Item 2. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
We are a leading provider of professional and technical engineering, staffing services and simulation software to clients in the power and process industries. Our primary market is the nuclear power industry, predominantly in the United States, but also serving the global nuclear sector with projects in the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Korea, Japan and elsewhere. We also serve natural adjacencies to the commercial nuclear power market such as the United States Department of Energy, and the broader nuclear ecosystem. We additionally serve other heavy industry sectors such as refining, petrochemical, Liquefied Natural Gas ("LNG") and others, with staffing services and our simulation technology and know-how. We provide customers with simulation, engineering and plant services that help clients reduce risks associated with operating their plants, increase revenue through improved plant and employee performance, and lower costs through improved operational efficiency. In addition, we provide professional services that help clients fill key vacancies in their respective organizations, primarily in procedures, engineering, technical support and training focused on regulatory compliance and certification in the nuclear power industry. Our operations also include interactive computer-based tutorials and simulation software for the refining, chemical, and petrochemical industries.
General Business Environment
We operate through two reportable business segments: Engineering and Workforce Solutions. Each segment focuses on delivering solutions to customers within our target markets. Marketing and communications, accounting, finance, legal, human resources, corporate development, information systems and other administrative services are organized at the corporate or parent level. Business development and sales resources are generally aligned with each segment to support existing customer accounts and new customer development. The business units collaborate to facilitate cross-selling and the development of new solutions. The following is a description of our business segments.
Engineering (approximately 71% of revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2023)
Our Engineering segment primarily encompasses our power plant high-fidelity simulation solutions, technical engineering services for ASME programs, power plant thermal performance optimization, and interactive computer-based tutorials/simulation focused on the process industry. The Engineering segment includes various simulation products, engineering consulting services, and operation training systems delivered across the industries we serve: primarily in the nuclear, fossil fuel power generation and the process industries. Our simulation solutions include the following: (1) simulation software and services, including operator training systems, for the nuclear power industry, (2) simulation software and services, including operator training systems, for the fossil power industry, and (3) simulation software and services for the process industries used to teach fundamental industry processes and control systems to newly hired employees and for ongoing workforce development and training. We and our predecessors have been providing these services since 1976.
Our Engineering segment also provides the following: (1) in-service testing for engineering programs focused on ASME OM code including Appendix J, balance of plant programs, and thermal performance; (2) in-service inspection for specialty engineering including ASME Section XI; (3) software solutions; and (4) mechanical design, civil/structural design, electrical, instrumentation and controls design, digital controls/cyber security, and fire protection for nuclear power plant design modifications. Our subsidiaries, True North and DP Engineering, typically work as either the EOC or specialty EOC for our clients under master services agreements and are included in our Engineering segment due to their service offerings. We have been providing these engineering solutions and services since 1995.
Workforce Solutions (approximately 29% of revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2023)
The Workforce Solutions segment supports entire project lifecycles and provides highly specialized and skilled talent throughout the energy and engineering industries. Hyperspring provides training and professional service solutions. Absolute, provides technical and professional staffing and procedure writing experts. Together, our Workforce Solutions team reduces risk and costs, boosts agility and responsiveness, to eliminate non-productive time, all while providing timely, flexible, and effective solutions. Examples of some of the highly skilled positions we fill are senior reactor operations instructors, procedure writers, project managers, engineers, work management specialists, planners and training material developers. These employees work at our clients’ facilities under client direction. The business model, management focus, margins and other factors clearly separate the business line from the rest of our product and service portfolio. We have been providing these services since 1997.
Financial information is provided in Note 15 of the accompanying consolidated financial statements regarding our business segments.
Business Strategy
Serve existing customers and adjacencies with compelling solutions with a focus on decarbonization:
Our objective has been to create a leading business focused on decarbonizing the power industries by providing a diverse set of highly unique and essential services and technologies, primarily in the nuclear power industry. We are now one of the few, publicly traded engineering and technology companies serving the zero-carbon energy sector of nuclear power and adjacent nuclear markets in Department of Energy, US Navy and related sectors. As a result of this effort and established leadership in key sectors, we are positioned to expand into essential clean energy opportunities that may arise such as wind, solar, hydrogen production, and others. The engineering services and technology that we provide to industry are focused on essential capabilities to help plants extend their operating lifetimes, capture the value of the power they produce on to the grid, produce more power from existing assets, and most importantly operate safely in an optimal manner. In 2023, we are keenly focused on organic growth in the sectors we serve by: cross-selling and upselling in our existing markets as we focus on delivering significant value to our customers; creating new and compelling solutions in-house as a result of advancements in our technology offerings in partnership with industry early adopters focused on critical business needs; developing new services through combination of our expertise; expanding into compelling adjacent markets such as clean energy as they may arise with renewed sales focus. The focus on organic growth reflects our need to grow in a self-funded manner to achieve cash flow break even and, ultimately, recover to our pre-pandemic revenue levels.
