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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


Form 10-K

     
(Mark One)
   
þ
  ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003
 
o
  TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Commission file number 1-13831

Quanta Services, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
     
Delaware   74-2851603
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

1360 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 2100

Houston, Texas 77056
(Address of principal executive offices, including ZIP Code)

(713) 629-7600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

     
Title of Each Class Name of Exchange on Which Registered


Common Stock, $.00001 par value
(including rights attached thereto)
  New York Stock Exchange

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Title of Each Class

None

      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 þ          No o

      Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statement incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.     o

      Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).     Yes þ          No o

      As of March 9, 2004, the aggregate market value of the Common Stock and Limited Vote Common Stock of the Registrant held by non-affiliates of the Registrant, based on the last sale price of the Common Stock on such date, was approximately $455.7 million and $1.8 million, respectively (for purposes of calculating these amounts, only directors, officers and beneficial owners of 5% or more of the outstanding capital stock of the Registrant have been deemed affiliates).

      As of March 9, 2004, the number of shares of the Common Stock of the Registrant outstanding was 115,485,267. As of the same date, 1,051,067 shares of Limited Vote Common Stock were outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

      Portions of the Registrant’s Definitive Proxy Statement for the 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.




QUANTA SERVICES, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K

For the Year Ended December 31, 2003

INDEX

             
Page
Number

     PART I     1  
   Business     1  
   Properties     13  
   Legal Proceedings     13  
     PART II     14  
   Market for Registrant’s Common Stock and Related Stockholder Matters     14  
   Selected Financial Data     15  
   Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations     17  
   Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk     32  
   Financial Statements and Supplementary Data     33  
   Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure     65  
   Controls and Procedures     65  
     PART III     65  
   Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant     65  
   Executive Compensation     65  
   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management     65  
   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions     66  
   Principal Accounting Fees and Services     66  
     PART IV     66  
   Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules, and Reports on Form 8-K     66  
 Credit Agreement dated 12/19/2003
 Security Agreement dated 12/19/2003
 Pledge Agreement dated 12/19/2003
 Subsidiaries
 Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
 Certification of CEO pursuant to Section 302
 Certification of CFO pursuant to Section 302
 Certification of CEO pursuant to Section 3906
 Certification of CFO pursuant to Section 906

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PART I

 
ITEM 1. Business

General

      Quanta is a leading provider of specialized contracting services, offering end-to-end network solutions to the electric power, gas, telecommunications and cable television industries. Our comprehensive services include designing, installing, repairing and maintaining network infrastructure. Our consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2003 were $1.6 billion, of which 60% was attributable to electric power and gas customers, 15% to telecommunications customers, 7% to cable television operators and 18% to ancillary services, such as inside electrical wiring, intelligent traffic networks, cable and control systems for light rail lines, airports and highways, and specialty rock trenching, directional boring and road milling for industrial and commercial customers. We were organized in the state of Delaware in 1997 and since that time have made strategic acquisitions to expand our geographic presence, generate operating synergies with existing businesses and develop new capabilities to meet our customers’ evolving needs.

      We currently have offices that provide services nationwide, giving us the presence and capability to quickly, reliably and effectively complete projects throughout the United States. We work for many of the leading companies in the industries we serve.

      Representative customers include:

  •  Adelphia Communications
•  Alabama Power
•  Alltel
•  AT&T
•  CenterPoint Energy
•  Century Telephone
•  Comcast
•  Entergy
•  Ericsson
•  Georgia Power Company
•  Illinois Power
•  Intermountain Rural Electric
•  Pacific Gas & Electric
•  Puget Sound Energy
•  San Diego Gas & Electric
•  Southern California Edison

      Our reputation for responsiveness, performance, geographic reach and a comprehensive service offering has also enabled us to develop strong strategic alliances with numerous customers.

Industry Overview

      We believe the following trends are impacting demand for our services:

      Increasing Need to Upgrade Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Networks. We believe that the aging of many electric power networks may require increased investment in electric power transmission and distribution networks, and that concerns about power quality and reliability should result in increased investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure. Additionally, as the selling of electricity increases across regional networks, capacity and reliability will become even more important.

      Improving Customer Balance Sheets Leads to Increased Capital Expenditures. We believe that as our customers continue to improve their balance sheets, both capital spending and maintenance budgets will stabilize and move toward historical levels during 2004. During the last three years, the telecommunications and cable television industries suffered a severe downturn that resulted in a number of companies, including several of our customers, filing for bankruptcy protection or experiencing financial difficulties. The downturn has adversely affected capital expenditures for infrastructure projects even among companies that are not experiencing financial difficulties. We expect that during 2004 telecom capital expenditures will continue to stabilize with a possible increase. We also anticipate increasing capital expenditures from our wireless and central office installations customers in 2004 as they strive to meet the ever increasing demand for bandwidth at home and in offices throughout the nation.

      In the electric power and natural gas industries, our customers continue to be restrained by limited capital spending, uncertain regulatory progress and competition. While the blackout in the Northeast brought the

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state of the U.S. transmission grid to the forefront, there has been little regulatory progress or other efforts to map out methods to pay for the upgrades, determine accountability or provide incentives to utilities for infrastructure enhancements to address the bottlenecks and dilapidated systems.

