industries, which include outsourced selling solutions, communication solutions (public relations and advertising), and consulting related services.

The Company’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (“CODM”) reviews segment performance and allocates resources based upon segment revenue and income from operations. Beginning in 2018, as a result of the Company’s adoption of ASC 606, revenue and costs for reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses are allocated to the Company’s segments. Prior to 2018, revenue and costs for reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses were not allocated to the Company’s segments. Inter-segment revenue is eliminated from the segment reporting presented to the CODM and is not included in the segment revenue presented in the table below. Certain costs are not allocated to the Company’s reportable segments and are reported as general corporate expenses. These costs primarily consist of share-based compensation and general operating expenses associated with the Company’s senior leadership, finance, Board of Directors, investorsinvestor relations, and internal audit functions. The Company does not allocate depreciation, amortization, restructuring, or transaction and integration-related costs to its segments. Additionally, the CODM reviews the Company’s assets on a consolidated basis and the Company does not allocate assets to its reportable segments as they are not included in the review performed by the CODM for purposes of assessing segment performance or allocating resources.


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Information about reportable segment operating results is as follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended March 31, Three Months Ended March 31,
2018 2017 2019 2018
Revenue:       
Clinical Solutions service revenue$786,839
 $249,497
Commercial Solutions service revenue270,357
 2,581
Total segment service revenue1,057,196
 252,078
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses not allocated to segments
 129,840
Clinical Solutions revenue $804,958
 $786,839
Commercial Solutions revenue 314,048
 270,357
Total consolidated revenue$1,057,196
 $381,918
 1,119,006
 1,057,196
Segment direct costs:       
Clinical Solutions$353,893
 $149,887
 625,767
 615,371
Commercial Solutions174,412
 2,235
 252,873
 221,700
Total segment direct costs528,305
 152,122
 878,640
 837,071
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses:   
Clinical Solutions$261,478
 $
Commercial Solutions47,288
 
Total segment reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses308,766
 
Segment selling, general, and administrative expenses:       
Clinical Solutions$65,946
 $36,790
 69,702
 65,946
Commercial Solutions19,518
 
 26,053
 19,518
Total segment selling, general, and administrative expenses85,464
 36,790
 95,755
 85,464
Segment operating income:       
Clinical Solutions$105,522
 $62,820
 109,489
 105,522
Commercial Solutions29,139
 346
 35,122
 29,139
Total segment operating income134,661
 63,166
 144,611
 134,661
Operating expenses not allocated to segments:   
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses not allocated to segments$
 $129,840
Corporate selling, general, and administrative expenses not allocated to segments9,759
 5,038
Share-based compensation included in direct costs not allocated to segments3,752
 2,713
Share-based compensation included in selling, general, and administrative expenses not allocated to segments4,036
 3,106
Direct costs and operating expenses not allocated to segments:    
Corporate selling, general, and administrative expenses 11,257
 9,759
Share-based compensation included in direct costs 8,162
 3,752
Share-based compensation included in selling, general, and administrative expenses 6,105
 4,036
Restructuring and other costs13,707
 1,927
 14,413
 13,707
Transaction and integration-related expenses25,211
 2
 16,658
 25,211
Depreciation and amortization68,021
 15,628
 61,200
 68,021
Total consolidated income from operations$10,175
 $34,752
 $26,816
 $10,175
12.15. Operations by Geographic Location
The Company conducts its global operations through wholly-owned subsidiaries and representative sales offices. Prior to the Merger, service revenue was attributed to geographical locations based upon the location to which the Company invoiced the end customer. Following the Merger, the Company began to attribute service revenues to geographical locations based upon the location of where the work is performed to reflect its expanded geographic presence and increased scale of operations. All prior periods have been recast to reflect the effect of this change.

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The following table summarizes information about revenue by geographic area (in thousands and with all intercompany transactions eliminated):
Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended March 31,
2018 20172019 2018
Revenue:      
North America (a)
$731,766
 $142,759
$727,698
 $731,766
Europe, Middle East, and Africa228,837
 80,012
258,347
 228,837
Asia-Pacific77,980
 20,209
111,566
 77,980
Latin America18,613
 9,098
21,395
 18,613
Total service revenue1,057,196
 252,078
Reimbursable-out-of-pocket expenses
 129,840
Total revenue$1,057,196
 $381,918
$1,119,006
 $1,057,196
(a)Service revenueRevenue for the North America region includes revenue attributable to the United States of $704.1 million and $696.4 million, or 62.9% and $136.3 million, or 65.9% and 54.1% of servicetotal revenue, for the three months ended March 31, 20182019 and March 31, 2017,2018, respectively. No other country represented more than 10% of service revenue for any period.

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Long-lived assets by geographic area for each period were as follows (in thousands and all intercompany transactions have been eliminated):
March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
Property and equipment, net:      
North America (a)
$127,171
 $136,101
$128,432
 $133,593
Europe, Middle East and Africa27,733
 25,517
31,497
 33,053
Asia-Pacific13,879
 14,700
12,701
 13,328
Latin America4,268
 4,094
3,360
 3,512
Total property and equipment, net$173,051
 $180,412
$175,990
 $183,486
(a) Long-lived assets for the North America region include property and equipment, net attributable to the United States of $120.4$123.0 million and $128.5$128.3 million as of March 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, respectively.
13.16. Concentration of Credit Risk
The Company maintains cash depository accounts with several financial institutions worldwide and is exposed to credit risk related to the potential inability to access liquidity in financial institutions where its cash and cash equivalents are concentrated. The Company has not historically incurred any losses with respect to these balances and believes that they bear minimal credit risk.
As of MarchDecember 31, 2018, the amount of cash and cash equivalents held outside the United States by the Company’s foreign subsidiaries was $62.1$43.6 million, or 33%approximately 28% of the total consolidated cash and cash equivalents balance. As of DecemberMarch 31, 2017,2019, substantially all of the amount ofCompany’s cash and cash equivalents were held outsidewithin the United States byStates.
During the three months ended March 31, 2019, one customer accounted for approximately 10% of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries was $192.0 million, or 60% of the total consolidated cash and cash equivalents balance.
revenue. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, one customer accounted for approximately 11% of the Company’s total consolidated service revenue (including reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses as a result of the adoption of ASC 606 described in “Note 10 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers”). No single customer accounted for greater than 10% of the Company’s total consolidated service revenue for the three months endedMarch 31, 2017.revenue. 
As of March 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, one customer accounted for approximately 12% and 13%, respectively, of the Company’s billed accounts receivable, unbilled accounts receivable, and contract assets balances.

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14.17. Related-Party Transactions
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, the Company incurred reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses of $1.1 million for professional services obtained from a provider whose member of the Board of Directors was also a member of the Company’s Board of Directors. Additionally, at March 31, 2019, the Company had liabilities of $0.8 million included in accounts payable and accrued expenses on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets associated with this related party. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, the Company incurred reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses of $0.2 million for professional services obtained from a provider whose significant shareholder was also a significant shareholder of the Company.
No material related-party revenue was recorded for the three months ended March 31, 2019 or 2018. There were no related party transactions for the three months ended March 31, 2017.
15.18. Commitments and Contingencies
Legal Proceedings
ThroughThe Company is involved in various claims and legal actions arising in the Merger,ordinary course of business. The Company accrues a liability when a loss is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. When a material loss contingency is reasonably possible but not probable, the Company becamedoes

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not record a partyliability, but instead discloses the nature and the amount of the claim, and an estimate of the loss or range of loss, if such an estimate can be made. Legal fees are expensed as incurred. In the opinion of management, the outcome of any existing claims and legal or regulatory proceedings, other than the specific matters described below, if decided adversely, is not expected to have a lawsuit initiatedmaterial adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.
On December 1, 2017, the first of two virtually identical actions alleging federal securities law claims was filed against the Company and outstanding against inVentivcertain of its officers on behalf of a putative class of its shareholders. The first action, captioned Bermudez v. INC Research, Inc., et al, No. 17-09457 (S.D.N.Y.), names as defendants the Company, Michael Bell, Alistair MacDonald, Michael Gilbertini, and Gregory S. Rush (the "Bermudez action"), and the second action, Vaitkuvienë v. Syneos Health, Inc., et al, No. 18-0029 (E.D.N.C.), filed on January 25, 2018, names as defendants the Company, Alistair MacDonald, and Gregory S. Rush (the "Vaitkuvienë action"). Both complaints allege similar claims under Section 10(b) and Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of a putative class of purchasers of the Company's common stock between May 10, 2017 and November 8, 2017 and November 9, 2017. The complaints allege that the Company published inaccurate or incomplete information regarding, among other things, the financial performance and business outlook for inVentiv’s business prior to the Merger and with respect to the combined company following the Merger. On October 31, 2013, Cel-Sci Corporation (“Claimant”) madeJanuary 30, 2018, two alleged shareholders separately filed motions seeking to be appointed lead plaintiff and approving the selection of lead counsel. These motions remain pending. On March 30, 2018, Plaintiff Bermudez filed a demand for arbitration under a Master Services Agreement (the “MSA”), dated asnotice of April 6, 2010 between Claimant and twovoluntary dismissal of the Company’s subsidiaries,Bermudez action, without prejudice, and as to all defendants. On May 29, 2018, the Court in the Vaitkuvienë action appointed the San Antonio Fire & Police Pension Fund and El Paso Firemen & Policemen’s Pension Fund as Lead Plaintiffs and, on June 7, 2018, the Court entered a schedule providing for, among other things, Lead Plaintiffs to file an amended complaint by July 23, 2018 (later extended to July 30, 2018). Lead Plaintiffs filed their amended complaint on July 30, 2018, which also includes a claim against the same defendants listed above, as well as each member of the board of directors at the time of the INC Research - inVentiv Health Clinical, LLC (formerly known as PharmaNet, LLC)merger vote in July 2017, contending that the inVentiv merger proxy was misleading under Section 14(a) of the Act. Lead Plaintiffs seek, among other things, orders (i) declaring that the lawsuit is a proper class action and PharmaNet GmbH (currently known as(ii) awarding compensatory damages in an amount to be proven at trial, including interest thereon, and reasonable costs and expenses incurred in this action, including attorneys’ fees and expert fees, to Lead Plaintiffs and other class members. Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint on September 20, 2018. Lead Plaintiffs filed a Response in Opposition to such motion on November 21, 2018, and Defendants filed a Reply to such response on December 5, 2018. The Company and the other defendants deny the allegations in these complaints and intend to defend vigorously against these claims. In the Company's opinion, the ultimate outcome of this matter is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
On September 24, 2018, the Court unsealed a civil complaint captioned United States, et. al vs. AstraZeneca PLC, et. al, No. 2:17-cv-01328-RSL (W.D. Wa.) against inVentiv Health, Switzerland GmbHInc. and formerly knownother co-defendants. The complaint alleges that the Company and co-defendants violated the Federal False Claims Act (and various state analogues) and Anti-Kickback Statute through the provision of clinical education services. On December 17, 2018, the United States moved to dismiss this lawsuit, as PharmaNet AG) (collectively, “PharmaNet”). Underwell as other similar lawsuits supported by the MSA and related project agreement, which were terminated by Claimantrelator in April 2013, Claimant engaged PharmaNet in connection with a Phase III Clinical Trial of its investigational drug.this action. The arbitration claim alleges (i) breach of contract, (ii) fraudCompany denies the allegations in the inducement, and (iii) common law fraud on the part of PharmaNet, and seeks damages of at least $50.0 million. In December 2013, inVentiv Health Clinical, LLC filed a counterclaimcomplaint intends to defend vigorously against Claimant that alleges breach of contract and seeks at least $2.0 million in damages. The matter proceeded to the discovery phase. In January 2015, inVentiv Health Clinical, LLC filed additional counterclaims against Claimant that allege (i) breach of contract, (ii) opportunistic breach, restitution and unjust enrichment, and (iii) defamation, and seek at least $2.0 million in damages and $20.0 million in other equitable remedies. The arbitration hearings have completed, and the parties are now awaiting a decision by the arbitrator. The Company continues to maintain its position in this matter.these claims. In the Company’s opinion, the ultimate outcome of this matter net of liabilities accrued on the Company’s balance sheet, is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
On February 21, 2019, the SEC notified the Company that it has commenced an investigation into its revenue accounting policies, internal controls and related matters, and requested that the Company retain certain documents for the periods beginning with January 1, 2017. On March 22, 2019, the SEC subpoenaed certain documents in connection with its investigation.