Cross sell and upsell into existing markets:
We have devoted considerable time and effort over the past several years to diversify the capabilities of our Company’s solutions for the nuclear power sector across both of our segments, via a rollup of essential services provided to the industry. To ensure efficient and streamlined operations for the business, we have brought in new engineering experts who are deeply credentialed in the nuclear power industry. We have also retooled our Workforce Solutions sales and recruiting efforts to ensure we are covering the industry broadly. The business units operate uniformly within their respective structure. This structure greatly enhances the opportunity to cross-sell our capabilities across our entire customer base, fostering an important focus of our sales efforts. This further differentiates us as a comprehensive provider to industry versus providers of specific, niche services. Our expectation is that unified go-to-market efforts, such as cross-selling capabilities, will lead to greater share of available spending within the customer base, which in turn will lead to significant upselling opportunity. Just as the broader economy was impacted by the onset of the pandemic, so too have our end markets been affected. Our perspective is that the industries we serve are quick to respond to a crisis and disruption, but slow to emerge and recover to pre-crisis operations. This is understandable, especially for our primary market of nuclear power. This cycle has been demonstrated in the past with other market and industry disruptions such as the 2008 global economic crisis, the Fukushima disaster in 2011 and, most recently, the global pandemic and its ongoing economic disruption. As with past disasters, our end markets usually catch up to delays in work years after the onset of the disruption.
Our Company is positioned to take advantage of the recovery if and when it occurs. As a result of a rejuvenated cross-sell and upsell effort, we are equipped to take this new approach to the market. In particular, with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021, for the first time there are specific economic incentives from the US Government for nuclear power development and the production of more nuclear baseload power to the grid. We are eager for these incentives to flow to industry spurring the capital investment required to extend the lifetime of the plants and production of more power. With economic incentives in place, the industry can now plan to make such investments. The challenge we are seeing is that the industry is still slow to advance investments that will result in an uptick in business for companies like GSE that serve the sector. Although we believe it is only a matter of time until this rollout progresses but the current pace presents a challenge in the interim. As a key provider of essential services to the nuclear power sector, with a focus on decarbonization, we are poised to benefit from industry investment as it rolls out to the vendor ecosystem. As mentioned, we have spent significant effort during 2022 to retool our Workforce Solutions sales and recruiting efforts and brought in key engineering talent to retool our efforts for the Engineering business. We have also spent significant effort putting in place Master Services Agreements (“MSAs”) with key utility operators. Having this commercial infrastructure in place is a significant step forward to facilitate ease of consumption of our solutions once a decision to do so is made by clients' prospects.
Organic growth through new and compelling technology:
While managing through the pandemic, in parallel, our leadership was investigating compelling opportunities by which we could utilize our capabilities to create significant value for the industry and advance the efforts of decarbonizing the power sector. As a result, we have identified a robust pipeline of new and compelling technology solutions to develop and take to market. Net new solutions, such as Data Validation and Reconciliation (“DVR”) and Thermal System Monitoring (“TSM”), have created new revenue streams with the potential of on-going licensing revenue, software maintenance and services revenue. Additional information on our DVR and TSM developments is included below. GSE has announced a number of new wins for these new solutions, which were created through our unique combination of our industry/engineering know-how and software development capabilities. As we have demonstrated in the past few years, small wins over time accrue into meaningful revenue on an on-going basis. This is a key element of our organic growth thesis: focusing on creating and bringing to market compelling technology solutions.
Focus on compelling adjacencies in clean energy, defense, and national labs:
Research and development (R&D). We invest in R&D to deliver unique solutions that add value to our end-user markets. Our software tools leverage the high-end expertise of our experienced staff in helping plants operate better and more efficiently. Our software technology together with our deep staff expertise supports multiple industries including the nuclear industry, as a part of the larger decarbonization drive. Our software technology includes decision-support tools for engineering simulation supporting design and plant commissioning, operational performance tools, and training platform.