      Increased Outsourcing. Financial and economic pressures on electric power, gas, telecommunications and cable television providers have caused an increased focus by providers on core competencies and, accordingly, an increase in outsourcing of network services. Total employment at investor owned utilities has declined dramatically in the last decade due, in part, to increased outsourcing. The movement from a regulated business environment to an environment exposed to market forces has led our customers to increase outsourcing of non-core activities, particularly network development. Outsourcing network services can reduce costs, provide flexibility in budgets and improve service and performance for many of our customers.

      Increased Demand for Comprehensive End-to-End Solutions. We believe that electric power, gas, telecommunications and cable television companies will continue to seek service providers who can rapidly and effectively design, install and maintain their networks. The strategic and financial value to these companies of geographically expanded and technologically improved networks has caused them to seek quick and reliable, yet cost effective, network solutions within increasingly challenging scale, time and complexity constraints. Accordingly, they are partnering with proven full-service network providers with broad geographic reach, financial capability and technical expertise.

Strategy

      The key elements of our strategy are:

      Focus on Expanding Operating Efficiencies. We intend to continue to:

  •  focus on growth in our more profitable services and on projects that have higher margins;
 
  •  combine overlapping operations of certain of our operating units;
 
  •  adjust our operating costs to match the demand from our customers;
 
  •  use our assets more efficiently;
 
  •  share pricing, bidding, licensing and other business practices among our operating units; and
 
  •  develop and expand the use of management information systems.

      Focus on Internal Growth and Integration. We believe we can improve our internal revenue growth by providing our customers comprehensive end-to-end solutions for their infrastructure needs. Our operating units cooperate to spread their best practices and innovative technology and also share equipment and human resources, which positions each operating unit to deepen its relationship with current customers and develop relationships with new customers

      Expand Portfolio of Services to Meet Customers’ Evolving Needs. We continue to offer an expanding portfolio of services that allows us to develop, build and maintain networks on both a regional and national scale and adapt to our customers’ changing needs. We intend to expand further our geographic and technological capabilities through both internal development and innovation and through selective acquisitions.

      Pursue New Opportunities for Growth. We have established a new subsidiary, Quanta Government Solutions (QGS), that will leverage our core expertise to pursue additional opportunities in the government arena. QGS was formed to respond, as prime contractor, to requests for proposals from the United States government for power and communications infrastructure projects in the United States and overseas.

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Services

      We design, install and maintain networks for the electric power, gas, telecommunications and cable television industries as well as commercial, industrial and governmental entities. The following provides an overview of the types of services we provide:

      Electric Power and Gas Network Services. We provide a variety of end-to-end services to the electric power and gas industries, including:

  •  installation, repair and maintenance of electric power transmission lines ranging in capacity from 69,000 volts to 760,000 volts;
 
  •  installation, repair and maintenance of electric power distribution networks;
 
  •  energized installation, maintenance and upgrades utilizing unique bare hand and hot stick methods and our proprietary robotic arm;
 
  •  design and construction of independent power producer (IPP) transmission and substation facilities;
 
  •  design and construction of substation projects;
 
  •  installation and maintenance of natural gas transmission and distribution systems;
 
  •  provision of cathodic protection design and installation services;
 
  •  installation of fiber optic lines for voice, video and data transmission on existing electric power infrastructure;
 
  •  installation and maintenance of joint trench systems, which include electric power, natural gas and telecommunications networks in one trench;
 
  •  trenching and horizontal boring for underground electric power and natural gas network installations;
 
  •  design and installation of wind turbine networks;
 
  •  cable and fault locating; and
 
  •  storm damage restoration work.

      Telecommunications Network Services. Our telecommunications network services include:

  •  fiber optic, copper and coaxial cable installation and maintenance for video, data and voice transmission;
 
  •  design, construction and maintenance of DSL networks;
 
  •  engineering and erection of cellular, digital, PCS®, microwave and other wireless communications towers;
 
  •  design and installation of switching systems for incumbent local exchange carriers, newly competitive local exchange carriers, regional Bell operating companies and long distance providers;
 
  •  trenching and plowing applications;
 
  •  horizontal directional boring;
 
  •  vacuum excavation services;
 
  •  splicing and testing of fiber optic and copper networks; and
 
  •  cable locating.

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      Cable Television Network Services. The network services we provide to the cable television industry include:

  •  fiber optic and coaxial cable installation and maintenance for video, data and voice transmission;
 
  •  system design and installation;
 
  •  upgrading power and telecommunications infrastructure for cable installations;
 
  •  system splicing, balance, testing and sweep certification; and
 
  •  residential installation and customer connects, both analog and digital, for cable television, telephone and Internet services.

