Revenue Recognition | 9 Months Ended |
Sep. 30, 2013 |
Revenue Recognition | ' |
2 | Revenue Recognition |
The Company’s revenue consists of fees from the licensing and hosting of software (collectively included in “Software license” revenue in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income), fees from implementation and training services (collectively, “professional services”) and customer support services and software enhancements (collectively included in “Services” revenue in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income), and sales of hardware and other revenue, which consists of reimbursements of out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with professional services rendered (collectively included in “Hardware and other” revenue in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income). All revenue is recognized net of any related sales taxes. |
The Company recognizes license revenue when the following criteria are met: (1) a signed contract is obtained covering all elements of the arrangement, (2) delivery of the product has occurred, (3) the license fee is fixed or determinable, and (4) collection is probable. Revenue recognition for software with multiple-element arrangements requires recognition of revenue using the “residual method” when (a) there is vendor-specific objective evidence (VSOE) of the fair values of all undelivered elements in a multiple-element arrangement that is not accounted for using long-term contract accounting, (b) VSOE of fair value does not exist for one or more of the delivered elements in the arrangement, and (c) all other applicable revenue-recognition criteria for software revenue recognition, are satisfied. For those contracts that contain significant customization or modifications, license revenue is recognized using contract accounting. |
The Company allocates revenue to customer support services and software enhancements and any other undelivered elements of the arrangement based on VSOE of fair value of each element and such amounts are deferred until the applicable delivery criteria and other revenue recognition criteria have been met. The balance of the revenue, net of any discounts inherent in the arrangement, is recognized at the outset of the arrangement using the residual method as the product licenses are delivered. If the Company cannot objectively determine the fair value of each undelivered element based on the VSOE of fair value, the Company defers revenue recognition until all elements are delivered, all services have been performed, or until fair value can be objectively determined. The Company must apply judgment in determining all elements of the arrangement and in determining the VSOE of fair value for each element, considering the price charged for each product on a stand-alone basis or applicable renewal rates. For arrangements that include future software functionality deliverables, the Company accounts for these deliverables as a separate element of the arrangement. Because the Company does not sell these deliverables on a standalone basis, the Company is not able to establish VSOE of fair value of these deliverables. As a result, the Company defers all revenue under the arrangement until the future functionality has been delivered to the customer. |
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Payment terms for the Company’s software licenses vary. Each contract is evaluated individually to determine whether the fees in the contract are fixed or determinable and whether collectibility is probable. Judgment is required in assessing the probability of collection, which is generally based on evaluation of customer-specific information, historical collection experience, and economic market conditions. If market conditions decline, or if the financial conditions of customers deteriorate, the Company may be unable to determine that collectibility is probable, and the Company could be required to defer the recognition of revenue until the Company receives customer payments. The Company has an established history of collecting under the terms of its software license contracts without providing refunds or concessions to its customers. Therefore, the Company has determined that the presence of payment terms that extend beyond contract execution in a particular contract do not preclude the conclusion that the fees in the contract are fixed or determinable. Although infrequent, when payment terms in a contract extend beyond twelve months, the Company has determined that such fees are not fixed or determinable and recognizes revenue as payments become due provided that all other conditions for revenue recognition have been met. |
The Company’s services revenue consists of fees generated from professional services and customer support and software enhancements related to the Company’s software products. Professional services include system planning, design, configuration, testing and other software implementation support and are not typically essential to the functionality of our software. Fees from professional services performed by the Company are separately priced and are generally billed on an hourly basis, and revenue is recognized as the services are performed. In certain situations, professional services are rendered under agreements in which billings are limited to contractual maximums or based upon a fixed-fee for portions of or all of the engagement. Revenue related to fixed-fee based contracts is recognized on a proportional performance basis based on the hours incurred on discrete projects within an overall services arrangement. The Company has determined that output measures, or services delivered, approximate the input measures associated with fixed-fee services arrangements. Project losses are provided for in their entirety in the period in which they become known. Revenue related to customer support services and software enhancements is generally paid in advance and recognized ratably over the term of the agreement, typically twelve months. |
Hardware and other revenue is generated from the resale of a variety of hardware products, developed and manufactured by third parties, that are integrated with and complementary to the Company’s software solutions. As part of a complete solution, the Company’s customers periodically purchase hardware from the Company for use with the software licenses purchased from the Company. These products include computer hardware, radio frequency terminal networks, radio frequency identification (RFID) chip readers, bar code printers and scanners, and other peripherals. Hardware revenue is recognized upon shipment to the customer when title passes. The Company generally purchases hardware from the Company’s vendors only after receiving an order from a customer. As a result, the Company generally does not maintain hardware inventory. |
In accordance with the other presentation matters within the Revenue Recognition Topic of the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification, the Company recognizes amounts associated with reimbursements from customers for out-of-pocket expenses as revenue. Such amounts have been included in “Hardware and other” revenue in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income. The total amount of expense reimbursement recorded to revenue was $4.1 million and $3.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, and $11.3 million and $9.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively. |