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On March 1, 2019, a complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on behalf of a putative class of shareholders who purchased the Company's common stock during the period between May 10, 2017 and February 27, 2019. The complaint names the Company and certain of its executive officers as defendants and allege violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, based on allegedly false or misleading statements about its business, operations, and prospects. The plaintiffs seek awards of compensatory damages, among other relief, and their costs and attorneys’ and experts’ fees.
The Company is presently unable to predict the duration, scope or result of the SEC’s investigation, the related putative class action, or any other related lawsuit or investigation. As such, the Company is presently unable to develop a reasonable estimate of a possible loss or range of losses, if any, related to these matters. The SEC has a broad range of civil sanctions available should it commence an enforcement action, including injunctive relief, disgorgement, fines, penalties, or an order to take remedial action. The Company could incur additional expenses related to fines or to remedial measures. Furthermore, while the Company intends to defend the putative class action litigation vigorously, the outcome of such litigation or any other litigation is necessarily uncertain. The Company could be forced to expend significant resources in the defense of this lawsuit or future ones, and it may not prevail. As such, these matters could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, annual or interim results of operations, cash flows, or its financial condition.
Self-Insurance Reserves
The Company is self-insured for certain losses relating to health insurance claims for the majority of its employees located within the United States. Additionally, the Company maintains certain self-insurance retention limits related to automobile and workers’ compensation insurance.As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, the total accrual for self-insurance reserves was $20.8 million and $16.6 million, respectively.
Assumed Contingent Tax-Sharing Obligations
As a result of the Merger, the Company assumed contingent tax-sharing obligations arising from inVentiv’s 2016 merger with Double Eagle Parent, Inc. As of March 31, 20182019 and December 31, 2017,2018, the estimated fair value of the assumed contingent tax-sharing obligations was $51.7$16.4 million and $50.5$15.7 million, respectively. For additional information regarding
Contingent Earn-out Liability
In connection with the assumedKinapse acquisition, the Company recorded a contingent tax-sharing obligations, referearn out liability to “Note 3 - Business Combinations.”be paid based on Kinapse meeting revenue targets as of March 31, 2021. The fair value of the earn out liability is remeasured at the end of each reporting period, with changes in the estimated fair value reflected in earnings until the liability is settled. The estimated fair value of the contingent earn out liability was $4.5 million and $4.4 million as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively, and is included in other long-term liabilities in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets.

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16. Subsequent Events
Repricing Amendment to Credit Agreement
On May 4, 2018, the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 (the “Repricing Amendment”) to the Credit Agreement dated August 1, 2017 (the “Credit Agreement”), among the Company; the lenders party thereto; Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch (“Credit Suisse”), as Administrative Agent; and each of the other parties thereto. The Repricing Amendment, among other things, modifies the terms of the Credit Agreement to:
(1)reduce by 0.25% overall the applicable margins for alternate base rate (“ABR”) loans and Adjusted Eurocurrency Rate loans with respect to both Term Loan A and Term Loan B, resulting in:
(i) for Term Loan A, a margin spread of (a) 0.25% to 0.50% for ABR loans and (b) 1.25% to 1.50% for Adjusted Eurocurrency Rate loans (with the specific applicable margins determined by reference to the First Lien Leverage Ratio), and
(ii) for Term Loan B, a margin spread of (a) 0.75% to 1.00% for ABR loans and (b) 1.75% to 2.00% for Adjusted Eurocurrency Rate loans (with the specific applicable margins determined by reference to the Secured Leverage Ratio as modified so that the higher rate applies when the Secured Leverage Ratio is greater than 2.75 to 1.00); and
(2)reset the period in which a prepayment premium with respect to Term Loan B is required for a “Repricing Transaction” (as defined in the Credit Agreement) to six months after the closing date of the Repricing Amendment.
In connection with the execution of the Repricing Amendment, the Company paid certain fees and expenses to Credit Suisse and ING Capital LLC, as lead arrangers. As of May 4, 2018, $1.53 billion of Term Loan B principal were outstanding and $987.5 million of the Term Loan A principal was outstanding.


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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
Forward Looking Statements
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and with our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.2018.
In addition to historical condensed consolidated financial information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect, among other things, our current expectations and anticipated results of operations, all of which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, market trends, or industry results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Therefore, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements and should be evaluated as such. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “should,” “targets,” “will” and the negative thereof, and similar words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Unless legally required, we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking information to reflect actual results or changes in the factors affecting such forward-looking information.
We caution you that any such forward-looking statements are further qualified by important factors that could cause our actual operating results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including without limitation, regional, national, or global political, economic, business, competitive, market, and regulatory conditions and the following: risks associated with the integration of our business with the business of inVentiv and our operation of the combined business following the closing of the Merger; the need to hire, develop, and retain key personnel; the impact of unfavorable economic conditions, including the uncertain international economic environment, changes in exchange rates, and effective income tax rate fluctuations; the impact of potentially underpricing our contracts, overrunning our cost estimates, or failing to receive approval for or experiencing delays with documentation of change orders; the impact of unfavorable economic conditions, including the uncertain economic environment, changes in exchange rates, and effective income tax rate fluctuations;any adverse effects from customer or therapeutic area concentration; our potential failure to generate a large number of new business awards and the risk of delay, termination, reduction in scope, or failure to go to contract of our business awards; our potential failure to convert backlog to revenue; fluctuations in our operating results and effective income tax rate; the cyber-security and other risks associated with our information systems infrastructure; any adverse effects from customer or therapeutic area concentration;risks associated with the integration of our business with the business of inVentiv and our operation of the combined business following the closing of the Merger; the risks associated with doing business internationally; risks related to the impact of adoption ofU.K.’s planned withdrawal from the new accounting standard of recognizing revenue from customers;European Union; impact of the Tax Act; challenges by tax authorities of our intercompany transfer pricing policies; our potential failure to successfully increase our market share, grow our business, and execute our growth strategies; our ability to effectively upgrade our information systems; our failure to perform our services in accordance with contractual requirements, regulatory standards, and ethical considerations; the risk of litigation and personal injury claims; risks related to the management of clinical trials; failure of our insurance to cover our indemnification obligations and other liabilities; risks related to marketing drugs for biopharmaceutical companies; our ability to protect our intellectual property; the risks associated with potential future acquisitions or investments in our customers’ businesses or drugs; our relationships with customers who are in competition with each other; any failure to realize the full value of our goodwill and intangible assets; risks related to restructuring; our compliance with anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws; our dependence on third parties; potential employment liability; downgrades of our credit ratings; outsourcing trends and changes in aggregate spending and research and development budgets; the impact of, including changes in, government regulations and healthcare reform; our ability to keep pace with rapid technological change; the cost of and our ability to service our substantial indebtedness.indebtedness; and other risks related to ownership of our common stock. For a further discussion of the risks relating to our business, seerefer to “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.2018.

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Overview of Our Business and Services
Syneos Health, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) is a leading global biopharmaceutical solutions organization providing a full suite of clinical and commercial services organization comprised of an end-to-end clinical contract research organization (“CRO”)to customers in the biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract commercial organization (“CCO”).medical device industries. We offer both standalone and integrated biopharmaceutical product development solutions through our Contract Research Organization (“CRO”) and commercialization servicesContract Commercial Organization (“CCO”), ranging from Early Phase I(Phase I) clinical trials to Phase IV clinical trial services to services associated with the full commercialization of biopharmaceutical products. Our customers include small, mid-sized,products, with the goal of increasing the likelihood of regulatory approval and large companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, andcommercial launch success for our revenue is derived through a broad suite of services designed to enhance our customers’ ability to successfully develop, launch, and market their products. We consistently and

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customers.
predictably deliver our services in a complex environment and offer a proprietary, operational approach to the delivery of our projects through our Trusted Process® methodology.
On August 1, 2017, we completed a merger (the “Merger”) with Double Eagle Parent, Inc. (“inVentiv”), the parent company of inVentiv Health, Inc. under the terms of the merger agreement, dated May 10, 2017 (the “Merger Agreement”). Upon closing, inVentiv was merged with andOur operations are divided into us, and the separate corporate existence of inVentiv ceased. See further discussion in “Note 3 - Business Combinations” to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for additional details on the Merger.
Following the Merger, we realigned our operating segments to reflect the current structure under which we evaluate our performance, make strategic decisions, and allocate resources. As a result of this realignment, effective August 1, 2017, we began managing our business through two reportable segments:segments, Clinical Solutions and Commercial Solutions.
Our Clinical Solutions segment offers a variety of services spanning Phase I to Phase IV of clinical development, including full-service global studies, as well as individual service offerings such as clinical monitoring, investigator recruitment, patient recruitment, data management, and study startup to assist customers with their drug development process. Our Commercial Solutions segment provides the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and healthcare industries with commercialization services, which include outsourcedincluding selling solutions, communication solutions (public relations and advertising), and consulting services. Our management reviews segment performance and allocates resources based upon segment revenue and segment operating income. Historical segment reporting has been revised to reflect these changes to our segment structure. Prior to the Merger, our Commercial Solutions segment consisted solely of a consulting offering. SeeFor further discussion, inrefer to “Note 1114 - Segment Information” to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
For financial information regarding revenue and long-lived assets by geographic area, see “Note 12 - Operations by Geographic Location” to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
New Business Awards and Backlog
We add new business awards to backlog when we enter into a contract or when we receive a written commitment from the customer selecting us as a service provider, provided that:
the customer has received appropriate internal funding approval and collection of the award value is probable;
the project or projects are not contingent upon completion of another clinical trial or event;event that would place the project or projects at material risk of not commencing in accordance with the expected timeline;
the project or projects are expected to commence within a certain period of time from the end of the quarter in which the award was granted;
the customer has entered or intends to enter into a comprehensive contract as soon as practicable; and
for awards related to our FSPFunctional Service Provider ("FSP") offering, only a maximum of twelve months of services are included.included in the award value.
In addition, we continually evaluate our backlog to determine if any of the previously awarded work is no longer expected to be performed, regardless of whether we have received formal cancellation notice from the customer. If we determine that any previously awarded work is no longer probable of being performed, we remove the value from our backlog based on the risk of cancellation. We recognize revenue from these awards as services are performed, provided we have entered into a contractual commitment with the customer.