      Ancillary Services. We provide a variety of comprehensive ancillary services to commercial, industrial and governmental entities, including:

  •  design, installation, maintenance and repair of electrical components, fiber optic cabling and building control and automation systems;
 
  •  installation of intelligent traffic networks such as traffic signals, controllers, connecting signals, variable message signs, closed circuit television and other monitoring devices for governments;
 
  •  installation of cable and control systems for light rail lines, airports and highways; and
 
  •  provision of specialty rock trenching, rock saw, rock wheel, directional boring and road milling for industrial and commercial customers.

      Foreign Operations. We derived $8.5 million and $15.1 million of our revenues from foreign operations during the years ended December 31, 2002 and 2003. We had no material foreign operations in 2001.

Customers, Strategic Alliances and Preferred Provider Relationships

      Our customers include electric power, gas, telecommunications and cable television companies, as well as commercial, industrial and governmental entities. Our 10 largest customers accounted for 29.4% of our consolidated revenues in 2003. Our largest customer accounted for approximately 6% of our consolidated revenues for the year ended 2003.

      Although we have a centralized marketing strategy, management at each of our operating units is responsible for developing and maintaining successful long-term relationships with customers. Our management is incented to cross-sell services of other operating units to their customers. In addition, our business development group promotes and markets our services for prospective large national accounts and projects that would require services from multiple business units.

      Many of our customers and prospective customers have qualification procedures for approved bidders or vendors based upon the satisfaction of particular performance and safety standards set by the customer. These customers typically maintain a list of vendors meeting these standards and award contracts for individual jobs only to those vendors. We strive to maintain our status as a preferred or qualified vendor to these customers.

      We believe that our strategic relationships with large providers of electric power and telecommunications services will offer opportunities for future growth. Many of these strategic relationships take the form of a strategic alliance or long-term maintenance agreement. Strategic alliance agreements generally state an intention to work together and many provide us with preferential bidding procedures. Strategic alliances and long-term maintenance agreements are typically agreements for an initial term of approximately two to four years that may include an option to add a one to two year extension at the end of the initial term. Certain of our strategic alliance and long-term maintenance agreements are “evergreen” contracts with exclusivity clauses providing that we will be awarded all contracts, or a right of first refusal, for a certain type of work or in a certain geographic region. None of these contracts, however, guarantees a specific dollar amount of work to

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be performed by us. Certain of our strategic alliances and long-term maintenance relationships are listed in the following table:
         
Start of Relationship
Relationship with Operating Unit


Energy East
    2002  
Illinois Power
    2002  
Arizona Public Service
    2001  
Ericsson
    2001  
Puget Sound Energy
    2000  
Georgia Power Company
    1999  
Avista
    1996  
Entergy
    1995  
Century Telephone
    1993  
Imperial Irrigation District
    1990  
Nevada Power Company
    1989  
MidAmerican Energy Corp.
    1988  
Western Resources
    1979  
Kansas City Power & Light
    1978  
CenterPoint Energy
    1971  
Aquila
    1954  
Intermountain Rural Electric
    1953  

Backlog

      Backlog represents the amount of revenue that we expect to realize from work to be performed over the next twelve months on uncompleted contracts, including new contractual agreements on which work has not begun. Our backlog at December 31, 2002 and 2003 was approximately $980.0 million and $1.0 billion. In many instances, our customers are not contractually committed to specific volumes of services under our long-term maintenance contracts and many of our contracts may be terminated with notice. There can be no assurance as to our customer’s requirements or that our estimates are accurate.

Competition

      The markets in which we operate are highly competitive. We compete with other independent contractors in most of the geographic markets in which we operate, and several of our competitors are large domestic companies that may have greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. In addition, there are relatively few barriers to entry into some of the industries in which we operate and, as a result, any organization that has adequate financial resources and access to technical expertise may become a competitor. A significant portion of our revenues is currently derived from unit price or fixed price agreements, and price is often an important factor in the award of such agreements. Accordingly, we could be underbid by our competitors in an effort by them to procure such business. We believe that as demand for our services increases, customers will increasingly consider other factors in choosing a service provider, including technical expertise and experience, financial and operational resources, nationwide presence, industry reputation and dependability, which we expect to benefit contractors such as us. There can be no assurance, however, that our competitors will not develop the expertise, experience and resources to provide services that are superior in both price and quality to our services, or that we will be able to maintain or enhance our competitive position. We may also face competition from the in-house service organizations of our existing or prospective customers, including electric power, gas, telecommunications and cable television companies, which employ personnel who perform some of the same types of services as those provided by us. Although a significant portion of these services is currently outsourced by our customers, there can be no assurance that our existing or prospective customers will continue to outsource services in the future.

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Employees

      As of December 31, 2003, we had 1,476 salaried employees, including executive officers, project managers or engineers, job superintendents, staff and clerical personnel and 9,741 hourly employees, the number of which fluctuates depending upon the number and size of the projects we undertake at any particular time. Approximately 43% of our employees at December 31, 2003, were covered by collective bargaining agreements, primarily with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Under our agreements with our unions, we agree to pay specified wages to our union employees, observe certain workplace rules and make employee benefit payments to multi-employer pension plans and employee benefit trusts rather than administering the funds on behalf of these employees. These collective bargaining agreements have varying terms and expiration dates. The majority of the collective bargaining agreements contain provisions that prohibit work stoppages or strikes, even during specified negotiation periods relating to agreement renewal, and provide for binding arbitration dispute resolution in the event of prolonged disagreement.