One area of significant recent enhancement is in improving the thermal performance of power plants. We have introduced and continually enhanced the next generation platform in TSM, providing the technology platform to centralize and continuously monitor plant thermal performance. The solution benefits our customers by automating standardized reporting in modern dashboards available to engineers and decision makers across the fleet, leveraging automation to facilitate troubleshooting plant performance issues, reducing time and error with direct access to source data, and applying industry guidelines for problem resolution. This platform also supports integration with DVR (implemented by True North) that enhances the quality of data for plant performance insights, analysis and decision making, providing a solution to better detect and identify faulty measurements/sensors and thus reduce maintenance costs by focusing on critical components. Furthermore, we have expanded the capability of the platform to support Engineering in order to reduce compliance requirements.
In the area of engineering simulations, we deliver nuclear core and Balance-of-Plant modeling and visualization systems to the industry. To address the nuclear industry’s need for more accurate simulation of both normal and accident scenarios, we provide our DesignEP® and RELAP5-HD® solutions. Our entire JADETM suite of simulation software, including industry leading JTOPMERET® and JElectricTM software, provides the most accurate simulation of Balance-of-Plant and electrical systems available to the nuclear and fossil plant simulation market. The significant enhancements we have made to our SimExec® and OpenSimTM platforms enable customers to be more efficient in the daily operation of their simulators. We have brought SimExec® and OpenSimTM together into a next generation unified environment that adds new capabilities as requested by clients and driven by market need.
Additionally, enhancements to training content and delivery continue through the EnVision On-Demand platform, allowing our customers to access training content from anywhere in synchronous and asynchronous modes, thus increasing their efficiency and reducing infrastructure costs. We continue to make pragmatic and measured investments in R&D that first and foremost are driven by the market and complement our growth strategy. Such investments in R&D may result in on-going enhancement of existing solutions as well as the creation of new solutions to serve our target markets, ensuring that we add greater value that is easier to use, at lower total cost of ownership than any alternative available to customers. We have pioneered a number of industry standards and intend to continue to be one of the most innovative companies in our industry.
Strengthen and develop our talent while delivering high-quality solutions.
Over the past several years, we have assembled a unique and highly experienced group of talent through organic growth and strategic acquisition. Our engineering team is comprised of design, simulation, regulatory compliance, and performance optimization professionals who are unique to the industry and capable of addressing the entire power generation life cycle.
Our experienced employees and management team are our most valuable resources. The continued integration of our team in parallel with attracting, training, and retaining top talent is critical to our success. To achieve our goals, we intend to remain focused on providing our employees with opportunities to increase client contact within their areas of expertise and to expand and deepen our service offerings. As we refine our product and service areas to best align with the critical areas listed above, we will also integrate and apply our composite employee talent to the fullest extent possible combining employee personal and professional growth opportunities with fulfillment of cutting-edge industry needs. Performance-based incentives including opportunities for stock ownership, bonuses and competitive benefits as benchmarked to our industry and locations will also be utilized to ensure continuity of our approach.
The Company is not immune to the intense pressure and business risks associated with attracting and retaining talented professionals in this current environment. We have developed a strong reputation for quality services based upon our industry-recognized depth of experience, ability to attract and retain quality professionals, and exceptional expertise across multiple service sectors. As we continue to integrate and leverage our individual company components assembled over the past several years, our capabilities and reputation will further strengthen. Attracting and retaining excellent professionals is a key effort for the company.
Employees
As of September 30, 2023, we had approximately 275 employees, which includes approximately 195 employees in our Engineering segment and approximately 80 employees in our Workforce Solutions segment.
Backlog
As of September 30, 2023, we had approximately $37.6 million of total gross revenue backlog, which included $31.4 million of Engineering backlog and $6.2 million of Workforce Solutions backlog. As of December 31, 2022, our backlog was $32.9 million with $23.8 million attributed to our Engineering segment and $9.1 million to Workforce Solutions. With respect to our backlog, it includes only those amounts that have been funded and authorized and does not reflect the full amounts we may receive over the term of such contracts. Our backlog includes future expected revenue at contract rates, excluding contract renewals or extensions that are at the discretion of the client. We calculate backlog without regard to possible project reductions or expansions or potential cancellations unless and until such changes may occur.
Backlog is expressed in terms of gross revenue and, therefore, may include significant estimated amounts of third-party or pass-through costs to subcontractors and other parties. Because backlog is not a U.S. GAAP measurement, our computation of backlog may not necessarily be comparable to that of our industry peers.