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We currentlyBeginning in 2019, we now report new business awards for our Clinical Solutions and Commercial Solutions segments andon a trailing twelve months (“TTM”) basis. Our total backlog represents backlog for our Clinical Solutions segment and the selling solutions service offering within our Commercial Solutions segment. We do not currently report backlog data for the remaining service offerings in the Commercial Solutions segment.
Beginning on January 1, 2018 we adopted the ASC 606 revenue recognition standard New business awards and as a result, we no longer present service revenue and revenue associated withbacklog include reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses separately in the statements of operations as, under ASC 606, they represent a single performance obligation and separate presentation is no longer permitted. However, revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses represents expenses which are passed through and reimbursed by our customers at actual cost. These expenses fluctuate significantly from period to period based on the timing of program initiation or closeout and the mix of program complexity, and therefore anticipated timing associated with this type of revenue is not predictable. As a result, we have not adjusted our backlog or net new business awards information included below to incorporate revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses and have instead presented these metrics as if the previous accounting guidance (ASC 605) had been in effect.for all periods presented.
Backlog
Our backlog consists of anticipated future fee revenue from business awards that either have not started, but are anticipated to begin in the future (as noted above), or that are in process and have not been completed. Our backlog also reflects any cancellation or

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adjustment activity related to these contracts.awards. The average duration of our contracts will fluctuate from period to period in the future based on the contracts comprising our backlog at any given time. The majority of our contracts can be terminated by the customer with a 30-day notice.
The following table sets forthOur backlog was as follows as of March 31, (in millions):
 2019 2018 Change
Clinical Solutions$7,612.9
 $6,728.9
 $884.0
13.1%
Commercial Solutions - selling solutions690.2
 604.6
 85.6
14.2%
Total backlog$8,303.1
 $7,333.5
 $969.6
13.2%
We expect that approximately $2.94 billion of our backlog as of the following dates under ASC 605 (in millions):
 Balance at March 31,   
 2018 2017 Change
Clinical Solutions$3,813.7
 $1,884.5
 $1,929.2
102.4%
Commercial Solutions - Selling Solutions (a)
466.5
 
 466.5
n/m
Total Backlog$4,280.2
 $1,884.5
 $2,395.7
127.1%
(a) Following our Merger with inVentiv and beginning January 1, 2018, we began reporting information related to backlog associated with the selling solutions service offering within our Commercial Solutions segment. This information is not presented for periods prior to 2018.
Included in backlog at March 31, 2018 is approximately $1.87 billion that we expect to recognize2019 will be recognized as service revenue in 2018.during the remainder of 2019. We adjust the amount of our backlog each quarter for the effects of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.
Net new business awards
New business awards, net of cancellations, were as follows for the TTM period ended March 31 (in millions):
 2019
Clinical Solutions$4,193.5
Commercial Solutions1,324.6
    Total net new business awards$5,518.1
New business awards have varied and may continue to vary significantly from quarter to quarter. Fluctuations in our net new business award levels often result from the fact that we may receive a small number of relatively large orders in any given reporting period. Because of these large orders, our backlog and net new business awards in a reporting period may reach levels that are not sustainable in subsequent reporting periods.
We believe that our backlog and net new business awards might not be consistent indicators of future revenue because they have been, and likely will continue to be, affected by a number of factors, including the variable size and duration of projects, many of which are performed over several years, and cancellations and changes to the scope of work during the course of projects. Additionally, projects may be canceled or delayed by the customer or regulatory authorities. We generally do not have a contractual right to the full amount of the awards reflected in our backlog. If a customer cancels an award, we generally have the right tomight be reimbursed for the costs we have incurred. As we increasingly compete for and enter into large contracts that are more global in nature, we expect that the rate at which our backlog and net new business awards convert into revenue is likely to decrease, and the duration of projects and the period over which related revenue is recognized to lengthen. In addition, our adoption of the new revenue recognition standard in 2018 may result in delays in revenue recognition. For more information about risks related to our backlog see Part I, Item 1A "Risk Factors—Factors - Risks Related to Our Business—Business - Our backlog might not be indicative of our future revenues, and we might not realize all of the anticipated future revenue reflected in our backlog" included in “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.2018.

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Net new business awards
The following table sets forth new business awards, net of cancellations of prior awards under ASC 605 (in millions):
 Three Months Ended March 31,
 2018 2017
Clinical Solutions$549.7
 $248.6
Commercial Solutions322.4
 
    Total net new business awards$872.1
 $248.6
Net new business awards for our Clinical Solutions segment were higher in the three months ended March 31, 2018, primarily due to the Merger. Effective January 1, 2018, we began reporting information related to net new business awards associated with our Commercial Solutions segment. This information is not presented for periods prior to 2018.
New business awards have varied and may continue to vary significantly from quarter to quarter. Fluctuations in our net new business award levels often result from the fact that we may receive a small number of relatively large orders in any given reporting period. Because of these large orders, our backlog and net new business awards in a reporting period may reach levels that are not sustainable in subsequent reporting periods.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth amounts from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements along with the percentage changes (in thousands, except percentages):
Three Months Ended March 31,    Three Months Ended 
 March 31,
    
2018 2017 Change2019 2018 Change
Service revenue$1,057,196
 $252,078
 $805,118
 319.4 %
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses
 129,840
 (129,840) (100.0)%
Total revenue1,057,196
 381,918
 675,278
 176.8 %
Revenue$1,119,006
 $1,057,196
 $61,810
 5.8 %
Costs and operating expenses: 
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
Direct costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)532,057
 154,835
 377,222
 243.6 %886,802
 840,823
 45,979
 5.5 %
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses308,766
 129,840
 178,926
 137.8 %
Selling, general, and administrative99,259
 44,934
 54,325
 120.9 %
Selling, general, and administrative expenses113,117
 99,259
 13,858
 14.0 %
Restructuring and other costs13,707
 1,927
 11,780
 611.3 %14,413
 13,707
 706
 5.2 %
Transaction and integration-related expenses25,211
 2
 25,209
 n/m
16,658
 25,211
 (8,553) (33.9)%
Depreciation and amortization68,021
 15,628
 52,393
 335.3 %61,200
 68,021
 (6,821) (10.0)%
Total operating expenses1,047,021
 347,166
 699,855
 201.6 %1,092,190
 1,047,021
 45,169
 4.3 %
Income from operations10,175
 34,752
 (24,577) (70.7)%26,816
 10,175
 16,641
 (163.5)%
Total other expense, net(43,699) (6,445) (37,254) (578.0)%(46,404) (43,699) (2,705) (6.2)%
(Loss) income before provision for income taxes(33,524) 28,307
 (61,831) (218.4)%
Income tax benefit (expense)8,972
 (7,120) 16,092
 226.0 %
Net (loss) income$(24,552) $21,187
 $(45,739) (215.9)%
Loss before provision for income taxes(19,588) (33,524) 13,936
 41.6 %
Income tax (expense) benefit(10,416) 8,972
 (19,388) 216.1 %
Net loss$(30,004) $(24,552) $(5,452) (22.2)%

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Service Revenue
As a result of adopting the new revenue recognition standard on January 1, 2018, we no longer present service revenue and revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses separately in the statements of operations as, under the new revenue recognition standard, they represent a single performance obligation and separate presentation is no longer permitted.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, serviceOur revenue increased by $805.1$61.8 million, or 319.4%5.8%, to $1,057.2 million from $252.1 million$1.12 billion for the three months ended March 31, 2017. The inclusion of revenue associated with out-of-pocket expenses in service revenue in 2018 contributed to approximately 122.5% of the increase. Service revenue2019, from $1.06 billion for the three months ended March 31, 20182018. The increase was comprised of feeprimarily driven by revenue of $748.4 milliongrowth in both our Commercial Solutions and revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses of $308.8 million, compared to service revenue forClinical Solutions segments as discussed below.
During the three months ended March 31, 2017 which represents fee revenue only2019, one customer accounted for approximately 10% of $252.1 million. Revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was $129.8 million.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, our service revenue increased compared to the same period in the prior year primarily as a result of: (i) the Merger with inVentiv in August 2017; and (ii) inclusion of revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses as a component of service revenue in 2018, as discussed above. This increase was partially offset by: (i) an $11.6 million unfavorable impact from adoption of ASC 606; (ii) a less favorable revenue mix due to lower customer contract modifications in our Clinical Solutions segment; and (iii) a reduction in revenue of approximately $3.8 million due to the fair value adjustments required by purchase accounting.
revenue. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, one customer accounted for 10.7%11% of our total consolidated service revenue (which includes revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses as a result ofrevenue. Revenue from our adoption of ASC 606). No single customertop five customers accounted for greater than 10%approximately 22% and 24% of our total consolidated service revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Service revenue from our top five customers accounted for approximately 23.6%2019 and 31.0% of total consolidated service revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2018, and 2017, respectively.
Service revenueRevenue for each of our segments was as follows (in thousands, except percentages)(dollars in thousands):
Three Months Ended March 31,    Three Months Ended March 31,    
2018 % of total 2017 % of total Change2019 % of total 2018 % of total Change
Clinical Solutions$786,839
 74.4% $249,497
 99.0% $537,342
 215.4%$804,958
 71.9% $786,839
 74.4% $18,119
 2.3%
Commercial Solutions270,357
 25.6% 2,581
 1.0% 267,776
 n/m
314,048
 28.1% 270,357
 25.6% 43,691
 16.2%
Total service revenue$1,057,196
   $252,078
   $805,118
 319.4%
Total revenue$1,119,006
   $1,057,196
   $61,810
 5.8%
Clinical Solutions
Our Clinical Solutions segment is a leading global CRO that is therapeutically-focused and offers a variety of clinical development services spanning Phase I to Phase IV, including full-service global studies, as well as unbundled service offerings such as clinical monitoring, investigator recruitment, patient recruitment, data management, and study startup to assist customers with their drug development process. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, our Clinical Solutions segment generated service revenue of $786.8 million, representing approximately 74.4% of service revenue for the period. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, our Clinical Solutions segment generated service revenue of $249.5 million, representing approximately 99.0% of service revenue for the period.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, our service2019, revenue attributable to the Clinical Solutions segment increased compared to the same period in the prior year primarily due to: (i)to net new business growth resulting in higher backlog as we entered the Mergerperiod, partially offset by fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and contractual currency adjustment provisions of $14.1 million. Revenue growth was also partially offset by an unfavorable revenue mix and delays in the startup of projects, particularly from awards under certain new strategic relationships with inVentiv in August 2017; and (ii) inclusion of revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses as a component of service revenue in 2018 according to the requirements of new revenuelarge pharmaceutical customers.

