Jacobs Solutions (J) Risk Factors

Third-party subcontractors we hire perform a significant amount of the work performed under our contracts. We also rely on third-party equipment manufacturers or suppliers to provide much of the equipment and materials used for projects. If we are unable to hire qualified subcontractors or find qualified equipment manufacturers or suppliers, our ability to successfully complete a project will be impaired. If we are not able to locate qualified third-party subcontractors or the amount we are required to pay for subcontractors or equipment and supplies exceeds what we have estimated, especially in a lump sum or a fixed-price contract, we may suffer losses on these contracts. If a subcontractor, supplier, or manufacturer fails to provide services, supplies, parts or equipment as required under a contract for any reason, or fails to provide such services, supplies, parts or equipment in accordance with applicable quality standards as required by the contract or regulation, we will be required to source these services, equipment, parts or supplies from other third parties on a delayed basis or on less favorable terms, which could impact contract profitability and/or could result in claims against us for damages. We are subject to disputes with our subcontractors from time to time relating to, among other things, the quality and timeliness of work performed, customer concerns about the subcontractor, or our failure to extend existing task orders or issue new task orders under a contract. In addition, faulty workmanship, equipment or materials would likely impact the overall project, which could result in claims against us for failure to meet required project specifications. In an uncertain or downturn economic environment, third parties may find it difficult to obtain sufficient financing to help fund their operations. The inability to obtain financing could adversely affect a third party's ability to provide materials, equipment or services which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, a failure by a third party subcontractor, supplier or manufacturer to comply with applicable laws, regulations or client requirements could negatively impact our business and, for government clients, could result in fines, penalties, suspension or even debarment being imposed on us, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We face intense competition to provide technical, professional and construction management services to clients. The markets we serve are highly competitive and we compete against a large number of regional, national and multinational companies. The extent and type of our competition varies by industry, geographic area and project type. Our projects are frequently awarded through a competitive procurement process. We are constantly competing for project awards based on pricing, schedule and the breadth and technical sophistication of our services. Competition can place downward pressure on our contract prices and profit margins, which increases the risk that, among other things, we may not realize profit margins at the same rates as we have seen in the past or may become responsible for costs or other liabilities we have not accepted in the past. If we are unable to compete effectively, we may experience a loss of market share or reduced profitability or both, which could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We provide full spectrum technical and professional solutions to clients operating in a number of sectors and industries, including programs for various national, state and local governments, including advanced manufacturing, cities & places, energy, environmental, life sciences, transportation, water and other general industrial and consumer businesses and sectors. These sectors and industries and the resulting demand for our services have been, and we expect will continue to be, subject to significant fluctuations due to a variety of factors beyond our control, including economic conditions and changes in client spending, particularly during periods of economic or political uncertainty. Consequently, our results have varied, and may continue to vary, depending upon the demand for future projects in the markets and the locations in which we operate. Uncertain global economic, socioeconomic and political conditions may negatively impact our clients' ability and willingness to fund their projects, including their ability to raise capital and pay, or timely pay, our invoices. These factors may also cause our clients to reduce their capital expenditures, alter the mix of services purchased, seek more favorable pricing and other contract terms and otherwise slow their spending on our services. For example, in the public sector, declines in state and local tax revenues as well as other economic declines may result in lower state and local government spending. In addition, under such conditions, many of our competitors may be more inclined to take greater or unusual risks or accept terms and conditions in contracts that we might not deem acceptable. These conditions may reduce the demand for our services, which may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, uncertain economic, socioeconomic and political conditions may make it difficult for our clients, our vendors, and us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities. We cannot predict the outcome of changing trade policies or other unanticipated socioeconomic or political conditions, nor can we predict the timing, strength or duration of any economic recovery or downturn worldwide or in our clients' markets. In addition, our business has traditionally lagged recoveries in the general economy and, therefore, during any such period we may not recover as quickly as the economy at large. Weak economic conditions could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, if a significant portion of our clients or projects are concentrated in a specific geographic area or industry, our business may be disproportionately affected by regional conflicts, negative trends or economic downturns in those specific geographic areas or industries.