Results of Operations
The following table sets forth our results of operations, expressed in thousands of dollars and as a percentage of revenue:
| | Three Months Ended | | | Nine Months Ended | |
(in thousands) | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | |
| | $ | | |
| % | | | $ | | |
| % | | | $ | | |
| % | | | $ | | |
| % | |
Revenue | | $ | 11,566 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 11,898 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 34,826 | | | | 100.0 | % | | $ | 36,918 | | | | 100.0 | % |
Cost of revenue | | | 7,850 | | | | 67.9 | % | | | 8,642 | | | | 72.6 | % | | | 25,500 | | | | 73.2 | % | | | 28,063 | | | | 76.0 | % |
Gross profit | | | 3,716 | | | | 32.1 | % | | | 3,256 | | | | 27.4 | % | | | 9,326 | | | | 26.8 | % | | | 8,855 | | | | 24.0 | % |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Operating expenses: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Selling, general and administrative | | | 4,301 | | | | 37.2 | % | | | 4,336 | | | | 36.4 | % | | | 12,742 | | | | 36.6 | % | | | 13,253 | | | | 35.9 | % |
Research and development | | | 139 | | | | 1.2 | % | | | 186 | | | | 1.6 | % | | | 474 | | | | 1.4 | % | | | 510 | | | | 1.4 | % |
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charge | | | 937
| | | | 8.1 | % | | | 7,505 | | | | 63.1 | % | | | 937
| | | | 2.7 | % | | | 7,505 | | | | 20.3 | % |
Depreciation | | | 43 | | | | 0.4 | % | | | 69 | | | | 0.6 | % | | | 144 | | | | 0.4 | % | | | 213 | | | | 0.6 | % |
Amortization of intangible assets | | | 108 | | | | 0.9 | % | | | 209 | | | | 1.8 | % | | | 400 | | | | 1.1 | % | | | 700 | | | | 1.9 | % |
Total operating expenses | | | | | | | | % | | | 12,305 | | | | 103.4 | % | | | | | | | 42.2 | % | | | 22,181 | | | | 60.1 | % |
Operating loss | | | | ) | | | (15.7 | )% | | | (9,049 | ) | | | (76.1 | )% | | | (5,371 | ) | | | (15.5 | )% | | | (13,326 | ) | | | (36.2 | )% |
Interest expense, net | | | (430 | ) | | | (3.7 | )% | | | (422 | ) | | | (3.5 | )% | | | (1,483 | ) | | | (4.3 | )% | | | (928 | ) | | | (2.5 | )% |
Change in fair value of derivative instruments, net | | | 180 | | | | 1.6 | % | | | 263 | | | | 2.2 | % | | | 420 | | | | 1.2 | % | | | 377 | | | | 1.0 | % |
Other loss, net | | | (30 | ) | | | (0.3 | )% | | | (2 | ) | | | 0.0 | % | | | (118 | ) | | | (0.3 | )% | | | (58 | ) | | | (0.2 | )% |
Loss before income taxes | | | (2,092 | ) | | | (18.1 | )% | | | (9,210 | ) | | | (77.4 | )% | | | (6,552 | ) | | | (18.8 | )% | | | (13,935 | ) | | | (37.7 | )% |
Benefit from income taxes | | | (70 | ) | | | (0.6 | )% | | | (218 | ) | | | (1.8 | )% | | | (81 | ) | | | (0.2 | )% | | | (108 | ) | | | (0.3 | )% |
Net loss | | $ | (2,022 | ) | | | (17.5 | )% | | $ | (8,992 | ) | | | (75.6 | )% | | $ | (6,471 | ) | | | (18.6 | )% | | $ | (13,827 | ) | | | (37.5 | )% |
Revenue
Consolidated revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2023 totaled $11.6 million, which was 3% less than the $11.9 million of revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2022. Revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 totaled $34.8 million, which was 6% less than the $36.9 million of revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2022.