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recognition standard, as discussed above. This increase was partially offset by a less favorable revenue mix due to lower customer contract modifications during the three months ended March 31, 2018.
Commercial Solutions

Our Commercial Solutions segment is a leading provider of a full suite of complementary commercialization services including outsourced field selling solutions, medication adherence, communications (public relations and advertising), and consulting services. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, our Commercial Solutions segment generated service revenue of $270.4 million, representing approximately 25.6% of service revenue for the period. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, our Commercial Solutions segment generated service revenue of $2.6 million, representing approximately 1.0% of service revenue for the period.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018,2019, our service revenue attributable to the Commercial Solutions segmentrevenue increased compared to the same periodsperiod in the prior year due to the Merger with inVentiv in August 2017. While our Commercial Solutions service revenue increased on a comparative basis due to the Merger, service revenue associated with this segment declined compared to the amounts reported by inVentiv in periods prior to the Merger, primarily as a result of project cancellations, and customer downsizing within our selling solutions and communications service offerings, along with lowernet new business awardsgrowth which resulted in 2017 that reduced 2018 revenue.
Direct Costs and Reimbursable Out-of-Pocket Expenses
Direct costs and reimbursable out-of-pocket expenseshigher backlog as we entered the period, a favorable revenue mix, as well as revenue from the Company’ acquisition of Kinapse Topco Limited (“Kinapse”), which was acquired during the third quarter of 2018. These increases were comprisedpartially offset by foreign exchange fluctuations of the following (in thousands, except percentages):
 Three Months Ended March 31,    
 
2018(a)
 
2017(b)
 Change
Direct costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)$532,057
 $154,835
 $377,222
 243.6 %
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses308,766
 129,840
 178,926
 137.8 %
Total direct costs and reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses$840,823
 $284,675
 $556,148
 195.4 %
Percentage of service revenue79.5% 74.5% 5.0 % 6.7 %
Gross margin percentage20.5% 38.6% (18.1)% (46.9)%
(a) As a result of the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard on January 1, 2018, we allocate reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses to our gross margin and the related percentage.
(b) Prior to the adoption of the new revenue standard on January 1, 2018, reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses were not included in our calculation of gross margin and the related percentage.$2.1 million.
Direct Costs
Direct costs consist principally of compensation expense and benefits expenses associated with our employees and other employee-related costs.costs, and reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses directly related to delivering on our projects. While we canhave some ability to manage the majority of these costs relative to the amount of contracted services we have during any given period, direct costs as a percentage of service revenue maycan vary from period to period. Such fluctuations are due to a variety of factors, including, among others,others: (i) the level of staff utilization created byon our ability to effectively manage our workforce,projects; (ii) adjustments to the timing of work on specific customer contracts,contracts; (iii) the experience mix of personnel assigned to projects, andprojects; (iv) the service mix and pricing of our contracts.contracts and (v) the timing of the incurrence of reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses, particularly on our Clinical Solutions projects. In addition, as global projects wind down or as delays and cancellations occur, staffing levels in certain countries or functional areas can become misaligned with the current business volume.
Direct costs consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31,    
 2019 2018 Change
Direct costs (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)$886,802

$840,823
 $45,979
 5.5%
% of revenue79.2% 79.5%    
Gross margin %20.8% 20.5%    
For the three months ended March 31, 2018,2019, our direct costs increased by $377.2$46.0 million, or 243.6%5.5%, to $532.1$886.8 million from $154.8$840.8 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017.2018. The increase was primarily driven by the Merger with inVentiv which increased our worldwide employee base by approximately 15,000 employees in August 2017, which resulted in an overall increase in compensation and related costs (including shared-based compensation), reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses, as well as direct costs from Kinapse, which was acquired in the third quarter of 2018.
Clinical Solutions
Direct costs for our Clinical Solutions segment, excluding share-based compensation expense, were as follows (dollars in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31,  
 2019 2018 Change
Direct costs$625,767

$615,371
 $10,396
 1.7%
% of segment revenue77.7% 78.2%    
Segment gross margin %22.3% 21.8%    
For the three months ended March 31, 2019, Clinical Solutions segment direct costs increased by $10.4 million, or 1.7%, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018. The increase was primarily due to an increase in compensation and related costs related to higher billable headcount to support revenue growth.
Gross margin for the Clinical Solutions segment was 22.3% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 compared to 21.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2018. Segment gross margin as a percentage

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compared to the prior year, primarily related to salaries, benefits, and incentive compensation expense. The following is a summary of the year-over-year fluctuation in components of direct costs (in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 to 2017
Change in: 
Salaries, benefits, and incentive compensation$328,979
Facilities and IT related costs27,182
Other21,061
Total$377,222
Reimbursable Out-of-Pocket Expenses
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses represent expenses typically not associated with our services which are passed through and reimbursed by our customers at actual cost. Such expenses are incurred within both our clinical and commercial businesses and are generally comprised of (i) physician and investigator fees, project management, data management and other site-facing study costs, (ii) travel-related expenses, (iii) certain compensation and bonuses of sales representatives and other project team personnel, and (iv) various vendor and third-party fees related to meetings, transportation, sales, marketing, communication, training, storage and other miscellaneous project expenses incurred under contracts. These expenses fluctuate significantly from period to period based on the timing of program initiation or closeout and the mix of program complexity, and do not necessarily change in direct correlation to fee revenue.
For the three months endedMarch 31, 2018, reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses increased by $178.9 million, or 137.8%, as compared torevenue was higher during the three months ended March 31, 2017. This increase was2019 compared to the same period in 2018 primarily due to the Merger with inVentiv which resulted in the increase in the number of studies in which these expenses are incurred.
Clinical Solutions
Direct costscost synergies and reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses for our Clinical Solutions segment, excluding share-based compensation expense, were as follows (in thousands, except percentages):
 Three Months Ended March 31,  
 
2018(a)
 
2017(b)
 Change
Direct costs$353,893
 $149,887
 $204,006
 136.1%
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses261,478
 
 $261,478
 n/m
Total segment direct costs and reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses$615,371
 $149,887
 $465,484
 310.6%
Percentage of service revenue58.2% 59.5% (1.3)%  
Gross margin percentage21.8% 39.9% (18.1)%  
(a) As a result of the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard on January 1, 2018, we allocate reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses to our operating segments.
(b) Prior to the adoption of the new revenue standard on January 1, 2018, reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses were not allocated to operating segments and therefore are not presented in segment related disclosures for periods prior to 2018.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018 and 2017, directfavorable impact from foreign currency fluctuations, partially offset by costs associated with our Clinical Solutions segment were $353.9 million and $149.9 million, respectively, or 67.0% and 98.5%, respectively, of segment direct costs. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, Clinical Solutions direct costs increased by $204.0 million, or 136.1%, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017. The increases in direct costs associatedcertain new strategic relationships with our Clinical Solutions segment was primarily due to the overall

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increase in personnel costs as a result of the Merger, as well as costs incurred with respect to the underutilized staff retained in anticipation of work that was delayed.
For the three months endedMarch 31, 2018, reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses associated with our Clinical Solutions segment were $261.5 million, representing approximately 84.7% of the total reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses for the period.
Clinical Solutions gross margin was 21.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to 39.9% for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Gross margin declined in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017 primarily due to: (i) inclusion of revenue associated with reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses as a component of service revenue in 2018, which accounted for approximately 10.8% of the decrease; (ii) the mix of customers and service offerings added as a result of the Merger having lower gross margin profile compared to our historical mix of customers and services; (iii) a less favorable revenue mix due to lower customer contract modifications; and (iv) elimination of $3.4 million of revenue from 2018 results due to purchase accounting requirements that otherwise would have been recognized by inVentiv. Specifically, inVentiv’s legacy Clinical Solutions business has historically had a higher proportion of contracts from the top 20 biopharmaceutical companies and a higher proportion of FSP services revenue, both of which typically have a lower margin profile than our historical mix of customers and services.large pharmaceutical customers.
Commercial Solutions
Direct costs and reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses for our Commercial Solutions segment, excluding share-based compensation expense, were as follows (in thousands, except percentages)(dollars in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31,  
 
2018(a)
 
2017(b)
 Change
Direct costs$174,412
 $2,235
 $172,177
 n/m
Reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses47,288
 
 $47,288
 n/m
Total segment direct costs and reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses$221,700
 $2,235
 $219,465
 n/m
Percentage of service revenue21.0% 0.9% 20.1%  
Gross margin percentage18.0% 13.4% 4.6%  
(a) As a result of the adoption of the new revenue recognition standard on January 1, 2018, we allocate reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses to our operating segments.
(b) Prior to the adoption of the new revenue standard on January 1, 2018, reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses were not allocated to operating segments and therefore are not presented in segment related disclosures for fiscal periods prior to 2018.
 Three Months Ended March 31,  
 2019 2018 Change
Direct costs$252,873
 $221,700
 $31,173
 14.1%
% of segment revenue80.5% 82.0%    
Segment gross margin %19.5% 18.0%    
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, direct costs associated with our2019, Commercial Solutions segment were $174.4 million, representing approximately 33.0% of segment direct costs for the period. Forincreased by $31.2 million, or 14.1%, as compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017,2018. The increase was primarily due to an increase in compensation and related costs related to higher billable headcount to support revenue growth, an increase in reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses, as well as direct costs associated with our Commercial Solutions segment were $2.2 million, representing approximately 1.5%from Kinapse, which was acquired in the third quarter of segment direct costs2018.
Gross margin for the period. The increase in direct costs associated with our Commercial Solutions segment was primarily due to the 2017 Merger with inVentiv.
For19.5% for the three months endedMarch 31, 2018, reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses associated with our Commercial Solutions segment were $47.3 million, representing approximately 15.3% of total reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses for the period.
The Commercial Solutions gross margin was2019 compared to 18.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to 13.4% for2018. Segment gross margin as a percentage of revenue was higher during the three months ended March 31, 2017.