      We provide a health, welfare and benefit plan for employees who are not covered by collective bargaining agreements. We have a 401(k) plan pursuant to which eligible employees who are not provided retirement benefits through a collective bargaining agreement may make contributions through a payroll deduction. We make matching cash contributions of 100% of each employee’s contribution up to 3% of that employee’s salary and 50% of each employee’s contribution between 3% and 6% of such employee’s salary, up to the maximum amount permitted by law. We also have an employee stock purchase plan that provides that eligible employees may contribute up to 10% of their cash compensation, not to exceed $21,250 annually, toward the semi-annual purchase of our common stock at a discounted price. Over 870 of our employees participated in the employee stock purchase plan during the year ended December 31, 2003.

      Our industry is experiencing a shortage of journeyman linemen in certain geographic areas. In response to the shortage, we seek to take advantage of various IBEW and National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) referral programs and hire graduates from the joint IBEW/ NECA apprenticeship program which trains qualified electrical workers.

      We believe our relationships with our employees and union representatives are good.

Training, Quality Assurance and Safety

      Performance of our services requires the use of equipment and exposure to conditions that can be dangerous. Although we are committed to a policy of operating safely and prudently, we have been and will continue to be subject to claims by employees, customers and third parties for property damage and personal injuries resulting from performance of our services. Our policies require that employees complete the prescribed training and service program of the operating unit for which they work in addition to those required, if applicable, by the IBEW and NECA prior to performing more sophisticated and technical jobs. For example, all journeyman linemen are required by the IBEW and NECA to complete a minimum of 7,000 hours of on-the-job training, approximately 200 hours of classroom education and extensive testing and certification. Each operating unit requires additional training, depending upon the sophistication and technical requirements of each particular job. We have established company-wide training and educational programs, as well as comprehensive safety policies and regulations, by sharing “best practices” throughout our operations.

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Regulation

      Our operations are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations including:

  •  licensing, permitting and inspection requirements applicable to electricians and engineers;
 
  •  building and electrical codes;
 
  •  permitting and inspection requirements applicable to construction projects;
 
  •  regulations relating to worker safety and environmental protection; and
 
  •  special bidding and procurement requirements on government projects.

      We believe that we have all the licenses required to conduct our operations and that we are in substantial compliance with applicable regulatory requirements. Our failure to comply with applicable regulations could result in substantial fines or revocation of our operating licenses.

Risk Management, Insurance and Performance Bonds

      The primary risks in our operations are bodily injury and property damage. We are insured for employer’s liability and general liability claims, subject to a deductible of $1,000,000 per occurrence, and for auto liability and workers’ compensation insurance subject to a deductible of $2,000,000 per occurrence. We also have a corporate non-union employee related health care benefit plan that is subject to a deductible of $250,000 per claimant per year. Losses up to the deductible amounts are accrued based upon our estimates of the ultimate liability for claims incurred and an estimate of claims incurred but not reported. However, insurance liabilities are difficult to assess and estimate due to the many relevant factors, the effects of which are often unknown, including the severity of an injury, the determination of our liability in proportion to other parties, the number of incidents not reported and the effectiveness of our safety program. The accruals are based upon known facts and historical trends and management believes such accruals to be adequate.

      Contracts in the industries we serve may require performance bonds or other means of financial assurance to secure contractual performance. The current market for performance bonds is limited. If we were unable to obtain surety bonds or letters of credit in sufficient amounts or at acceptable rates, we might be precluded from entering into additional contracts with certain of our customers.

Website Access

      Our website address is www.quantaservices.com. You may obtain free electronic copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports in our Investor Center under the heading “SEC Filings”. These reports are available on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file them with, or furnish them to, the SEC. In addition, our corporate governance guidelines, Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and the charters of our Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee are or, prior to our 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, will be posted on our website under the heading “Corporate Governance.” We intend to disclose any amendments or waivers to our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct on our website. You may obtain free copies of these items from our website or by contacting our Corporate Secretary.

Risk Factors

      Our business is subject to a variety of risks, including the risks described below. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not known to us or not described below may also impair our business operations. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be harmed and we may not be able to achieve our goals. This Annual Report also includes statements reflecting assumptions, expectations, projections, intentions, or beliefs about future events that are intended as “forward-looking statements” under

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the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and should be read in conjunction with the section entitled “Uncertainty of Forward-Looking Statements and Information.”

