William Utt
Analyst · Morgan Stanley
Thanks, Rob, and good morning, everyone. I would like to start today's call with our updated guidance for the full year 2010, which you saw in this morning's earnings press release. We have raised KBR's 2010 guidance range to $1.75 to $2 per diluted share from the earlier guidance of $1.50 to $1.80 per diluted share. The updated guidance takes into account the recently announced award fees for LogCAP III, which were not in the previous guidance, as well as a generally stronger performance in our operating businesses. Also, KBR anticipates that the 2010 LogCAP revenues will now be approximately 60% of the 2009 levels compared to approximately 50% reflected in the previous guidance. Sue will provide more detail on our updated guidance later in the call. Before making comments on KBR's discrete business units, I would like to discuss KBR's backlog. As we have discussed over the past several quarters and as highlighted during our Analyst and Investor Day at the end of June, we have been focused on creating a more profitable backlog. Compared to the second quarter of 2009, job income backlog was up 26% relative to a 1% increase in revenue backlog. Sequentially, KBR's job income backlog was flat despite a 7% decline in revenue backlog. For our Gas Monetization business unit, during the second quarter, KBR received change orders for the Yemen LNG project of approximately $43 million, resulting in an after-tax EPS contribution of $0.17 per diluted share. However, during the quarter, KBR also reviewed and assessed our reserve for subcontractor claims, which resulted in an increase in the amount of anticipated subcontractor claims on the Yemen project. That resulted in a net $7 million charge to KBR. For the Tangguh LNG project, the plan is fully operational and shipping LNG. We continue to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the customer to close out the project that conclude final project change orders, although the timing of receipt of these change orders remains uncertain at this time. The Gorgon LNG, Pearl GTL and Skikda LNG projects were positive contributors to this quarter's results. The Inpex Ichthys FEED and the Pluto FEED, as well as the Browse LNG basis of design projects, are proceeding as planned and also contributed nominally to the quarter's results. For our Oil & Gas business unit, we are continuing to work on a number of FEED projects that were awarded last year and expect these FEEDs to move into detailed design during 2010. Oil & Gas' revenue backlog was up 96% sequentially as we had a substantial work release on an ongoing oil project in the Caspian region. During the second quarter, the Oil & Gas business unit results were adversely impacted by charges related to legal costs in the ongoing legacy Barracuda-Caratinga arbitration in the amount of $4 million. For our Downstream business unit, the Yanbu Project has received final investment approval. Earlier this week, final EPC contracts were executed for several major construction packages on the Yanbu Project, and the second and final phase of this project has commenced. KBR will now begin to staff the EPC project offices, continue detailed design of procurement services on the interconnections and utilities packages and better define our anticipated construction management role over the coming quarters. Also, the Ras Tanura Integrated Project FEED continues to progress well. We continue to increase staff to meet FEED completion targets, with an expected completion in the third quarter of 2011. Also in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Kayan ethylene project has commenced its performance testing and has produced ethylene during test production runs. The two refinery projects in Africa continue to move forward and negotiations continue for the first phases of the EPC end packages [ph](22:01) for the Lobito refinery project in Angola. Technology had a 48% sequential increase in backlog, representative of approximately $90 million in new awards during the second quarter, including two ammonia projects in South America, a refining project in Nigeria and an aniline project in China. We continue to be pleased with the continued high levels of growth we are seeing in our Technology business unit. Also, during the second quarter of 2010, KBR's Technology business unit formed a new joint venture, SK-KBR Technologies with South Korea-based SK Energy Company. Under this joint venture, SK-KBR is granted exclusive worldwide rights to market and license SK Energy's petrochemical and related process technologies. During the second quarter, we continued to add Hydrocarbon technical personnel for a total of 908 additional people in the first half of 2010, of which approximately 1/3 being hired are in the United States. As I stated in my shareholders' letter for the 2009 Annual Report, KBR thought it was possible to achieve staffing levels in 2010 in line with 2008 levels. With the additions in staff this quarter, we are about at our 2008 levels. For our North American