A significant portion of our revenue is earned directly or indirectly from various government agencies. If our reputation or relationships with these agencies were harmed, our future revenue and growth prospects would be materially and adversely affected. Our reputation and relationship with these government agencies is a key factor in maintaining and growing revenue under our government contracts. Negative press reports regarding poor contract performance, employee misconduct, information security breaches, engagements in or perceived connections to politically or socially sensitive activities, or other aspects of our business, or regarding government contractors generally, could harm our reputation. In addition, to the extent our performance under a contract does not meet a government agency's expectations, the client might seek to terminate the contract prior to its scheduled expiration date, provide a negative assessment of our performance to government-maintained contractor past-performance data repositories, fail to award us additional business under existing contracts or otherwise, and direct future business to our competitors. If our reputation or relationships with these agencies are negatively affected, or if we are suspended or debarred from contracting with government agencies for any reason, such actions would decrease the amount of business that the government agency does with us, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

At Jacobs, we have committed to do our part to help solve the climate crisis by setting ambitious climate commitments and targets, including our goals to remain carbon neutral for our operations and business travel and reach net-zero for our entire value chain by 2040. However, achievement of our climate commitments and targets is subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: our ability to execute our operational strategies and achieve our goals within the currently projected costs and the expected timeframes; the availability and cost of alternative fuels, global electrical charging infrastructure, off-site renewable energy and other materials and components; unforeseen design, operational and technological difficulties; the outcome of research efforts and future technology developments, including the ability to scale projects and technologies on a commercially competitive basis such as carbon sequestration and/or other related processes; compliance with, and changes or additions to, global and regional regulations, taxes, charges, mandates or requirements relating to GHG emissions, carbon costs or climate-related goals; labor-related regulations and requirements that restrict or prohibit our ability to impose requirements on third party contractors; adapting products to customer preferences and customer acceptance of sustainable supply chain solutions; the actions of competitors and competitive pressures and an acquisition of or merger with another company that has not adopted similar carbon goals or whose progress toward reaching its carbon goals is not as advanced as ours. Accordingly, there is no assurance that we will be able to successfully execute our operational strategies and achieve our climate commitments and targets. While our climate commitments and targets are ambitious, we believe that they are realistic and achievable. We have also developed a roadmap for implementation of our carbon reduction goals and our global emissions reduction trajectory suggests that we continue on a pathway to meet our targets. However, we also recognize that some of our emission reductions over the past few years may have been primarily the result of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Our roadmap recognizes these anomalies, and we are putting measures in place to establish a going-forward trajectory to attain our commitments. However, we cannot guarantee that such measures will be successful. Failure to achieve our climate commitments and targets could damage our reputation and our customer and other stakeholder relationships. If we are unable to meet our climate commitments and targets and appropriately address sustainability enhancement, we may lose investors, customers, or partners, our stock price may be negatively impacted, our reputation may be negatively affected, and it may be more difficult for us to compete effectively, all of which would have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to certain risks related to cyber-attacks, other interruptions, or errors and delays in our information technology systems. In the event we experience a cyber event that results in the theft of data or compromises operations, or we otherwise are unable to maintain or improve the efficiency and efficacy of our systems, the operation of such systems could result in the material loss, corruption, or release of data. In addition, our computer and communication systems and operations could be damaged or interrupted by natural disasters, force majeure events, telecommunications failures, power loss, acts of war or terrorism, computer viruses, malicious code, physical or electronic security breaches, intentional or inadvertent user misuse or error or similar events, cyber-attacks or disruptions. Any of these or other events could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, protection of personal data and intellectual property and results of operations, as well as those of our clients. As a provider of information technology services operating in multiple regulated industries and geographies and a government contractor, we and our service providers, suppliers and subcontractors collect, store, transmit and otherwise process personal, confidential, proprietary and sensitive information, including classified information. As a result, our information technology systems, including those provided by third-party cloud providers or other infrastructure-as-a-service providers, ,which have grown over time, including through acquisitions, have, and will continue to experience threats and cyber-attacks, including unauthorized access, computer hackers, computer viruses, malicious