| | Three Months Ended | | | Nine Months Ended | |
(in thousands) | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | | | Change | | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | | | Change | |
Revenue: | | | | | | | | $ | | |
| % | | | | | | | | | $ | | |
| % | |
Engineering | | $ | 8,657 | | | $ | 8,052 | | | | 605 | | | | 8 | % | | $ | 24,643 | | | $ | 22,402 | | | | 2,241 | | | | 10 | % |
Workforce Solutions | | | 2,909 | | | | 3,846 | | | | (937 | ) | | | (24 | )% | | | 10,183 | | | | 14,516 | | | | (4,333 | ) | | | (30 | )% |
Total revenue | | $ | 11,566 | | | $ | 11,898 | | | | (332 | ) | | | (3 | )% | | $ | 34,826 | | | $ | 36,918 | | | | (2,092 | ) | | | (6 | )% |
Engineering revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2023 totaled $8.7 million, which was a 8% increase from the $8.1 million of revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The increase in revenue was primarily attributable to increased orders across the segment. Total Engineering orders of $13.0 million and $7.2 million were recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in orders is primarily due to renewed training and consulting work with a long standing customer and two large orders during the three months ended September 30, 2023, for SDB work including software and maintenance components.
Engineering revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 totaled $24.6 million, which was a 10% increase from the $22.4 million of revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase of revenue was primarily attributable to several significant contracts awarded with high margin performance obligations which began later in 2022, as well as, continued order volume increases through September 30, 2023. Total Engineering orders of $32.6 million and $17.4 million were recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in orders is primarily due to renewed training and consulting work with a long standing customer and two large orders during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, for SDB work including software and maintenance components.
For the three months ended September 30, 2023, Workforce Solutions revenue decreased by 24% to $2.9 million compared to revenue of $3.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease in revenue was due to a reduction in staffing needs from our major customers. Total new orders of $1.7 million and $3.0 million were recorded for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023, Workforce Solutions revenue decreased by 30% to $10.2 million compared to revenue of $14.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease in revenue was primarily due to the wind down of large projects resulting in a reduction in demand for staffing from our major customers. Total new orders of $7.3 million and $10.8 million were recorded for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Gross Profit
Gross profit was $3.7 million and 32.1% of revenue and $3.3 million and 27.4% of revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Gross profit was $9.3 million and 26.8% of revenue and $8.9 million and 24.0% of revenue for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
(in thousands) | | Three Months Ended | | | Nine Months Ended | |
| | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | |
| | $ | | |
| % | | | $ | | |
| % | | | $ | | |
| % | | | $ | | |
| % | |
Gross profit: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Engineering | | $ | 3,346 | | | | 38.7 | % | | $ | 2,654 | | | | 33.0 | % | | $ | 7,968 | | | | 32.3 | % | | $ | 7,037 | | | | 31.4 | % |
Workforce Solutions | | | 370 | | | | 12.7 | % | | | 602 | | | | 15.7 | % | | | 1,358 | | | | 13.3 | % | | | 1,818 | | | | 12.5 | % |
Total gross profit | | $ | 3,716 | | | | 32.1 | % | | $ | 3,256 | | | | 27.4 | % | | $ | 9,326 | | | | 26.8 | % | | $ | 8,855 | | | | 24.0 | % |
The Engineering segment’s gross profit increased by $0.7 million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 over the three months ended September 30, 2022. The Engineering segment’s gross profit increased by $0.9 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 over the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase is driven by segment revenue growth related to increased project efficiency on large simulator projects.
The Workforce Solutions segment’s gross profit decreased by $0.2 million during the three months ended September 30, 2023 over the three months ended September 30, 2022. The Workforce Solutions segment’s gross profit decreased by $0.5 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 over the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The decrease in the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily due to the reduction in the demand from existing customers for additional workforce professionals.
Selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”)
Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses totaled $4.3 million and $4.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses totaled $12.7 million and $13.3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Fluctuations in the components of SG&A spending were as follows.
| | Three months ended | | | Nine months ended | |
(in thousands) | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Corporate charges | | $ | 3,320 | | | $ | 3,201 | | | $ | 9,252 | | | $ | 10,058 | |
Business development | | | 902 | | | | 951 | | | | 3,080 | | | | 2,511 | |
Facility operation & maintenance (O&M) | | | 85 | | | | 182 | | | | 372 | | | | 575 | |
Credit loss expense (recovery) | | | (6 | ) | | | - | | | | 24 | | | | 97 | |
Other | | | - | | | | 2 | | | | 14 | | | | 12 | |
Total | | $ | 4,301 | | | $ | 4,336 | | | $ | 12,742 | | | $ | 13,253 | |
Corporate charges
During the three months ended September 30, 2023, corporate charges increased by $0.1 million over the same period of the prior year. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023 corporate charges decreased by $0.8 million over the same period of the prior year. The decrease was primarily due to a $0.8 million decrease in stock compensation expense, $0.4 million decrease in indirect labor & burden cost due to decreased headcount, $.02 million decrease in business insurance expense, partially offset by increased litigation expense of $0.8 million during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Business development expenses
Business development expenses decreased $49 thousand during the three months ended September 30, 2023 over the same period of the prior year. Business development expenses increased by $569 thousand during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 over the same period of the prior fiscal year. The increase was primarily due to increased indirect labor & burden due to increased headcount during the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Facility operation & maintenance (“O&M”)
Facility O&M expenses decreased $97 thousand for three months ended September 30, 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. Facility O&M expenses decreased $203 thousand for nine months ended September 30, 2023, compared to the same period in 2022. The decrease in facility O&M during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was primarily due to the termination of the Sykesville lease in Q4 2022 and reduced lease space under the new Fort Worth lease executed in Q2 2023.
