2. Operational performance

2.1 Financial information per business

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The businesses of the Group comprise Audit & Assurance, Tax & Legal, Consulting, Risk Advisory and Financial Advisory which engage in business activities for external clients and Support/Other which mainly provides internal services. All operating businesses operating results are reviewed regularly by the Executive Board to assess their performance for which there is discrete financial information available. Business results that are reported to the Executive Board include items directly attributable to a business. Corporate costs, such as cost of fixed assets, accommodation-, office-, IT- and innovation expenses are the responsibility of the Support/Other business and are allocated on a reasonable basis to the five businesses. The Group mainly operates in the Netherlands and the Caribbean business is not material to the Group, there is only one geographic business.

The pricing of transactions between the different businesses is determined in accordance with objective and commercial principles. There are no differences between the principles for the valuation of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and the business information. The Group voluntarily discloses information per business but does not apply IFRS 8.

2.2 Revenue

Accounting policies

Revenue recognition

The Group generates revenue primarily by delivering professional services to clients, with the types of services offered being similar within each of its services lines of Audit & Assurance, Risk Advisory, Tax & Legal, Consulting and Financial Advisory. Each service line offers a wide range of services and, when delivered to individual clients, these are almost always bespoke in nature. However the performance obligations tend to be consistent from client to client and the ones the Group most commonly satisfies are:

• External audit services

• Direct and indirect tax compliance services

• Technology solution design and implementation

• Reports on business or compliance issues

• Project management services

As a provider of professional services the Group generally does not have obligations for returns, refunds or other similar obligations, nor does it have warranties or other related obligations.

Revenue of services

The amount of consideration the Group receives varies both service to service and from client to client, reflecting the bespoke nature of the services the Group provides. The consideration typically reflects the skills and experience of the individuals who provide the services as well as the availability of similar skills and experience in the wider professional services market. These factors tend to vary from service line to service line. The consideration the Group receives is typically based on one or more of four principal pricing mechanisms:

• Time and material

• Fixed fee

• Contingent fee

• Transaction revenues

The Group adjusts its estimate of revenue throughout the contractual period of services, and for amounts which are variable, such as contingent fees, at the earlier of when the most likely amount of consideration the Group expects to receive changes or when the consideration becomes fixed.

Most of the Group’s contractual arrangements comprise a single performance obligation. For those contractual arrangements that comprise multiple performance obligations, the transaction price is allocated on the basis of the relative estimated stand-alone selling price of each performance obligation. Other than for contingent fee arrangements which are constrained in accordance with the requirements of IFRS 15, in virtually all contracts the Group has an enforceable right to payment for services rendered and, given the bespoke nature of the services provided, recognises revenue over time as such services are rendered. The Group measures progress in satisfying the performance obligations as follows:

• For time and material arrangements, the Group is able to recognise revenue on the basis of time charged to date. This output method approach uses the practical expedient in IFRS 15 with the amount recognised as revenue reflecting the amount that the Group has the right to invoice to its customers.

• For fixed fee arrangements, the Group uses an input method based upon the value of the services (determined based upon the number of hours charged and the undiscounted hourly rates) charged to the engagement to date compared to the total expected inputs. Chargeable time for employees tends to be the most significant input and this is charged to individual contracts (and performance obligations) via timesheet reporting. Revenues are recognised as employee time is used to provide the services.

• Contingent fees are usually recognised when the contingency is resolved (refer to critical accounting judgements for further detail).

• Transaction related fees are priced on a “per unit” basis, such as data storage or data processing fees, and are typically recognised as the underlying transactions or usage take place, for the same reason as time and materials arrangements.

The Group typically invoices its customers monthly or quarterly in arrears, or for smaller projects at the end of the engagement, but payment terms do vary depending on the types of services being offered or for individual contractual agreements. When performance obligations have been satisfied, revenue is recognised and contract assets are simultaneously created. Contract liabilities represent amounts received for performance obligations which are not yet satisfied. The Group has determined that no significant financing component exists in respect of its professional services as the period between when the Group transfers a promised good or service to a customer and when the customer pays for that good or service will be one year or less.

Costs to obtain or fulfil a contract

Certain costs of obtaining a contract are capitalised where the Group would not have incurred those costs if the contract had not been obtained (incremental costs). This would typically be when up-front costs are incurred at contract inception that generate or enhance resources of the Group that will enable the Group to deliver services over the lifetime of the contract. Such amounts are not material for the Group.

Key accounting estimates and judgments

Identifying the performance obligation

Determining the number of performance obligations in the contractual arrangements with the Group’s customers sometimes involves judgement. Whilst the Group’s contractual arrangements often contain extensive details in relation to the services to be provided, in many cases these are considered to comprise a single performance obligation. Even when multiple deliverables are to be provided to a customer these are often judged to be a single performance obligation either because there is a significant service of integration performed by the Group in delivering these services or because the services represent a series of substantially similar services all recognised over time (for example, the provision of multiple internal audit reports under an internal outsourcing contract). If performance obligations were determined differently, then this could affect both the timing and extent of revenue recognised in a financial period. Where we are delivering multiple performance obligations, these are often delivered at the same time, so the determination of what performance obligations exists has limited practical impact on the accounting for revenue.