code, ransomware, phishing and other security breaches, problems and system disruptions, including unauthorized access to and disclosure of our and our clients' proprietary, classified or other protected information. We are also subject to social engineering attacks which have caused, and may also seek to cause in the future, payments due to or from us to be misdirected to fraudulent accounts, which may not be recoverable by us. While we have security measures and technology in place designed to protect our and our clients' proprietary, classified and other protected information, there can be no assurance that our efforts will prevent all threats to our computer systems. The U.S. federal government has continued to raise concerns about the potential for cyber-attacks generally as a result of heightened geopolitical tension and conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts and the escalating tensions in the Middle East, among others. In addition, the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks (e.g., AI used to develop malicious code and sophisticated phishing attempts). Because the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or sabotage systems change frequently, cyber attacks continue to become more sophisticated and generally are not identified until they are launched against a target. As such, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. As a result, we may be required to expend significant resources to protect against the threat of system disruptions and security breaches or to alleviate problems caused by these disruptions and breaches. Any of these events could damage our reputation, result in significant business interruption, cause us to incur significant liability and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. We continuously evaluate the need to upgrade and/or replace our systems and network infrastructure to protect our computing environment and information technology systems, to stay current on vendor supported products and to improve the efficiency of our systems and for other business reasons, including due to the rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies and especially as we continue to operate under a hybrid working model under which employees can work and access the Company's technology infrastructure remotely. The implementation of new systems and information technology could adversely impact our operations by imposing substantial capital expenditures, demands on management time and risks of delays or difficulties in transitioning to new systems. In addition, our systems implementations may not result in productivity improvements at the levels anticipated. Systems implementation disruption and any other information technology disruption, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could have a material adverse effect on our business. Furthermore, as cybersecurity threats rapidly evolve in sophistication and become more prevalent globally, the associated risks described above may increase. Given that the techniques used in cyberattacks change frequently and may be difficult to detect for periods of time, we may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures or mitigating harms after such an attack. In addition, laws, regulations, government guidance, and industry standards and practices in the United States and elsewhere are rapidly evolving to combat these threats. We may face increased compliance burdens regarding such requirements with regulators and also incur additional costs for oversight and monitoring of our own systems. In addition, laws and regulations governing data privacy and the unauthorized disclosure of personal data, including the European Union General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), the United Kingdom Data Protection Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act, the California Privacy Rights Act, and other emerging U.S. state and global privacy laws pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate costs and may require changes to our business practices resulting from the variation of regulatory requirements and increased enforcement frequency. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations, including related regulatory enforcement and/or private litigation resulting from a potential privacy breach, could result in governmental investigations, significant fines and penalties, damages from private causes of action, or reputational harm. Additionally, we are subject to laws, rules, and regulations regarding cross-border transfers of personal data, including laws relating to transfer of personal data outside the European Economic Area. If we cannot rely on existing mechanisms for transferring personal data, we may be unable to transfer personal data of employees and clients in those regions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and operating results.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science and similar technologies (collectively, "AI"), including third-party AI tools, may be enabled by, or integrated into some of our business and solutions. As with many developing technologies, AI presents risks and challenges that could affect its further development, adoption, and use, and therefore our business. AI algorithms may be flawed or biased. Datasets used to train or develop AI systems may be insufficient, of inferior quality, or contain biased information. Additionally, the laws and regulations concerning the use of AI continue to evolve. If the use or integration of AI systems, or the outputs generated by such systems, were determined to be non-compliant (e.g., in relation to intellectual property or data privacy rights), this may result in liability, including legal liability, or adversely affect our business, reputation, brand, financial condition and results of operations. It is possible that emerging regulations may limit or block the use of AI in our business and solutions or otherwise impose other restrictions that may affect or impair the usability or efficiency of our business or services for an extended period of time or indefinitely. Our competitors or other third parties may incorporate AI into their product development, product offerings, technology and infrastructure products more quickly or more successfully than us, which could impair our ability to compete effectively and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