      Our operating results may vary significantly from quarter to quarter. We experience lower gross and operating margins during winter months due to lower demand for our services and more difficult operating conditions. Additionally, our quarterly results may also be materially and adversely affected by:

  •  the timing and volume of work under new agreements;
 
  •  regional or general economic conditions;
 
  •  the budgetary spending patterns of customers;
 
  •  payment risk associated with the financial condition of customers;
 
  •  variations in the margins of projects performed during any particular quarter;
 
  •  the termination of existing agreements;
 
  •  costs we incur to support growth internally or through acquisitions or otherwise;
 
  •  losses experienced in our operations not otherwise covered by insurance;
 
  •  a change in the demand for our services caused by severe weather conditions;
 
  •  a change in the mix of our customers, contracts and business;
 
  •  increases in construction and design costs;
 
  •  changes in bonding and lien requirements applicable to existing and new agreements;
 
  •  the timing of acquisitions; and
 
  •  the timing and magnitude of acquisition integration costs.

      Accordingly, our operating results in any particular quarter may not be indicative of the results that you can expect for any other quarter or for the entire year.

      An economic downturn may lead to less demand for our services. If the general level of economic activity remains slow or deteriorates further, our customers may delay or cancel new projects. The telecommunications and utility markets experienced substantial change during 2002 as evidenced by an increased number of bankruptcies in the telecommunications market, continued devaluation of many of our customers’ debt and equity securities and pricing pressures resulting from challenges faced by major industry participants. These factors have contributed to the delay and cancellation of projects and reduction of capital spending that have impacted our operations and ability to grow at historical levels. A number of other factors, including financing conditions for and potential bankruptcies in the industries we serve, could adversely affect our customers and their ability or willingness to fund capital expenditures in the future or pay for past services. In addition, consolidation, competition or capital constraints in the electric power, gas, telecommunications or cable television industries may result in reduced spending by, or the loss of, one or more of our customers.

      Our dependence upon fixed price contracts could adversely affect our business. We currently generate, and expect to continue to generate, a portion of our revenues under fixed price contracts. We must estimate the costs of completing a particular project to bid for fixed price contracts. The cost of labor and materials, however, may vary from the costs we originally estimated. These variations, along with other risks inherent in performing fixed price contracts, may cause actual revenue and gross profits for a project to differ from those we originally estimated and could result in reduced profitability or losses on projects. Depending upon the size of a particular project, variations from the estimated contract costs can have a significant impact on our operating results for any fiscal quarter or year.

      Our industry is highly competitive. Our industry is served by numerous small, owner-operated private companies, a few public companies and several large regional companies. In addition, relatively few barriers prevent entry into some of our industries. As a result, any organization that has adequate financial resources

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and access to technical expertise may become one of our competitors. Competition in the industry depends on a number of factors, including price. Certain of our competitors may have lower overhead cost structures and may, therefore, be able to provide their services at lower rates than we are able to provide. In addition, some of our competitors have greater resources than we do. We cannot be certain that our competitors will not develop the expertise, experience and resources to provide services that are superior in both price and quality to our services. Similarly, we cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain or enhance our competitive position within our industry or maintain a customer base at current levels. We may also face competition from the in-house service organizations of our existing or prospective customers. Electric power, gas, telecommunications and cable television service providers usually employ personnel who perform some of the same types of services we do. We cannot be certain that our existing or prospective customers will continue to outsource services in the future.

      We may incur liabilities relating to occupational health and safety matters. Our operations are subject to extensive laws and regulations relating to the maintenance of safe conditions in the workplace. While we have invested, and will continue to invest, substantial resources in our occupational health and safety programs, our industry involves a high degree of operational risk and there can be no assurance that we will avoid significant liability exposure. Although we have taken what we believe are appropriate precautions, we have suffered fatalities in the past and may suffer additional fatalities in the future. Claims for damages to persons, including claims for bodily injury or loss of life, could result in substantial costs and liabilities.

      The industries we serve are subject to rapid technological and structural changes that could reduce the demand for the services we provide. The electric power, gas, telecommunications and cable television industries are undergoing rapid change as a result of technological advances that could, in certain cases, reduce the demand for our services or otherwise negatively impact our business. New or developing technologies could displace the wireline systems used for voice, video and data transmissions, and improvements in existing technology may allow telecommunications and cable television companies to significantly improve their networks without physically upgrading them.

      Failure to obtain or maintain necessary performance bonds could adversely affect our business. Contracts in the industries we serve often require performance bonds or other means of financial assurance to secure contractual performance. During 2002 and 2003, the market for performance bonds tightened significantly. If we are unable to obtain performance bonds or letters of credit in sufficient amounts or on acceptable terms, we might be precluded from entering into additional contracts with certain of our customers. Management believes that our current surety arrangements will satisfy all of our bonding needs for the foreseeable future, but there can be no assurance that such surety arrangements will be sufficient to satisfy all of our future bonding needs

      Many of our contracts may be canceled on short notice, and we may be unsuccessful in replacing our contracts if they are cancelled or as they are completed or expire. We could experience a decrease in our revenue, net income and liquidity if any of the following occur:

  •  our customers cancel a significant number of contracts;
 
  •  we fail to win a significant number of our existing contracts upon re-bid;
 
  •  we complete a significant number of non-recurring projects and cannot replace them with similar projects; or
 
  •  we fail to reduce operating and overhead expenses consistent with any decrease in our revenue.

