In disposing of assets or businesses, we often provide representations, warranties, and/or indemnities to cover various risks including unknown damage to assets, environmental risks involved in the sale of real estate, liability for investigation and remediation of environmental contamination at waste disposal sites and manufacturing facilities, and unidentified tax liabilities and legal fees related to periods prior to disposition. We do not expect that these uncertainties will have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial position, or cash flows.
At December 25, 2020, we had outstanding letters of credit, letters of guarantee, and surety bonds of $252 million, of which $93 million related to our Subsea Communications (“SubCom”) business which was sold during fiscal 2019.
In connection with the SubCom sale, we contractually agreed to continue to honor performance guarantees and letters of credit related to the SubCom business’ projects that existed as of the date of sale. These performance guarantees and letters of credit had a combined value of approximately $280 million as of December 25, 2020 and are expected to expire at various dates through fiscal 2025. Also, under the terms of the definitive agreement, we are required to issue up to $300 million of new performance guarantees, subject to certain limitations, for projects entered into by the SubCom business following the sale for a period of up to three years. As of December 25, 2020, there were no new performance guarantees outstanding. We have contractual recourse against the SubCom business if we are required to perform on any SubCom guarantees; however, based on historical experience, we do not anticipate having to perform.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses.
Our accounting policies for revenue recognition, goodwill and other intangible assets, income taxes, and pension are based on, among other things, judgments and assumptions made by management. For additional information regarding these policies and the underlying accounting assumptions and estimates used in these policies, refer to the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 25, 2020. There were no significant changes to this information during the first quarter of fiscal 2021.
Non-GAAP Financial Measure
Organic Net Sales Growth (Decline)
We present organic net sales growth (decline) as we believe it is appropriate for investors to consider this adjusted financial measure in addition to results in accordance with GAAP. Organic net sales growth (decline) represents net sales growth (decline) (the most comparable GAAP financial measure) excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rates, and acquisitions and divestitures that occurred in the preceding twelve months, if any. Organic net sales growth (decline) is a useful measure of our performance because it excludes items that are not completely under management’s control, such as the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, and items that do not reflect the underlying growth of the company, such as acquisition and divestiture activity.
Organic net sales growth (decline) provides useful information about our results and the trends of our business. Management uses this measure to monitor and evaluate performance. Also, management uses this measure together with GAAP financial measures in its decision-making processes related to the operations of our reportable segments and our overall company. It is also a significant component in our incentive compensation plans. We believe that investors benefit from having access to the same financial measures that management uses in evaluating operations. The tables presented in “Results of Operations” and “Segment Results” provide reconciliations of organic net sales growth (decline) to net sales growth (decline) calculated in accordance with GAAP.
Organic net sales growth (decline) is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered a replacement for results in accordance with GAAP. This non-GAAP financial measure may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures reported by other companies. The primary limitation of this measure is that it excludes the financial impact of items that would otherwise either increase or decrease our reported results. This limitation is best addressed by using organic net sales