For fiscal 2024, approximately 31% of our revenue was earned from clients outside the U.S. Our business is dependent on the continued success of our international operations, and we expect our international operations to continue to account for a significant portion of our total revenues. Our international operations are subject to a variety of risks, including: - Recessions and other economic crises in other regions, such as Europe, Asia or other specific foreign economies and the impact on our costs of doing business in those countries;- Difficulties in staffing and managing foreign personnel and operations, including challenges related to logistics, communications and professional licensure of our international workforce;- Unexpected changes in foreign government policies and regulatory requirements;- Potential non-compliance with a wide variety of laws and regulations, including anti-corruption, export control and anti-boycott laws and similar non-U.S. laws and regulations;- Potential non-compliance with regulations and evolving industry standards regarding consumer protection and data use and security, including the General Data Protection Regulation approved by the European Union and the Data Protection Act approved by the United Kingdom;- Lack of developed legal systems to enforce contractual rights;- Expropriation and nationalization of our assets in a foreign country;- Renegotiation or nullification of our existing contracts;- The adoption of new, and the expansion of existing, trade or other restrictions;- Embargoes, duties, tariffs or other trade restrictions, including sanctions;- Geopolitical developments that impact our or our clients' ability to operate in a foreign country;- Changes in labor conditions;- Acts of war, aggression between nations, civil unrest, force majeure, and terrorism;- The ability to finance efficiently our foreign operations;- Social, political, and economic instability;- Changes to tax policy;- Currency exchange rate fluctuations;- Limitations on the ability to repatriate foreign earnings; and - U.S. government policy changes in relation to the foreign countries in which we operate. The lack of a well-developed legal system in some of these countries may make it difficult to enforce our contractual rights. In addition, military action, geopolitical shifts or continued unrest, particularly in the Middle East, could disrupt our operations in the region and elsewhere and may also impact the supply or pricing of oil, increase our security costs and cost of compliance with local laws, and present risks to our reputation. Additionally, recent events, including changes in U.S. trade policies and responsive changes in policy by foreign jurisdictions and similar geopolitical tensions and conflicts, including the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, escalating tensions in the Middle East, increasing tensions between the U.S. and China and uncertainty in the E.U., Asia and elsewhere, have increased levels of political and economic unpredictability globally, and may increase the volatility of global financial markets and the global and regional economies. In addition, our globally connected talent force collaborates to deliver solutions for clients, agnostic of geography. This relies upon client procurement models that are open to global professional service provision. Increased nationalization and heightened "buy-local" policies and regulation could reduce the effectiveness and competitive differentiation enabled by our global delivery model and compound the existing talent shortage in key geographies. To the extent our international operations are affected by unexpected or adverse economic, political and other conditions, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

We are a global professional services company, with our international operations accounting for approximately 31% of our annual revenue in fiscal 2024. Fluctuations in exchange rates for foreign currencies have reduced, and could continue to reduce, the U.S. dollar value of sales, earnings and cash flows we receive from non-U.S. markets, negatively impact our competitiveness in those markets or otherwise adversely impact our business results, reported financial condition and the U.S. dollar value of our backlog. Our reported financial condition and results of operations are exposed to the effects (both positive and negative) that fluctuating exchange rates have on the process of translating the financial statements of our international operations, which are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, into the U.S. dollar. In addition, fluctuations in exchange rates may increase our supply costs (as measured in U.S. dollars) in international markets. While we generally attempt to denominate our contracts in the currencies of our expenditures, we do enter into contracts that expose us to currency risk, particularly to the extent contract revenue is denominated in a currency different than the contract costs. We may attempt to minimize our exposure from currency risks by obtaining escalation provisions for projects in inflationary economies or entering into derivative (hedging) instruments, when there is currency risk exposure that is not naturally mitigated via our contracts. These actions, however, may not always eliminate currency risk exposure. The governments of certain countries have or may in the future impose restrictive exchange controls on local currencies and it may not be possible for us to engage in effective hedging transactions to mitigate the risks associated with fluctuations in a particular currency. We may also be exposed to limitations on our ability to reinvest earnings from operations in one country to fund the financing requirements of our operations in other countries.