Many of our customers may cancel our contracts on short notice, typically 30-90 days, even if we are not in default under the contract. Certain of our customers assign work to us on a project-by-project basis under master service agreements. Under these agreements, our customers often have no obligation to assign a specific amount of work to us. Our operations could decline significantly if the anticipated volume of work is not assigned to us. Many of our contracts, including our master service contracts, are opened to public bid at the expiration of their terms. There can be no assurance that we will be the successful bidder on our existing contracts that come up for bid.

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      We are self-insured against potential liabilities. Although we maintain insurance policies with respect to automobile, general liability, workers’ compensation and employers’ liability, those policies are subject to deductibles of $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 per occurrence, and we are primarily self-insured for all claims that do not exceed the amount of the applicable deductible. We also maintain a non-union employee related health care benefit plan that is subject to a deductible of $250,000 per claimant per year. Losses up to the deductible amounts are accrued based upon our estimates of the ultimate liability for claims incurred and an estimate of claims incurred but not reported. However, insurance liabilities are difficult to assess and estimate due to unknown factors, including the severity of an injury, the determination of our liability in proportion to other parties, the number of incidents not reported and the effectiveness of our safety program. If we were to experience insurance claims or costs above our estimates, our business could be materially and adversely affected.

      The departure of key personnel could disrupt our business. We depend on the continued efforts of our executive officers and on senior management of the businesses we acquire. Although we have entered into employment agreements with terms of one to three years with most of our executive officers and certain other key employees, we cannot be certain that any individual will continue in such capacity for any particular period of time. The loss of key personnel, or the inability to hire and retain qualified employees, could negatively impact our ability to manage our business. We do not carry key-person life insurance on any of our employees.

      Our unionized workforce could adversely affect our operations and our ability to complete future acquisitions. As of December 31, 2003, approximately 43% of our employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements. Although the majority of these agreements prohibit strikes and work stoppages, we cannot be certain that strikes or work stoppages will not occur in the future. Strikes or work stoppages would adversely impact our relationships with our customers and could cause us to lose business and decrease our revenue. In addition, our ability to complete future acquisitions could be adversely affected because of our union status for a variety of reasons. For instance, our union agreements may be incompatible with the union agreements of a business we want to acquire and some businesses may not want to become affiliated with a union based company.

      Our business is labor intensive, and we may be unable to attract and retain qualified employees. Our ability to maintain our productivity and profitability will be limited by our ability to employ, train and retain skilled personnel necessary to meet our requirements. We may experience shortages of qualified journeyman linemen. We cannot be certain that we will be able to maintain an adequate skilled labor force necessary to operate efficiently and to support our growth strategy or that our labor expenses will not increase as a result of a shortage in the supply of these skilled personnel. Labor shortages or increased labor costs could impair our ability to maintain our business or grow our revenues.

      Our business growth could outpace the capability of our corporate management infrastructure. We cannot be certain that our infrastructure will be adequate to support our operations as they expand. Future growth also could impose significant additional responsibilities on members of our senior management, including the need to recruit and integrate new senior level managers and executives. We cannot be certain that we can recruit and retain such additional managers and executives. To the extent that we are unable to manage our growth effectively, or are unable to attract and retain additional qualified management, we may not be able to expand our operations or execute our business plan.

      We could have potential exposure to environmental liabilities. Our operations are subject to various environmental laws and regulations, including those dealing with the handling and disposal of waste products, PCBs, fuel storage and air quality. As a result of past and future operations at our facilities, we may be required to incur environmental remediation costs and other cleanup expenses. In addition, we cannot be certain that we will be able to identify or be indemnified for all potential environmental liabilities relating to any acquired business, property or assets.

      Opportunities within the government arena could lead to increased governmental regulation applicable to Quanta and unrecoverable start up costs. Most government contracts are awarded through a regulated competitive bidding process. As we pursue increased opportunities in the government arena management’s

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focus associated with the start up and bidding process may be diverted away from other opportunities. If we were to be successful in being awarded government contracts, a significant amount of costs could be required before any revenues were realized from these contracts. In addition, as a government contractor we would be subject to a number of procurement rules and other public sector liabilities, any deemed violation of which could lead to fines or penalties or a loss of business. Government agencies routinely audit and investigate government contractors. Government agencies may review a contractor’s performance under its contracts, costs structure, and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. If government agencies determine through these audits or reviews that costs were improperly allocated to specific contracts, they will not reimburse the contractor for those costs or may require the contractor to refund previously reimbursed costs. Moreover, our internal controls may not prevent improper conduct. If government agencies determine that we engaged in improper activity, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties. We also could experience serious harm to our reputation. Many government contracts must be appropriated each year. If appropriations are not made in subsequent years we would not realize all of the potential revenues from any awarded contracts.