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2019 compared to the same period in 2018 primarily due to a favorable revenue mix.
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Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general, and administrative expenses were as follows (in thousands, except percentages)(dollars in thousands):
 Three Months Ended    
 March 31, 2018 March 31, 2017 Change
Selling, general, and administrative$99,259
 $44,934
 $54,325
 120.9%
Percentage of service revenue9.4% 17.8%    
 Three Months Ended March 31,    
 2019 2018 Change
Selling, general, and administrative expenses$113,117
 $99,259
 $13,858
 14.0%
% of total revenue10.1% 9.4%    
Selling,The increase in selling, general, and administrative expenses increased by $54.3 million, or 120.9%, to $99.3 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018 from $44.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. This increase2019 was primarily due tocaused by incremental costs from Kinapse, which was acquired during the Merger with inVentiv in August 2017 which increased our overall expenses, including an increase to our employee base by approximately 15,000 employees.
The following is a summarythird quarter of the year-over-year fluctuation in components of selling, general, and administrative expenses (in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31, 2018 to 2017
Change in: 
Salaries, benefits, and incentive compensation$35,617
Professional services fees11,513
Other expenses7,195
Total$54,325
Selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of service revenue were 9.4% for the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to 17.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Of the decrease from the comparable quarter in the prior year, approximately 3.9% related to the inclusion of reimbursable out-of-pocket expenses as a component of service revenue in 2018, as required by the new revenue recognition standard.well as higher compensation related expenses (including share-based compensation).
Restructuring and Other Costs
Restructuring and other costs were $14.4 million and $13.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2018. In2019 and March 31, 2018, respectively. During 2017, in connection with the Merger, we established a restructuring plan to eliminate redundant positions and reduce our facility footprint worldwide. We expect to continue ourthe ongoing evaluations of our workforce and facilities infrastructure needs through 2020 in an effort to optimize our resources worldwide. Duringresources. Additionally, for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2018, we recognized approximately $8.4 million ofincurred employee severance and benefit costs $2.2 million ofand facility closure and lease termination costs for non-Merger related restructuring activities.

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Restructuring and $0.3 million of other costs related toconsisted of the Merger. following (in thousands):
 Three Months Ended March 31,
 2019 2018
Merger-related restructuring and other costs:   
Employee severance and benefit costs$6,272
 $8,400
Facility and lease termination costs1,954
 2,213
Other merger-related costs
 300
Non-merger related restructuring and other costs:   
Employee severance and benefit costs5,960
 200
Facility and lease termination costs219
 800
Consulting fees
 1,694
Other costs8
 100
Total restructuring and other costs$14,413
 $13,707
We expect to incur significant costs related to the restructuring of our operations in order to achieve the targeted synergies as a result of the Merger over the next several years. However, the timing and the estimate of the amount of these costs depends on various factors, including, but not limited to, (i) the identification ofidentifying and realizing synergy opportunities and (ii) the execution ofexecuting the integration of our combined operations.
Additionally, during the three months ended March 31, 2018, we recognized approximately $0.2 million of employee severance costs and incurred $0.8 million of facility closure and lease termination costs related to the our pre-Merger restructuring activities. We also incurred $1.7 million of consulting costs related to the continued consolidation of our legal entities and restructuring of our contract management process to meet the requirements of the new revenue recognition accounting standard adopted on January 1, 2018, and $0.1 million of other costs during the three months ended March 31, 2018.
Restructuring and other costs were $1.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. In July 2016, we entered into a transition agreement with our former Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") related to his

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transition from the position of CEO effective October 1, 2016, and subsequent services to be rendered through his separation date of February 28, 2017. Payments under this agreement are expected to be made through August 2018. In addition, in September 2016, we entered into retention agreements with certain key employees coinciding with the CEO transition for retention periods of up to one year. For the three months ended March 31, 2017, we recognized $0.4 million of costs associated with the retention agreements and expect to incur an additional $0.4 million of costs related to these agreements through August 2017.
For the three months ended March 31, 2017, we incurred $0.7 million of facility closure and lease costs related to our focus on optimizing our resources worldwide. Additionally, during the three months ended March 31, 2017, we incurred $0.3 million of consulting costs related to the continued consolidation of our legal entities and restructuring of our contract management process in preparation for the adoption of the new revenue recognition accounting standard in 2018, and $0.6 million of other costs.
Transaction and Integration-Related Expenses
Transaction and integration-related expenses consisted of the following (in thousands):
Three Months Ended March 31,Three Months Ended March 31,
2018 20172019 2018
Professional fees$14,700
 $2
$12,846
 $14,700
Debt modification and related expenses2,241
 
Integration and personnel retention-related costs9,293
 
847
 9,293
Contingent tax-sharing obligations fair value adjustment1,194
 
Fair value adjustments to contingent obligations724
 1,194
Other24
 

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Total transaction and integration-related expenses$25,211
 $2
$16,658
 $25,211
We expect to incur additional transaction and integrationintegration-related expenses associated with the Merger. The timing and the amount of these expenses will depend on the identification of synergy opportunities and the timing and execution of our integration activities.
Additionally, in connection with the Merger, we entered into retention agreements with certain key employees. During the three months ended March 31, 2018, we recognized $6.7 million of expenses related to these retention agreements, which are reflected in the “Integration and personnel retention-related costs” line item in the table above. We expect to incur approximately $2.2 million of additional expenses which are expected to be paid in May 2018.
There were no material transaction expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2017. 

Depreciation and Amortization Expense
Total depreciation and amortization expense increased towas $61.2 million and $68.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, from $15.6 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. This increaserespectively. The decline was primarily due to: (i) an increaseto a decrease in amortization expense related to the assumption offrom intangible assets as part of the Merger; and (ii)resulting from business combinations completed in prior periods, partially offset by an increase in depreciation expense due to assets obtained in the Merger and ourfrom continued investment in information technology and facilities to support growth in our operational capabilities and optimization of our infrastructure.

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Other Expense, Net
Other expense, net consisted of the following (in thousands, except percentages)(dollars in thousands):
Three Months Ended    Three Months Ended March 31,    
March 31, 2018 March 31, 2017 Change2019 2018 Change
Interest income$839
 $112
 $727
 649.1 %$1,502
 $839
 $663
 79.0 %
Interest expense(31,736) (3,100) (28,636) (923.7)%(34,630) (31,736) (2,894) (9.1)%
Loss on extinguishment of debt(248) 
 (248) (100.0)%(4,355) (248) (4,107) n/m
Other expense, net(12,554) (3,457) (9,097) (263.1)%(8,921) (12,554) 3,633
 28.9 %
Total other expense, net$(43,699) $(6,445) $(37,254) (578.0)%$(46,404) $(43,699) $(2,705) (6.2)%
Total other expense, net increased to net expense ofwas $46.4 million and $43.7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, from net expense of $6.4 million forrespectively. The increase was primarily due to the three months ended March 31, 2017. This increase is predominantly related to: (i) an increase in interest expense due to higher debt balances as a result of higher average interest rates on our variable rate debt and the Merger; and (ii) increasedhigher loss on extinguishment of debt associated with the debt refinancing transaction completed during the first quarter of 2019. Partially offsetting these increases was lower other expense, net, which primarily consists of foreign currency gains and losses incurred as athat result offrom exchange rate fluctuations related toon our monetary asset balances denominated in currencies other than functional currency. Strengthening of foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar may create losses in future periods to the extent that our subsidiaries who use local currency as their functional currency maintain net assets and liabilities balances not denominated in their functional currency.
Income Tax Benefit (Expense)Expense
IncomeFor the three months ended March 31, 2019, we recorded income tax benefit (expense)expense of $10.4 million on a pre-tax loss of $19.6 million. Variances between the effective income tax rate and the statutory income tax rate of 21.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2019 were primarily due to: (i) base erosion anti-abuse minimum tax, (ii) foreign income inclusions such as GILTI, and (iii) a valuation allowance change on domestic deferred tax assets.
For the three months ended March 31, 2018, was anwe recorded income tax benefit of $9.0 million compared to an income tax expenseon a pre-tax loss of $7.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017.$33.5 million. Variances between our effective income tax rate and the statutory income tax rate of 21.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2018 were primarily due to: (i) research tax credits in foreign jurisdictions; (ii) a decrease in unrecognized tax benefits; and (iii) a change in the valuation allowance change on certain domestic deferred tax assets.
Variances between effective income tax rate and the statutory income tax rate of 35.0% for the three months ended March 31, 2017 were primarily due to: (i) income earned in various international tax jurisdictions that apply lower income tax rates; (ii) research tax credits; and (iii) discrete tax adjustments related to excess tax benefits on share-based compensation payments.
Net (Loss) Income
For the three months ended March 31, 2018 we incurred a net loss of $24.6 million compared to net income of $21.2 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017. Net loss for the three months ended March 31, 2018 was primarily due to a decrease in income from operations. As a result of the Merger, we incurred higher than normal costs associated with: (i) transaction and integration-related costs; (ii) restructuring and other costs; and (iii) depreciation and amortization expense. Additionally, other expense, net, increased predominantly as a result of higher debt balances which increased interest expense during the three months ended March 31, 2018 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Key measures of our liquidity are as follows (in thousands):
 March 31, 2018 December 31, 2017
Balance sheet statistics:   
Cash and cash equivalents (a)
$186,719
 $321,262
Working capital (excluding restricted cash)107,916
 261,903
(a) As of March 31, 2018 and December 31, 2017, cash and cash equivalents held by our foreign subsidiaries were $62.1 million and $192.0 million, respectively. A portion of these cash and cash equivalent balances may be subject to foreign withholding and U.S. taxation, if repatriated.
 March 31, 2019 December 31, 2018
Balance sheet statistics:   
Cash and cash equivalents$105,859
 $153,863
Restricted cash2,062
 2,069
Working capital (excluding restricted cash)21,986
 (13,305)
As of March 31, 2018,2019, we had $186.7$107.9 million of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. As of March 31, 2019, substantially all of our cash, equivalents.cash equivalents and restricted cash are held within the United States. In addition, we had $485.6$580.5 million (net of $14.4$19.5 million in outstanding letters of credit) available for borrowing under our $500.0$600.0 million revolving creditRevolver facility.
We have historically funded our operations and growth, including acquisitions, primarily with our working capital, cash flow from operations and funds available through various borrowing arrangements. Our principal liquidity requirements are to fund our debt service obligations, capital expenditures, expansion of service offerings, possible acquisitions, integration and restructuring costs, geographic expansion, stock