Credit loss expense (recovery)
We recorded a $(6) thousand credit (recovery) during the three months ended September 30, 2023 and no credit loss expense during the three months ended September 30, 2022. We recorded $24 thousand and $97 thousand of credit loss expense during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
Research and development
Research and development costs consist primarily of software engineering personnel and other related costs. Research and development costs, net of capitalized software, totaled $139 thousand and $186 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Research and development costs totaled $474 thousand and $510 thousand for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in both the three and nine months ended periods was due to a higher percentage of total R&D costs capitalized, as we continue to expand our software capabilities to deliver unique solutions to our end users.
Depreciation
We recorded depreciation expense of $43 thousand and $69 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Depreciation expense was $144 thousand and $213 thousand for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The reduction of $69 thousand for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 over the same period in 2022 was due primarily due to assets becoming fully depreciated during the period.
Amortization of intangible assets
Amortization expense related to definite-lived intangible assets totaled $108 thousand and $209 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and $400 thousand and $700 thousand for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in amortization expense was primarily due to Workforce Solutions' definite-lived intangible assets being fully impaired at September 30, 2022. Further the amortization of Customer Contracts and Relationships decreased, as they are amortized at a declining rate over the 15-year useful life.
Interest expense, net
Interest expense totaled $430 thousand and $422 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Interest expense totaled $1,483 thousand and $928 thousand for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase for the three and nine month periods was primarily due to an additional $0.5 million interest charge related to the amendment of the 2022 Lind financing arrangement during Q2 2023.
Other loss, net
For the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, we recognized other loss, net of $(30) thousand and $(2) million, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, we recognized other loss, net of $(118) thousand and $(58) million, respectively.
Income tax (benefit) expense
Income tax expense for interim periods is determined using an estimate of our annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items arising in that quarter. Total income tax benefit of $70 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was comprised mainly of current foreign tax benefit, deferred state tax benefit related to the portion of goodwill which cannot be offset by deferred tax assets, and state tax expense. The total income tax benefit of $218 thousand for the three months ended September 30, 2022 was comprised mainly of current foreign tax benefit, deferred federal and state tax benefit related to the portion of goodwill which cannot be offset by deferred tax assets, and state tax expense. Total income tax benefit of $81 thousand for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was comprised mainly of current foreign tax benefit, deferred state tax benefit related to the portion of goodwill which cannot be offset by deferred tax assets, and state tax expense. Total tax benefit of $108 thousand for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 was comprised mainly of current foreign tax benefit, deferred federal and state tax benefit related to the portion of goodwill which cannot be offset by deferred tax assets, and state tax expense.
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the difference between our income tax benefit, at an effective tax rate of 3.35% and 1.24% respectively, and the U.S. statutory federal income tax rate of 21% was primarily due to accruals related to uncertain tax positions for certain foreign tax contingencies, a change in valuation allowance in our U.S. entity, the permanent disallowance of interest expense related to disqualified debt, and discrete item adjustments for U.S. taxes. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, the difference between our income tax benefit at an effective rate of 2.4% and 0.8% respectively, and the U.S. statutory federal income tax rate of 21% was primarily due to accruals related to uncertain tax positions for certain foreign tax contingencies, a change in tax valuation allowance in our U.S. entity, the permanent disallowance of interest expense related to disqualified debt, and discrete item adjustments for U.S. and foreign taxes.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
In preparing our consolidated financial statements, Management makes several estimates and assumptions that affect our reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Our most significant estimates relate to revenue recognition on contracts with customers, product warranties, valuation of goodwill and intangible assets acquired including the determination of fair value in impairment tests, valuation of long-lived assets, valuation of stock-based compensation awards and the recoverability of deferred tax assets. These critical accounting policies and estimates are discussed in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations section in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on April 17, 2023. In addition, in the quarter ended March 31, 2023, we established mark-to-market liabilities related to certain common stock purchase warrants and certain embedded features included in our convertible debt. The fair values of these are estimated upon issuance and at each reporting period thereafter. For all accounting policies described in this document, management cautions that future events rarely develop exactly as forecasted and even our best estimates may require adjustment as facts and circumstances change.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of September 30, 2023, our cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $3.5 million, compared to $4.4 million as of December 31, 2022.