      We may not be successful in meeting the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has introduced many new requirements applicable to Quanta regarding corporate governance and financial reporting. Among many other requirements is the requirement under Section 404 of the Act, beginning with the 2004 Annual Report, for management to report on the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting and for Quanta’s independent public accountants to attest to this report. During 2003, the Company commenced actions to ensure its ability to comply with these requirements, including but not limited to, the engaging of outside experts to assist in the evaluation of our controls, additional staffing requirements of our internal audit department and documentation of existing controls. In addition, the Company expects to continue to devote substantial time and incur substantial costs during 2004 to ensure compliance. There can no assurance what we will be successful in complying with Section 404. Failure to do so could result in the reduced ability to obtain financing, the loss of customers, penalties and additional expenditures to meet the requirements.

      We may not have access in the future to sufficient funding to finance desired growth. If we cannot secure additional financing in the future on acceptable terms, we may be unable to support our growth strategy. We cannot readily predict the ability of certain customers to pay for past services or the timing, size and success of our acquisition efforts. Using cash for acquisitions limits our financial flexibility and makes us more likely to seek additional capital through future debt or equity financings. Our existing debt agreements contain significant restrictions on our operational and financial flexibility, including our ability to incur additional debt, and if we seek more debt we may have to agree to additional covenants that limit our operational and financial flexibility. When we seek additional debt or equity financings, we cannot be certain that additional debt or equity will be available to us on terms acceptable to us or at all.

      We may be unsuccessful at generating internal growth. Our ability to generate internal growth will be affected by, among other factors, our ability to:

  •  expand the range of services we offer to customers to address their evolving network needs;
 
  •  attract new customers;
 
  •  increase the number of projects performed for existing customers;
 
  •  hire and retain employees; and
 
  •  open additional facilities.

In addition, our customers may reduce the number or size of projects available to us due to their inability to obtain capital or pay for services provided. Many of the factors affecting our ability to generate internal growth may be beyond our control, and we cannot be certain that our strategies will be successful or that we will be able to generate cash flow sufficient to fund our operations and to support internal growth. If we are unsuccessful, we may not be able to achieve internal growth, expand our operations or grow our business.

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      Our results of operations could be adversely affected as a result of goodwill impairments. When we acquire a business, we record an asset called “goodwill” equal to the excess amount we pay for the business, including liabilities assumed, over the fair value of the tangible and intangible assets of the business we acquire. Through December 31, 2001, pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles, we amortized this goodwill over its estimated useful life of 40 years following the acquisition, which directly impacted our earnings. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 142 which provides that goodwill and other intangible assets that have indefinite useful lives not be amortized, but instead must be tested at least annually for impairment, and intangible assets that have finite useful lives should continue to be amortized over their useful lives. SFAS No. 142 also provides specific guidance for testing goodwill and other non-amortized intangible assets for impairment. SFAS No. 142 requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions to allocate goodwill to reporting units and to determine the fair value of reporting unit net assets and liabilities, including, among other things, an assessment of market conditions, projected cash flows, investment rates, cost of capital and growth rates, which could significantly impact the reported value of goodwill and other intangible assets. Fair value is determined using a combination of the discounted cash flow, market multiple and market capitalization valuation approaches. Absent any impairment indicators, we perform our impairment tests annually during the fourth quarter. Future impairments, if any, will be recognized as operating expenses.

      We may be unsuccessful at integrating companies that we either have acquired or that we may acquire in the future. We cannot be sure that we can successfully integrate our acquired companies with our existing operations without substantial costs, delays or other operational or financial problems. If we do not implement proper overall business controls, our decentralized operating strategy could result in inconsistent operating and financial practices at the companies we acquire and our overall profitability could be adversely affected. Integrating our acquired companies involves a number of special risks which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including:

  •  failure of acquired companies to achieve the results we expect;
 
  •  diversion of our management’s attention from operational matters;
 
  •  difficulties integrating the operations and personnel of acquired companies;
 
  •  inability to retain key personnel of the acquired companies;
 
  •  risks associated with unanticipated events or liabilities; and
 
  •  potential disruptions of our business.

If one of our acquired companies suffers customer dissatisfaction or performance problems, the reputation of our entire company could suffer.

      First Reserve’s investment in us may result in potential conflicts of interest with, or dilution of, existing stockholders. First Reserve Fund IX, L.P. (First Reserve) owned approximately 33.8% of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of March 9, 2004. By reason of such stock ownership, conflicts of interest may arise in the future between us and First Reserve and its affiliates with respect to, among other things, issuances of additional shares of voting securities or the payment of dividends. There are no contractual or other restrictions on the ability of First Reserve or its affiliates to pursue other investment opportunities in any of the industries we serve. In addition, First Reserve may have interests that could be in conflict with those of the holders of our convertible subordinated notes or other stockholders.

      You are unlikely to be able to seek remedies against Arthur Andersen LLP, our former independent auditor. Our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended prior to December 31, 2002 were audited by Arthur Andersen LLP, our former independent auditor. In June 2002 Arthur Andersen LLP was convicted of federal obstruction of justice charges in connection with its destruction of documents. As a result of its conviction, Arthur Andersen LLP has ceased operations and is no longer in a position to reissue its audit reports or to provide consent to include financial statements reported on by it in this prospectus. Because Arthur Andersen LLP has not reissued its reports and because we are not able to obtain a consent from Arthur Andersen LLP, you will have no effective remedy against Arthur Andersen LLP in connection with their role

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as our independent public accountants for the period covered by its previously issued reports. Even if you have a basis for asserting a remedy against, or seeking to recover from, Arthur Andersen LLP, we believe that it is unlikely that you would be able to recover damages from Arthur Andersen LLP.