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repurchases, working capital and other general corporate expenses. Based on the past performance and current expectations, we believe our cash and cash equivalents, cash generated from operations, and funds available under our revolving credit facility will be sufficient to meet our working capital needs, capital expenditures, scheduled debt and interest payments, income tax obligations and other currently anticipated liquidity requirements for at least the next 12 months.
Indebtedness
At March 31, 2018,2019, we had approximately $2.95$2.8 billion of total principal indebtedness, (including $31.5 million of capital leases), comprised of $2.52 billion$2,167.4 million in term loan debt, and $403.0 million in 7.5% Senior Notes of which $2.42 billion was subject to variable interest rates.due 2024, and $195.9 million in borrowings against the accounts receivable financing agreement. In addition, as of March 31, 20182019 we had $485.6$580.5 million (net of $14.4$19.5 million in outstanding letters of credit) of available borrowings for working capital and other purposes under the Revolver and $1.2$0.8 million of letters of credit that were not secured by the Revolver. During March 2018,In February 2019, we made a voluntary prepaymentprepayments of $25.0 million, on the Term Loan B, which waswere applied against the regularly-scheduled quarterly principal payments.payments of the Term Loan B. As a result of the prepayment,these and previous voluntary prepayments, we are not required to make a mandatory principal payment against the Term Loan B principal balance until July 29, 2022.maturity in August 2024. Additionally, during the three months ended March 31, 2019, we made mandatory principal payments of $12.5 million towards our Term Loan A.
Additionally,Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement
On March 26, 2019, we entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement (“the Second Amendment”). The Second Amendment, among other things, modifies the terms of the Credit Agreement to refinance the existing Term Loan A facility and the Revolver as follows:
(a) to increase the existing Term Loan A facility by $587.5 million to $1.55 billion. $187.5 million of such increase was applied at closing to repay a portion of our existing Term Loan B facility and the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Second Amendment, and the remaining $400.0 million will be available to be funded in multiple draws within 9 months of closing and applied to further prepay loans under the Term Loan B facility and/or redeem, repay, defease or discharge all or a portion of our Senior Unsecured Notes due 2024;
(b) to increase the existing Revolver commitments available by $100.0 million to $600.0 million, and reduce the margin spread by 0.25% overall, resulting in (i) for Adjusted Eurocurrency Rate loans, a margin spread of 1.50% and (ii) for alternate base rate loans, a margin spread of 0.50%, with a single 0.25% step-down based on the achievement of certain leverage ratios; and
(c) to extend the maturity such that the Term Loan A facility and the Revolver will mature five years from March 26, 2019.

The Term Loan A facility and the Revolver will continue to be subject to the same affirmative covenants and negative covenants. The financial covenant will be set at a First Lien Leverage Ratio of 5.00:1.00 with a single step-down to 4.50:1.00 commencing with the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2020. We were in compliance with all covenants of the Credit Agreement as of March 31, 2019.

In connection with the Second Amendment, during the three months ended March 31, 2019, we recorded a $4.4 million loss on extinguishment of debt, mainly due to the write-off of the deferred issuance costs and debt discount.

The funded amount of the Term Loan A facility was issued net of a discount and debt issuance costs totaling $2.8 million. These costs are being accreted as a component of interest expense using the effective interest rate method over the term of this facility.

We recorded debt issuance costs and related fees in connection with the Revolver and the unfunded amount of the Term Loan A facility of approximately $3.5 million, which are included in other assets in the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. These costs are amortized as a component of interest expense on a straight-line basis over the related terms.

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Interest Rates
In June 2018, we entered into an interest rate swap that has an aggregate notional value of $1.01 billion, an effective date of December 31, 2018, and that expires on June 30, 2021. As a result, the percentage of our total principal debt (excluding leases) that is subject to fixed interest rates was approximately 54.5% at March 31, 2019. Each quarter-point increase or decrease in the applicable interest rate at March 31, 2019 would change our annual interest expense by approximately $3.1 million.
Covenant Restrictions under our Lease Agreement
The lease agreement for our new corporate headquarters in Morrisville, North Carolina includes a provision whichthat requires us to issue a letter of credit in certain amounts to the landlord based on our debt rating issued by Moody’s Investors Service (or other nationally-recognized debt rating agency). From June 14, 2017 through June 14, 2020, if our debt rating is Ba3 or better, no letter of credit is required, or if our debt rating is B1 or lower, a letter of credit equal to 25% of the remaining minimum annual rent and estimated operating expenses (approximately $24.2 million asAs of March 31, 2018) is required to be issued to the landlord. This letter of credit would remain in effect until our debt rating increased to Ba3 and is maintained for a twelve-month period. After June 14, 2020, if our debt rating is Ba2 or better, no letter of credit is required; if our debt rating is Ba3, a letter of credit equal to 25% of the then remaining minimum annual rent and estimated operating expenses is required to be issued to the landlord (estimated at approximately $22.0 million as of March 31, 2018); or if our debt rating is B1 or lower, a letter of credit equal to 100% of the then remaining minimum annual rent and estimated operating expenses is required to be issued to the landlord (estimated at approximately $87.9 million as of March 31, 2018). These letters of credit would remain in effect until our debt rating is Ba2 or better and maintained for a twelve-month period.

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As of as of March 31, 20182019 (and through the date of this filing), our credit rating was Ba3. As such, no letter of credit is currently required.was required through the date of this filing. Any letters of credit issued in accordance with the aforementioned requirements would be issued under our Revolver, and would reduce its available borrowing capacity by the same amount accordingly.amount.
Our ability to make payments on our indebtedness and to fund planned capital expenditures and necessary working capital will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future. Our ability to meet our cash needs through cash flows from operations will depend on the demand for our services, as well as general economic, financial, competitive, and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our business may not generate cash flow in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay the principal of, or interest on, our indebtedness, or to fund our other liquidity needs, including working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, investments, and other general corporate requirements. If we cannot fund our liquidity needs, we will have to take actions such as reducing or delaying capital expenditures, acquisitions or investments, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing our debt, reducing the scope of our operations and growth plans, or seeking additional capital. We cannot assure you that any of these remedies could, if necessary, be affected on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or that they would permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations. Our 2017 Credit Agreement contains covenant restrictions that limit our ability to direct the use of proceeds from any disposition of assets and, as a result, we may not be allowed to use the proceeds from any such dispositions to satisfy all current debt service obligations.
Accounts Receivable Financing Agreement
On June 29, 2018 we entered into an accounts receivable financing agreement (as amended) with a termination date of June 29, 2020, unless terminated earlier pursuant to its terms. Under this agreement, we can borrow up to $250.0 million from a third-party lender, secured by liens on certain receivables and other assets. As of March 31, 2019, we had $195.9 million of outstanding borrowings under this agreement with a maximum remaining borrowing capacity available of $54.1 million, which is limited by a periodic calculation of our available borrowing base.
2018 Stock Repurchase Program
On February 26, 2018, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to an aggregate of $250.0 million of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, to be executed from time to time in open market transactions effected through a broker at prevailing market prices, in block trades, or privately negotiated transactions. The stock repurchase program commenced on March 1, 2018 and will end no later than December 31, 2019. We intend to use cash on hand and future free cash flow to fund the stock repurchase program.
In March 2018,January 2019, we repurchased 948,100552,100 shares of our common stock in open market transactions at an average price of $39.55$39.16 per share, resulting in a total purchase price of approximately $37.5$21.6 million. In February 2019, we repurchased 120,600shares of our common stock in open market transactions at an average price of $41.40 per share, resulting in a total purchase price of approximately $5.0 million. We immediately retired all of the repurchased common stock and charged the par value of the shares to

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common stock. The excess of the repurchase price over the par value was applied on a pro rata basis against additional paid-in-capital, with the remainder applied to accumulated deficit. As of March 31, 2018,2019, we had remaining authorization to repurchase up to $212.5approximately $148.4 million of shares of our common stock under the 2018 stock repurchase program.
We are not obligated to repurchase any particular amount of our common stock, and the stock repurchase program may be modified, extended, suspended or discontinued at any time. The timing and amount of repurchases is determined by our management based on a variety of factors such as our corporate requirements for cash, overall market conditions, and the market price of our common stock, our corporate requirements for cash, and overall market conditions.stock. The stock repurchase program will be subject to applicable legal requirements, including federal and state securities laws.

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laws and applicable Nasdaq rules.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Our cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities were as follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended  Three Months Ended  
March 31, 2018 March 31, 2017 ChangeMarch 31, 2019 March 31, 2018 Change
Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities$(46,985) $75,699
 $(122,684)
Net cash used in operating activities$(13,306) $(46,985) $33,679
Net cash used in investing activities(21,286) (10,571) (10,715)(11,445) (21,286) 9,841
Net cash used in financing activities(69,877) (6,020) (63,857)(26,338) (69,877) 43,539
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
ForCash flows used in operations decreased by $33.7 million during the three months ended March 31, 2019, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2018, our operating activities used $47.0 milliondue to the year-over-year decrease in cash, consisting of net loss of $24.6$5.5 million adjusted for netand an increase in non-cash items of $74.9$7.8 million primarily relatedlargely due to depreciation and amortization expense, changes in deferred income taxes share-basedand share based compensation, expense,partially offset by lower depreciation and foreign currency adjustments. Cashamortization. Also contributing was a decrease in cash used for changes in operating assets and liabilities was $97.3of $31.4 million consisting primarily of cash outflows as a result of a net increase in accounts receivable, unbilled services, and advanced billings, partially offset by a decrease in other assets and liabilities.
Forcompared to the three months ended March 31, 2017, our operating activities provided $75.7 million in cash, consisting of net income of $21.2 million, adjusted for net non-cash items of $24.8 million primarily related to depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, and foreign currency adjustments. Additionally, cash provided by changes in operating assets and liabilities was $29.7 million, consisting primarily of cash inflow as a result of: (i) a decrease in billed and unbilled accounts receivable; and (ii) an increase in contract liabilities. Partially offsetting this cash inflow was cash outflow due to increase in accounts payable and accrued liabilities.
prior year period. The changes in operating assets and liabilities result primarily from the net change in billed and unbilled accounts receivable, contract assets and contract liabilities,deferred revenue, coupled with changes in accounts payable, accrued expenses, and other long-term assets and liabilities. Fluctuations in billed and unbilled receivables, contract assets and contract liabilitiesdeferred revenue occur on a regular basis as we perform services, achieve milestones or other billing criteria, send invoices to customers and collect outstanding accounts receivable. This activity varies by individual customer and contract. We attempt to negotiate payment terms that provide for payment of services prior to or soon after the provision of services, but the levels of unbilled services, contract assets and contract liabilitiesdeferred revenue can vary significantly from period to period.
Cash flows from operations decreased by $122.7 million during the three months ended March 31, 2018, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2017, due to a decrease in the cash inflow from working capital of $127.1 million and the year-over-year decrease in net income of $45.7 million. The decrease in cash inflow from working capital was primarily due to an increase in our days sales outstanding (“DSO”) compared to the same period in the prior year. The lower cash flow from operations for the first quarter, and resulting increase in DSO, were largely driven by a temporary delay in billing and collections associated with our integration activities, primarily the consolidation of our financial and billing platforms, the off-shoring of certain functions, and the transition to ASC 606.