Government and Defense business unit, we still see troop levels moving to the expected 50,000 headcount by the end of August of this year. Our personnel levels in Iraq have followed these troop declines. We expect that once we hit the 50,000 troop level at the end of August, our staffing should remain reasonably consistent through the end of 2011. Also, during the quarter, KBR received a $60 million award fee related to its LogCAP III work in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait for several task orders over the period from May 1, 2008, through August 31, 2009. For this period, the Award Fee Determining Official rated KBR's performance as good, very good and excellent on multiple Award Fee pools. This award resulted in an increase in our after-tax income of approximately $39 million or $0.24 of earnings per diluted share. We also expect to be notified in the second half of 2010 of the results of the Award Fee Evaluations Board held in late June 2010 for the periods of performance from September 2009 through February 2010 on task orders in Iraq, and from September 2009 through May 2010 on task orders in Afghanistan. As you recall, last quarter, I discussed the impact of approximately $10 million related to legal fees and unallowable costs associated with our legacy LogCAP work. During the second quarter of 2010, we incurred an aggregate $10 million for additional legacy legal fees and unallowable cost. As we look out over the next two quarters, we expect these costs to continue but at a lower level. KBR was also awarded a task order under LogCAP IV to support U.S. Army and Navy missions at five sites in Bahrain. Under this task order, KBR will support nearly 1,400 personnel and provide camp construction facilities management, HAZMAT management, food service, fuel operations and other services. This contract is one-year based plus one option year valued at approximately $28 million. The International Government and Defense business unit continued to experience increasing services for the U.K. and NATO troops in Afghanistan. During the second quarter, the newly acquired three-year contract with NATO to provide operations and maintenance services ramped up. We did see several pending bids to the U.K. Ministry of Defense get delayed during the quarter, as the new conservative government is preparing its strategic defense review. We are presently forecasting a two- to three-month delay in new awards from the Ministry of Defense related to the preparation of the Strategic Defense Review document. Weaker infrastructure activity in the U.S., Australia and the U.K. from the global financial crisis continues to affect our Infrastructure and Minerals business unit. However, in the Middle East, Infrastructure activity is beginning to improve based on a stabilizing oil price and several new large projects for program management services now moving forward. From a Minerals and Mining perspective, we are similarly seeing a surge in activity as a result of the resolution of the Australia minerals tax, which is expected to stimulate increased capital spending in the Australia minerals sector, as the investor uncertainty related to the proposed minerals tax has been removed. The Power and Industrial business unit is seeing a pickup in early study and front-end work in the forest products market, which should ultimately lead to a series of larger project opportunities. We are extremely pleased with this volume increase as it has been three to four years since we've seen this level of activity. Our Services business unit continues to see an increasing volume of bid opportunities but, generally, for smaller-capital projects. However, we are also seeing our first series of large projects in excess of $100 million being bid, which continues to improve our outlook in the North American markets. Services was awarded several contracts during the quarter, including renovation, repair and construction projects by both the Atlanta Public Schools and the State Department of Missouri, a construction management services contract by DuPont for their Tedlar production facility in Ohio and multiple small construction contracts in Canada for mining customers. Also in Canada, we completed the Suncor spring Turnaround on time, under budget and with no injuries. As a result, we were awarded Suncor's fall Turnaround project, which was approximately double the size of our role on the spring Turnaround. The Building Group was awarded several contracts during the quarter, including an $87 million contract for the construction of the new Dental Sciences Building for the School of Dentistry for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a preconstruction Construction Services contract by Carolinas HealthCare System for a new medical center and a contract by DuPont for construction management of the initial phase of the company's suburban campus in Wilmington, Delaware. After Sue's comments, I will comment in more detail on the market outlook for our business before turning the call over to questions. Sue?