      Certain provisions of our corporate governing documents could make an acquisition of our company more difficult. The following provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as currently in effect, as well as our stockholder rights plan and Delaware law, could discourage potential proposals to acquire us, delay or prevent a change in control of us or limit the price that investors may be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock:

  •  our certificate of incorporation permits our board of directors to issue “blank check” preferred stock and to adopt amendments to our bylaws;
 
  •  our bylaws contain restrictions regarding the right of stockholders to nominate directors and to submit proposals to be considered at stockholder meetings;
 
  •  our certificate of incorporation and bylaws restrict the right of stockholders to call a special meeting of stockholders and to act by written consent;
 
  •  we are subject to provisions of Delaware law which prohibit us from engaging in any of a broad range of business transactions with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the date such stockholder became classified as an interested stockholder; and
 
  •  on March 8, 2000, we adopted, and have subsequently amended, a stockholder rights plan that could cause substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire us on terms not approved by our board of directors or permitted by the stockholder rights plan.

 
ITEM 2. Properties

Facilities

      We lease our corporate headquarters in Houston, Texas and maintain offices nationwide. This space is used for offices, equipment yards, warehousing, storage and vehicle shops. We own 31 of the facilities we occupy, all of which are encumbered by our credit facility, and we lease the rest. We believe that our existing facilities are sufficient for our current needs.

Equipment

      We operate a fleet of owned and leased trucks and trailers, support vehicles and specialty construction equipment, such as backhoes, excavators, trenchers, generators, boring machines, cranes, wire pullers and tensioners. As of December 31, 2003, the total size of the rolling-stock fleet was approximately 19,700 units. Most of this fleet is serviced by our own mechanics who work at various maintenance sites and facilities. We believe that these vehicles generally are well maintained and adequate for our present operations.

 
ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings

      We are from time to time a party to various lawsuits, claims and other legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. These actions typically seek, among other things, compensation for alleged personal injury, breach of contract, property damage, punitive damages, civil penalties or other losses, or injunctive or declaratory relief. With respect to such lawsuits, claims, and proceedings, we accrue reserves when it is probable a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. We do not expect the outcome of any of these proceedings, separately or in the aggregate, to have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial position.

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PART II

 
ITEM 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Stock and Related Stockholder Matters

      We initially offered our common stock to the public on February 12, 1998, at a price of $6.00 per share. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “PWR.” The following table sets forth the high and low sales prices of our common stock per quarter, as reported by the NYSE, for the two most recent fiscal years.

                   
High Low


Year Ended December 31, 2002
               
 
1st Quarter
  $ 17.43     $ 11.53  
 
2nd Quarter
    18.90       9.40  
 
3rd Quarter
    10.19       1.75  
 
4th Quarter
    3.94       1.78  
Year Ended December 31, 2003
               
 
1st Quarter
    4.10       2.80  
 
2nd Quarter
    8.70       3.18  
 
3rd Quarter
    9.87       4.48  
 
4th Quarter
    9.10       6.95  

      On March 9, 2004, there were 1,032 holders of record of our common stock and 24 holders of record of our Limited Vote Common Stock. There is no established trading market for the Limited Vote Common Stock; however, the Limited Vote Common Stock converts into common stock immediately upon sale.

Dividends

      We currently intend to retain our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth, development and expansion of our business. Accordingly, we do not currently intend to declare or pay any cash dividends on our common stock in the immediate future. The declaration, payment and amount of future cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors. These factors include our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows from operations, current and anticipated capital requirements and expansion plans, the income tax laws then in effect and the requirements of Delaware law. In addition, the terms of our revolving credit facility and convertible subordinated notes include limitations on the payment of cash dividends without the consent of the respective lenders.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

      On October 21, 2003 and October 24, 2003, we sold $225 million and $45 million principal amount of our 4.5% convertible subordinated notes due 2023 to Banc of America Securities LLC and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., in a private placement pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, the notes will be convertible into shares of common stock at an initial rate of 89.7989 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes (or a conversion price of approximately $11.14 per share of common stock). These securities were registered subsequent to issuance.

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ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data

      The following historical selected financial data has been derived from the audited financial statements of the company. The historical financial statement data represents the financial position and results of operations of a company acquired in a pooling transaction in 1999 and reflects the acquisitions of businesses accounted for as purchase transactions as of their respective acquisition dates. The historical selected financial data should be read in conjunction with the historical Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes thereto included in Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

                                             
Year Ended December 31,

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003





(In thousands)
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:
                                       
 
Revenues
  $ 925,654     $ 1,793,301     $ 2,014,877     $ 1,750,713     $ 1,642,853  
 
Cost of services (including depreciation)
    711,353       1,379,204       1,601,039       1,513,940       1,442,958