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Impact of the Merger on Cash Flows from Operating Activities
As a result of the Mergerour integration activities associated with inVentiv, our operating cash flows may be significantly negatively affected in future periods. In particular, we have incurred and continue to incur substantial expenses related to the consummation of the Merger and subsequent integration activitiesour acquisition activity, we incurred substantial expenses that we anticipate will continue for the next 12 to 18 months.negatively impacted our cash flow from operations. For example, during the three months ended March 31, 2018,2019, we incurred $25.2$15.9 million in transaction and integrated-relatedof expenses related to the Merger, of which $24.0 million hasthat impacted our operating cash flows in the current period or will impact operating cash flows in the future.
In addition, as a result of the Merger, our total indebtedness increased by $2.46 billion to $2.95 billion as of March 31, 2018, of which $2.42 billion is subject to variable interest rates, as compared to total indebtedness of $490.0 million as of March 31, 2017. As a result, we We anticipate that our interest expense and corresponding operating cash outflowswe will be higher in future periods on a comparative basis. This additional expense will place further demand on and may significantly reduce our cash flows from operations in future periods. Our business may not continue to generate cash flows from operations inincur similar costs related to our integration efforts for the future that is sufficient to service and repay our increased debt obligations.next 12 to18 months.
Cash Flows from Investing Activities
For the three months ended March 31, 2018,2019, we used $21.3$11.4 million in cash for investing activities, primarily due to capital expenditures related to purchasesfor the purchase of property and equipment. For the full yearthree months ended March 31, 2018, we expect our total capital expenditures to be between $85.0used $21.3 million for investing activities, primarily for the purchase of property and $95.0 million. This estimate includes expenditures associated with planned consolidation of our corporate headquarters facility in Morrisville, North Carolina, as well as expenditures related to a new site in Farnborough, United Kingdom which will replace our Camberley, United Kingdom location. These moves will coincide with the near-term expiration of our existing leases.equipment.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
For the three months ended March 31, 2017, we2019, our financing activities used $10.6$26.3 million in cash, for investing activitiesconsisting primarily of: (i) repayments of long-term debt of $216.1 million, including voluntary prepayments of $25.0 million through February 2019 against the principal balance of our Term Loan B, (ii) payments of $26.6

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million for the purchasesrepurchase of propertyour common stock under the 2018 repurchase program; and equipment. 
Cash Flows(iii) payments related to tax withholding for share-based compensation of $11.5 million. These payments were partially offset by proceeds from: (i) issuance of long-term debt, net of discount, of $183.2 million; (ii) $26.5 million from Financing Activities
our accounts receivable financing agreement; and (iii) $19.7 million received from the exercise of stock options. For the three months ended March 31, 2018, our financing activities used $69.9 million in cash, consisting primarily of: (i) payments of $37.5 million for the repurchase of our common stock under the 2018 repurchase program; and (ii) repayments of long-term debt of $31.3 million, including a voluntary prepayment of $25.0 million against the principal balance of our Term Loan B; and (iii) repayments of capital lease obligations of $4.5 million. These payments were partially offset by proceeds of $5.7 million received from the exercise of stock options.
For the three months ended March 31, 2017, we used $6.0 million in cash for financing activities, consisting of net repayments of $10.0 million under the revolving line of credit and payments of $1.2 million related to tax withholdings for share-based compensation. These payments were partially offset by proceeds of $5.2 million received from the exercise of stock options.
Contractual Obligations and Commitments
We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements except for operating leases entered into in the normal course of business. There have been no material changes, outside of the ordinary course of business, to our contractual obligations as previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.2018, except as described below.

In March 2019, we entered into Amendment No. 2 to the Credit Agreement, which, among other things, modified the terms of the Credit Agreement to refinance the existing Term Loan A facility and the Revolver. Please refer to “Note 4 - Long-Term Debt Obligations” for information regarding changes in the maturities of our contractual obligation related to principal balances and interest on our long-term debt.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates, judgments, and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, revenues, and expenses during the period, as well as disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. We evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis, including those related to revenue recognition, share-based compensation, valuation of goodwill and identifiable intangibles, tax-related contingencies and valuation allowances, allowance for doubtful accounts, and litigation contingencies, among others. These estimates are based on the information available to management at the time these estimates, judgments and assumptions are made. Actual results may differ materially from these estimates. The following policiesThere have been updated as a result of the adoption Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”).no significant changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates. For additional information on all of our critical accounting policies and estimates, seerefer to Part II - Item 7 - Management’s Discussion and Analysis included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.
Revenue Recognition
We adopted the ASC 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers and all the related amendments (“new revenue standard” or “ASC 606”) on January 1, 2018 using the modified retrospective method for all contracts not completed as of the date of adoption. Our reported results for the three months ended March 31, 2018 reflect the application of ASC 606, while the reported results for the three months ended March 31, 2017 were prepared under ASC 605 - Revenue Recognition and other authoritative guidance in effect for this period. In accordance with ASC 606, revenue is now recognized when, or as, a customer obtains control of promised services. The amount of revenue recognized reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled to receive in exchange for these services.
A performance obligation is a promise (or a combination of promises) in a contract to transfer distinct goods or services to a customer and is the unit of accounting under ASC 606 for the purposes of revenue recognition. A contract’s transaction price is allocated to each separate performance obligation based upon the standalone selling price and is recognized as revenue, when, or as, the performance obligation is satisfied. The majority of our contracts have a single performance obligation because the promise to transfer individual services is not separately identifiable from other promises in the contracts, and therefore, is not distinct. For contracts with multiple performance obligations, the contract’s transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation using the best estimate of the standalone selling price of each distinct good or service in the contract.
The majority of our revenue arrangements are service contracts that range in duration from a few months to several years. Substantially all of our performance obligations, and associated revenue, are transferred to the customer over time. We generally receive compensation based on measuring progress toward completion using anticipated project budgets for direct labor and prices for each service offering. We are also reimbursed for certain third party pass-through and out-of-pocket costs. In addition, in certain instances a customer contract may include forms of variable consideration such as incentive fees, volume rebates or other provisions that can increase or decrease the transaction price. This variable consideration is generally awarded upon achievement of certain performance metrics, program milestones or cost targets. For the purposes of revenue recognition, variable consideration is assessed on a contract-by-contract basis and the amount to be recorded is estimated based on the assessment of our anticipated performance and consideration of all information that is reasonably available. Variable consideration is recognized as revenue if and when it is deemed probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is resolved in the future.
Most of our contracts can be terminated by the customer without cause with a 30-day notice. In the event of termination, our contracts generally provide that the customer pay us for fees earned through the termination date; fees and expenses for winding down the project, which include both fees incurred and actual expenses; non-cancellable expenditures; and in some cases, a fee to cover a portion of the remaining professional fees on the project. Our long term clinical trial contracts contain implied

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substantive termination penalties because of the significant wind-down cost of terminating a clinical trial. These provisions for termination penalties result in these types of contracts being treated as long term for revenue recognition purposes.
Changes in the scope of work are common, especially under long-term contracts, and generally result in a renegotiation of future contract pricing terms and change in contract transaction price. If the customer does not agree to a contract modification, we could bear the risk of cost overruns. Most of our contract modifications are for services that are not distinct from the services under the existing contract due to the significant integration service provided in the context of the contract and therefore result in a cumulative catch-up adjustment to revenue at the date of contract modification.
Contract Balances
Contract assets include unbilled amounts typically resulting from revenue recognized in excess of the amounts billed to the customer for which the right to payment is subject to factors other than the passage of time. These amounts may not exceed their net realizable value. Contract assets are generally classified as current. Contract liabilities consist of customer payments received in advance of performance and billings in excess of revenue recognized, net of revenue recognized from the balance at the beginning of the period. Non-current portion of contract liabilities is included in the “Other long-term liabilities” line item in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet. Contract assets and liabilities are presented on the balance sheet net on a contract-by-contract basis at the end of each reporting period.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards
For a description of recently issued accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption and the estimated effects, if any, on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, see “Note 1 - Basis of Presentation and Changes in Significant Accounting Policies“ to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.2018.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
There have been no material changes to our quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk as compared to the quantitative and qualitative disclosures about market risk described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.2018.

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Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our CEO and CFO, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act), as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Based on such evaluation, our CEO and CFO have concluded that as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.not effective at the reasonable assurance level.
In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
Changes in Internal Controls
DuringOther than the quarter ended March 31, 2018, we implemented a plan that called for modifications and additions to internal control over financial reporting related to the accounting for revenue as a result of the

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new revenue recognition standard. The modified and new controlsremediation efforts described below, there have been designed to address risks associated with recognizing revenue under the new standard. We have therefore augmented our internal control over financial reporting as follows:

Enhanced the risk assessment process to take into account risks associated with the new revenue standard.

Added controls that address risks associated with the five-step model for recording revenue, including the revision of our contract review controls.

As previously noted, we completed the Merger with inVentiv during the third quarter of 2017. Management considers this transaction to be material to our consolidated financial statements and believes that the internal controls and procedures of inVentiv have a material effect on our internal control over financial reporting. We are currently in the process of incorporating the internal controls and procedures of inVentiv into our internal controls over financial reporting and extending our Section 404 compliance program under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the applicable rules and regulations under such Act to include inVentiv. We will report on our assessment of the consolidated operations within the time period provided by the Act and the applicable SEC rules and regulations concerning business combinations, which is the annual management report for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018. 

There were no changes other than described above, in our internal control over financial reporting identified in management’s evaluation pursuant to Rules 13a-15(d) or 15d-15(d) of the Exchange Act during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
In connection with management’s assessment of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018, management concluded that material weaknesses existed in the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls within the Clinical Solutions segment in connection with the revenue recognition process under ASU 2014-09 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (ASC 606), which the Company adopted on January 1, 2018. These material weaknesses were not fully remediated as of March 31, 2019.
The following components of internal control over financial reporting were impacted: (i) control environment - the training process associated with ASC 606 was not sufficient in all cases to support the development of estimates of the costs necessary to complete the performance of contracts and related supporting documentation; (ii) risk assessment - the Company’s risk assessment process did not effectively evaluate risks resulting from changes in the external environment or business operations at a sufficient level of precision to identify errors; (iii) control activities - the Company did not have effective control activities related to the operation of process-level controls over revenue recognition; and (iv) monitoring - the Company did not have effective monitoring activities to assess the operation of internal controls, including the continued appropriateness of internal controls.
Remediation of the Material Weaknesses in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management is actively engaged in the implementation of remediation efforts to address the material weaknesses. The remediation plan includes: (i) the modification of certain internal controls designed to evaluate the appropriateness of revenue recognition in our Clinical Solutions segment; (ii) implementing new internal controls over recording revenue transactions; and (iii) additional training for staff involved in the related processes. During the first quarter of 2019, management made progress in all three areas of the remediation plan described above. Remediation efforts are ongoing.
Management believes the measures described above and others that may be implemented will remediate the material weaknesses. As management continues to evaluate and improve internal control over financial reporting, we may decide to take additional measures to address control deficiencies or determine to modify, or in appropriate circumstances not to complete, certain of the planned remediation measures. Subsequent testing of the operational effectiveness of any modified or new controls will be necessary to validate that the material weaknesses have been fully remediated.