As of September 30, 2023, we have current restricted cash and long-term restricted cash of $0.4 million and $1.1 million, respectively. We have restricted cash of $1.1 million to secure four letters of credit with various customers and $0.4 million to secure our corporate credit card program.
Though management believes the Company is positioned for growth and a rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company has determined that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern through August 17, 2024. The inability to generate sufficient cash flows to satisfy repayment obligations or to refinance or restructure debt obligations on commercially reasonable terms could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
During the three months ended June 30, 2023 management initiated cost saving measures to address going concern doubts, such as, headcount reductions, the new Lind financing arrangement, and other third party cost reductions. These initiatives have driven improved cashflow for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and are expected to drive continued cashflow improvements in future periods.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, net cash provided by operating activities were $0.3 million and $0.8 million, respectively. The decrease in cash flows provided by operating activities was primarily driven by decreased collections in the nine months ended September 30, 2023.
Net cash used in investing activities totaled $0.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, net cash used in financing activities was $(0.7) million and net cash provided by financing activities was $1.5 million, respectively. The decrease in cash provided by financing activities of $2.2 million was primarily driven by $5.8 million of proceeds received from issuance of Convertible Note, offset by a $1.8 million repayment of the line of credit during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 compared to $1.8 million proceeds received from issuance of Convertible Note during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 .
Credit Facilities
On February 23, 2022, the Company issued a Convertible Note (further described in Note 10 to Consolidated Financial Statements). The proceeds received from the Convertible Note were used to repay in full, all outstanding indebtedness of $1.8 million owed to Citizens, and the Amended and Restated Credit and Security Agreement between us, our subsidiaries, and Citizens has been terminated. As of September 30, 2023, we had four letters of credit totaling $1.1 million outstanding to certain customers which were secured with restricted cash.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Adjusted EBITDA
References to “EBITDA” mean net loss, before considering interest expense, benefit from income taxes, depreciation and amortization. References to Adjusted EBITDA excludes irregular or non-recurring items and are not directly related to the Company’s core operating performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measures of financial performance under U.S. GAAP. Management believes EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, in addition to operating profit, net income and other U.S. GAAP measures, are useful to investors to evaluate the Company’s results because it excludes certain items that may, or could, have a disproportionate positive or negative impact on our results for any particular period. Investors should recognize that EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA might not be comparable to similarly-titled measures of other companies. This measure should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, any measure of performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. A reconciliation of non-U.S. GAAP EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA to the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP measure in accordance with SEC Regulation G follows:
| | Three Months Ended | | | Nine Months Ended | |
| | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | |
Net loss | | $ | (2,022 | ) | | $ | (8,992 | ) | | $ | (6,471 | ) | | $ | (13,827 | ) |
Interest expense, net | | | 430 | | | | 422 | | | | 1,483 | | | | 928 | |
Benefit from income taxes | | | (70 | ) | | | (218 | ) | | | (81 | ) | | | (108 | ) |
Depreciation and amortization | | | 232 | | | | 365 | | | | 792 | | | | 1,167 | |
EBITDA | | | (1,430 | ) | | | (8,423 | ) | | | | ) | | | (11,840 | ) |
Stock-based compensation expense | | | 322 | | | | 491 | | | | 853 | | | | 1,592 | |
Change in fair value of derivative instruments, net | | | (180 | ) | | | (263 | ) | | | (420 | ) | | | (377 | ) |
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charge | | | 937 | | | | 7,505 | | | | 937 | | | | 7,505 | |
Advisory fees | | | 260 | | | | - | | | | 260 | | | | - | |
Provision for legal settlement | | | 750 | | | | - | | | | 750 | | | | - | |
Adjusted EBITDA | | $ | 659 | | | $ | (690 | ) | | $ | (1,897 | ) | | $ | (3,120 | ) |
Adjusted Net Loss and Adjusted Loss per Share Reconciliation