Contingent fees

The Group provides various services where the amount of consideration is dependent upon the outcome of the services provided; for example, tax claims and corporate finance services. The uncertainty around the fees ultimately receivable under these arrangements is generally only fully resolved when a matter is concluded. Where the Group has sufficient historical experience with similar contracts in order to be able to estimate the expected outcome of a group of existing contracts reliably, revenue is estimated using the expected value method. Fees are only included in revenue to the extent that it is highly probable that the cumulative amount of revenue recognised in respect of a contract at the end of a reporting period will not be subject to a significant revenue reversal when a matter is concluded. If the Group accounted for contingent fees differently than this could occur in two ways, either that (a) the variable consideration constraint outlined in IFRS 15 should not be applied at all, or (b) that the constraint should be applied to all contingent fee engagements. In the case of scenario (a), this would result in the recognition of revenue over time, as work was performed, if it was considered that the services met one or more of the criteria for recognition over time. In the case of (b), this would result in the recognition of revenue once the uncertainty is fully resolved.

Timing of satisfaction of performance obligations

Revenue recognition requires the Group to estimate the expected results of current engagements based on an estimate of time and costs to be incurred, the estimate of expected additional billing on fixed fee projects and the assessment of and the collectability of unbilled amounts. For larger engagement this process is inherently complex.

Revenue from continuing operations

The following is an analysis of the Group’s revenue for the year from continuing operations.

Revenue is mainly realised in the Netherlands.

Remaining performance obligations

As at the year end date, there are contracts with customers where the Group has unsatisfied or partially unsatisfied performance obligations.

The majority of services performed by the Group are in respect of contracts with an expected duration of 1 year or less either because the services are expected to be provided within a 12 month period or because the customer and/or Deloitte has the right to terminate the contract without substantive penalty upon the delivery of written notice. For amounts arising from such contracts the Group applies the practical expedient in paragraph 121 of IFRS 15 and does not disclose information about the remaining performance obligations. Contracts with a duration of more than one year does not exceed 0.5% of total revenues. This also applies to contracts where the amount recognised as revenue is based on the amount which the Group has the right to invoice.

2.3 Other operating income

The other operating income relates to income not comprising services to clients.

2.4 Costs of subcontracted work and other external costs

These are services and expenses directly attributable to engagements.

2.5 Personnel Expenses

Accounting policies

Retirement benefit costs and termination benefits

The Group has a defined contribution plan for all employees. Contributions payable to the pension plan administrator are recognised as an expense in the profit and loss account. Contributions payable or prepaid contributions as at year-end are recognised under current liabilities and accruals, and receivables and prepayments, respectively.

Short term and other long term employee benefits

A liability is recognised for benefits accruing to employees in respect of wages and salaries, annual leave and sick leave in the period the related service is rendered at the undiscounted amount of the benefits expected to be paid in exchange for that service. Liabilities recognised in respect of short-term employee benefits are measured at the undiscounted amount of the benefits expected to be paid in exchange for the related service. Liabilities recognised in respect of other long-term employee benefits are measured at the present value of the estimated future cash outflows expected to be made by the Group in respect of services provided by employees up to the reporting date.

Personnel Expenses

• 1 Salaries contains €3,648 (2020/2021 €3,628) fixed compensation of the Board.

The cost of staff cars have been reclassified compared to last year. In prior year cost of staff cars were part of the operating costs. The reason for this reclassification is to align with management reporting. The reclassification in the prior year resulted in personnel expenses to increase with €25,839 and other operating expenses to decrease with €25,839.

Workforce

The average number of equity partners and employees working in the Group, in FTE, and broken down by activity:

2.6 Other operating expenses

Accounting policies

Expenses are decreases in assets, or increases in liabilities, that result in decreases in equity, other than those relating to distributions to holders of equity claims.

Other operating expenses

Other operating expenses are specified as follows:

The cost of staff cars has been reclassified compared to last year. In prior year cost of staff cars were part of the operating costs. As of fiscal year 2021/2022 these costs are included in the personnel expenses (see note 2.5). The reason for this reclassification is to align with management reporting. The comparative figures have been adjusted accordingly. 

In addition, a reclassification is made between other costs and office and IT costs in the comparative figures. The reason for the reclassification is to align with the management reporting. An amount of €28.713 has been reclassed between these categories.

2.7 Cash flow generated from operating activities

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2.8 Management fee and compensation members of Coöperatief Deloitte U.A.

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The profit distribution is based on the Associate Agreement Deloitte as of June 1, 2017. The Cooperative will pay the members of the Cooperative a management fee and a final compensation excluding, an amount that is not distributed in order to supplement the negative equity of the Cooperative. For 2021/2022 the amount is €1.0 million (2020/2021: €26.7 million). The Group has a financial obligation to compensate partners pursuant to their Associate Agreement with the Group during the fiscal year and such amounts are recognised as an expense and not as an appropriation of profit. During the year a management fee was paid with a targeted range of 70%-80% of the total partner remuneration. A liability will be recognised, after deducting any amount already paid as management fee for the partner remuneration. If the amount already paid exceeds the amount to be paid, an asset is be recognised to the extent that the prepayment will lead to a reduction in future payments or a cash refund.

• 1 Adjustments mainly relates to goodwill amortisation, and these differences between management accounts and IFRS will not be paid as compensation to members.
• 2 Members of the Executive Board receive a fixed compensation which is not included under management fee and compensation. For the management fee and transactions with related parties reference is also made to the accounting principles for determination of the result. The Group has transactions with the members for which the nature and scope are disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. Management fee and compensation paid in the financial year amounts €202,837 (2020/2021 €144,233).