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
We are party to legal proceedings incidental to our business. While our management currently believes the ultimate outcome of these proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, will not have a material adverse effect on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties. Were an unfavorable ruling to occur, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
On December 1, 2017, the first of two virtually identical actions alleging federal securities law claims was filed against us and certain of our officers on behalf of a putative class of our shareholders. The first action, captioned Bermudez v. INC Research, Inc., et al, No. 17-09457 (S.D.N.Y.), names as defendants us, Michael Bell, Alistair MacDonald, Michael Gilbertini, and Gregory S. Rush (the "Bermudez action"), and the second action, Vaitkuvienë v. Syneos Health, Inc., et al, No. 18-0029 (E.D.N.C.), filed on January 25, 2018, names as defendants us, Alistair MacDonald, and Gregory S. Rush.Rush (the "Vaitkuvienë action"). Both complaints allege similar claims under Section 10(b) and Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of a putative class of purchasers of our common stock between May 10, 2017 and November 8, 2017 (Vaitkuvienë action) and November 9, 2017 (Bermudez action).2017. The complaints allege that we published inaccurate or incomplete information regarding, among other things, the financial performance and business outlook for inVentiv’s business prior to the Merger and with respect to the combined company following the Merger. On January 30, 2018, two alleged shareholders of oursseparately filed motions both seeking to be appointed lead plaintiff and approving the selection of lead counsel. These motions remain pending. On March 30, 2018, Plaintiff Bermudez filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of the Bermudez action, without prejudice, and as to all defendants. On May 29, 2018, the Court in the Vaitkuvienë action appointed the San Antonio Fire & Police Pension Fund and El Paso Firemen & Policemen’s Pension Fund as Lead Plaintiffs and, on June 7, 2018, the Court entered a schedule providing for, among other things, Lead Plaintiffs to file an amended complaint by July 23, 2018 (later extended to July 30, 2018). Lead Plaintiffs filed their amended complaint on July 30, 2018, which also includes a claim against the same defendants listed above, as well as each member of the board of directors at the time of the INC Research - inVentiv Health merger vote in July 2017, contending that the inVentiv merger proxy was misleading under Section 14(a) of the Act. Lead Plaintiffs seek, among other things, orders (i) declaring that the lawsuit is a proper class action and (ii) awarding compensatory damages in an amount to be proven at trial, including interest thereon, and reasonable costs and expenses incurred in this action, including attorneys’ fees and expert fees, to Lead Plaintiffs and other class members. Defendants filed a Motion to Dismiss Plaintiffs’ Amended Complaint on September 20, 2018. Lead Plaintiffs filed a Response in Opposition to such motion on November 21, 2018, and Defendants filed a Reply to such response on December 5, 2018. We and the other defendants deny the allegations in these complaints and intend to defend vigorously against these claims. In the Company's opinion, the ultimate outcome of this matter is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.
On September 24, 2018, the Court unsealed a civil complaint captioned United States, et. al vs. AstraZeneca PLC, et. al, No. 2:17-cv-01328-RSL (W.D. Wa.) against inVentiv Health, Inc. and other co-defendants. The complaint alleges that the Company and co-defendants violated the Federal False Claims Act (and various state analogues) and Anti-Kickback Statute through the provision of clinical education services. On December 17, 2018, the United States moved to dismiss this lawsuit, as well as other similar lawsuits supported by the relator in this action. The Company denies the allegations in the complaint intends to defend vigorously against these claims. In the Company’s opinion, the ultimate outcome of this matter is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. 
On February 21, 2019, the SEC notified the Company that it has commenced an investigation into our revenue accounting policies, internal controls and related matters, and requested that we retain certain documents for the periods beginning with January 1, 2017. The Audit Committee of our Board of Directors subsequently initiated an independent review of our revenue accounting policies, internal controls and

41



related matters with the assistance of outside counsel and accounting advisors, which is now complete. On March 22, 2019, the SEC subpoenaed certain documents in connection with its investigation.
On March 1, 2019, a complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey on behalf of a putative class of shareholders who purchased our common stock during the period between May 10, 2017 and February 27, 2019. The complaint names us and certain of our executive officers as defendants and allege violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, based on allegedly false or misleading statements about our business, operations, and prospects. The plaintiffs seek awards of compensatory damages, among other relief, and their costs and attorneys’ and experts’ fees.
We are presently unable to predict the duration, scope or result of the SEC’s investigation, the related putative class action or any other related lawsuit or investigation.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
There have been no significant changes from the risk factors previously disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. See2018. Refer to “Risk Factors” in Part 1, Item 1A of that report for a detailed discussion of risk factors affecting the Company.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities, Use of Proceeds and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
Not applicable.
Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities
Not applicable.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer
During the three months ended March 31, 2019, we repurchased 672,700 shares of our Class A common stock under our previously announced stock repurchase program described below, for a total of approximately $26.6 million. As of March 31, 2019, we have remaining authorization to repurchase up to approximately $148.4 million of shares of our Class A common stock under the stock repurchase program.
Period Total number of shares purchased Average price paid per share Total number of shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans or programs (1) Approximate dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs (in thousands)
January 1, 2019 - January 31, 2019 552,100
 $39.16
 552,100
 $153,395
February 1, 2019 - February 28, 2019 120,600
 $41.40
 120,600
 $148,402
March 1, 2019 - March 31, 2019 
 $
 
 $148,402
Total 672,700
   672,700
  

(1) On February 26, 2018, the Board authorized the repurchase of up to an aggregate of $250.0 million of our Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, from time to time in open market transactions effected through a broker at prevailing market prices, in block trades, or privately negotiated transactions. The stock repurchase program commenced on March 1, 2018 and will end no later than December 31, 2019. We intend to use cash on hand and future free cash flow to fund the stock repurchase program. The stock repurchase program does not obligate us to repurchase any particular amount of our Class A common stock, and may be modified, extended, suspended or discontinued at any time. The timing and amount of repurchases is determined by our management based on a variety of factors such as the market price of our Class A common stock, our corporate requirements, and overall market conditions. The stock repurchase

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program is subject to applicable legal requirements, including federal and

42



state securities laws. We may also repurchase shares of our Class A common stock pursuant to a trading plan meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which would permit shares of our Class A common stock to be repurchased when we might otherwise be precluded from doing so by law.
In March 2018, weThe Company immediately retired all of the repurchased 948,100 shares of our common stock in open market transactions at an average price of $39.55 per share, resulting in a total purchase price of approximately $37.5 million. As of March 31, 2018, we have remaining authorization to repurchase up to $212.5 million of shares of our common stock underand charged the stock repurchase program.
The following table summarizes the stock repurchase program activity for the three months ended March 31, 2018 and the approximate dollarpar value of the shares that may yet be purchased pursuant to common stock. The excess of the repurchase program:
Period Total number of shares purchased Average price paid per share Total number of shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans or programs Approximate dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs
  (in thousands, except share and per share data)
January 1, 2018 - January 31, 2018 
 $
 
 $
February 1, 2018 - February 28, 2018 
 $
 
 $250,000
March 1, 2018 - March 31, 2018 948,100
 $39.55
 948,100
 $212,507
  948,100
   948,100
  
price over par was applied on a pro rata basis against additional paid-in-capital, with the remainder applied to accumulated deficit.
Item 5. Other Information.
Not applicable.

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Item 6. Exhibits
   Incorporated by Reference (Unless Otherwise Indicated)
Exhibit Number    Exhibit DescriptionForm    File No.    Exhibit    Filing Date    
3.1 8-K
001-36730

3.1January 8, 2018
3.2 8-K
001-36730

3.2January 8, 2018
10.1 8-K001-3673010.1May 7, 2018
10.2# 8-K
001-36730

10.1January 3, 2018
10.3# Filed herewith
10.4# Filed herewith
10.5# Filed herewith
10.6# Filed herewith
10.7# Filed herewith
10.8# Filed herewith
31.1 Filed herewith
31.2 Filed herewith
32.1 Furnished herewith
32.2 Furnished herewith
101.INS XBRL Instance Document.Filed herewith
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.Filed herewith
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.PRE Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
   Incorporated by Reference (Unless Otherwise Indicated)
Exhibit Number    Exhibit DescriptionForm    File No.    Exhibit    Filing Date    
10.1 8-K001-3673010.1March 28, 2019
31.1 Filed herewith
31.2 Filed herewith
32.1 Furnished herewith
32.2 Furnished herewith
101.INS XBRL Instance Document.Filed herewith
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.Filed herewith
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.PRE Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
# Denotes management contract or compensatory plan.


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SIGNATURESSIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Qreport to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized in the City of Raleigh, State of North Carolina, on May 8, 2018..
 
   
  SYNEOS HEALTH, INC.
   
Date: May 8, 20182019BY:/s/ Jason Meggs
  Jason Meggs
  Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)



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EXHIBIT INDEX
   Incorporated by Reference (Unless Otherwise Indicated)
Exhibit Number    Exhibit DescriptionForm    File No.    Exhibit    Filing Date    
3.1 
Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation
of Syneos Health, Inc.
8-K
001-36730

3.1January 8, 2018
3.2 Amended and Restated Bylaws of Syneos Health, Inc.8-K
001-36730

3.2January 8, 2018
10.1 Amendment No. 1 to the Credit Agreement, dated as of May  4, 2018, among Syneos Health, Inc., the lenders party thereto, Credit Suisse AG, Cayman Islands Branch, as Administrative Agent, and each of the other parties thereto.8-K001-3673010.1May 7, 2018
10.2# 
Letter Agreement, dated January 3, 2018, between INC
Research Holdings, Inc. and Gregory S. Rush.
8-K
001-36730

10.1January 3, 2018
10.3# Executive Employment Agreement, effective April 8, 2014, by and between INC Research, LLC and Jason Meggs.Filed herewith
10.4# Letter Agreement, dated March 20, 2018, by and among Syneos Health, Inc. and Jason Meggs.Filed herewith
10.5# Letter Agreement, effective May 6, 2018, by and among Syneos Health, Inc. and Jason Meggs.Filed herewith
10.6# Form of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the INC Research Holdings, Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan.Filed herewith
10.7# Form of Global Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the INC Research Holdings, Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan for the Chief Executive Officer.Filed herewith
10.8# Form of Global Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the INC Research Holdings, Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan for the Chief Financial Officer.Filed herewith
31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.Filed herewith
31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.Filed herewith
32.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.Furnished herewith
32.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.Furnished herewith
101.INS XBRL Instance Document.Filed herewith
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document.Filed herewith
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document.Filed herewith
101.PRE Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document.Filed herewith

# Denotes management contract or compensatory plan.


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