References to Adjusted Net Loss excludes certain items that are not directly related to the Company’s core operating performance and non-cash items that may, or could, have a disproportionate positive or negative impact on our results for any particular period. Adjusted Net Loss and Adjusted Loss per Share (adjusted EPS) are not measures of financial performance under U.S. GAAP. Management believes Adjusted Net Loss and Adjusted Loss per Share, in addition to other U.S. GAAP measures, are useful to investors to evaluate the Company’s results because the excluded items may, or could, have a disproportionate positive or negative impact on our results for any particular period. These measures should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, any measure of performance prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. A reconciliation of non-U.S. GAAP Adjusted Net Loss and Adjusted Loss per common Share to U.S. GAAP net loss, the most directly comparable U.S. GAAP financial measure, is as follows:
(in thousands) | | Three Months Ended | | | Nine Months Ended | |
| | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | | | September 30, 2023 | | | September 30, 2022 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net loss | | $ | (2,022 | ) | | $ | (8,992 | ) | | $ | (6,471 | ) | | $ | (13,827 | ) |
Stock-based compensation expense | | | 322 | | | | 491 | | | | 853 | | | | 1,592 | |
Change in fair value of derivative instruments, net | | | (180 | ) | | | (263 | ) | | | (420 | ) | | | (377 | ) |
Goodwill and intangible asset impairment charge | | | 937 | | | | 7,505 | | | | 937 | | | | 7,505 | |
Advisory fees | | | 260 | | | | - | | | | 260 | | | | - | |
Provision for legal settlement | | | 750 | | | | - | | | | 750 | | | | - | |
Amortization of intangible assets related to acquisitions | | | 108 | | | | 209 | | | | 400 | | | | 700 | |
Adjusted net loss | | $ | 175 | | | $ | (1,050 | ) | | $ | (3,691 | ) | | $ | (4,407 | ) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Adjusted net loss per common share – diluted | | $ | 0.07 | | | $ | (0.49 | ) | | $ | (1.54 | ) | | $ | (2.09 | ) |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Weighted average shares outstanding used to compute adjusted net loss per share - diluted(1) | | | 2,480,505 | | | | 2,128,888 | | | | 2,398,468 | | | | 2,110,194 | |
(1) During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, we reported a U.S. GAAP net loss and an adjusted net loss. Accordingly, there were no dilutive shares from RSUs, warrants, or other dilutive instruments that are included in the adjusted net loss per share calculation, as all shares were considered anti-dilutive when calculating the net loss per share.
(1) During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, we reported a U.S. GAAP net income and an adjusted net loss. Accordingly, there were no dilutive shares from RSUs, warrants, or other dilutive instruments that are included in the adjusted net loss per share calculation, as all shares were considered anti-dilutive when calculating the net loss per share.
Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market Risk |
Not required of a smaller reporting company.
Item 4. | Controls and Procedures |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Our disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives. Based on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this quarterly report and our annual report, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
Limitation of Effectiveness of Controls
Internal control over financial reporting has inherent limitations. Internal control over financial reporting is a process that involves human diligence and compliance and is subject to lapses in judgment and breakdowns resulting from human failures. Internal control over financial reporting also can be circumvented by collusion or improper management override. Because of such limitations, there is a risk that material misstatements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis by internal control over financial reporting. However, these inherent limitations are known features of the financial reporting process. Therefore, it is possible to design into the process safeguards to reduce, though not eliminate, this risk.
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION
We are, from time to time, involved in ordinary routine litigation incidental to the conduct of our business. Neither we nor any of our subsidiaries are a party to, nor is any of our property the subject of, any material pending legal proceedings that, in the opinion of our management, are likely to have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
None.
Item 2. | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds |
None
Item 3. | Defaults Upon Senior Securities |
None
Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures |
Not applicable.
None.
| | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act of 2002, filed herewith. |
| | |
| | Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, filed herewith. |
| | |
| | Certification of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, filed herewith. |
| | |
| 101.INS* | XBRL Instance Document |
| | |
| 101.SCH* | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema |
| | |
| 101.CAL* | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase |
| | |
| 101.DEF* | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase |
| | |
| 101.LAB* | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase |
| | |
| 101.PRE* | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
Date: November 14, 2023
GSE SYSTEMS, INC.
/S/ KYLE J. LOUDERMILK
Kyle J. Loudermilk
Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
/S/ EMMETT A. PEPE
Emmett A. Pepe
Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
41