SEC Company Response from ACORN ENERGY, INC. (ACFN) (CIK 0000880984) (ACFN) — Oct 17, 2005
ACORN ENERGY, INC. (ACFN) (CIK 0000880984)
Date: Oct. 17, 2005 · CIK: 0000880984 · Accession: 0001144204-05-031848
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File numbers found in text: 000-19771
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Unassociated Document
EILENBERG
& KRAUSE LLP
11 EAST
44th
STREET
NEW
YORK,
NEW YORK 10017
TELEPHONE: (212)
986-9700
FACSIMILE: (212)
986-2399
October
16, 2005
Ms.
Kathleen Collins
Accounting
Branch Chief
Division
of Corporation Finance
Securities
and Exchange Commission
100
F
Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Re:
Data
Systems & Software Inc
Form
10-K for Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2004
Forms
10-Q for Fiscal Quarters Ended March 31, 2005 and June
30, 2005
File
No. 000-19771
Dear
Ms.
Collins:
This
letter is submitted on behalf of Data Systems & Software Inc. (“we,”“DSSI”
or the “Company”), in response to the comments of the Staff of the Division of
Corporation Finance of the Securities and Exchange Commission in your letter
of
September 30, 2005 regarding the above-captioned filings.
Our
numbered responses correlate to the numbers in your September 30, 2005 letter,
and we have set forth in full the text of the comments included in your letter
for convenience purposes.
We
respond to the Staff’s comments as follows:
Comment
No. 1
We
note that your audit report was signed by an audit firm based in Tel Aviv,
Israel. Please tell us how you concluded that it is appropriate to have an
audit
report issued by an auditor licensed outside of the United States. In accordance
with Article 2 of Regulation S-X, we believe that the audit report of a
registrant (that is not a foreign private issuer) should ordinarily be rendered
by an auditor licensed in the United States.
In
response to the Staff’s comment, please be advised that, in January 2004 prior
to engaging Kesselman & Kesselman CPA (Isr.), a member of
PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited (hereafter “K&K”), K&K was
cleared by the accounting staff in the Division of Corporation Finance to
sign
the audit report of the Company for fiscal 2003 and 2004 with the understanding
that the matter would need to be revisited before K&K commenced the 2005
audit.
The
discussions which led to this clearance were held between Mr. Wayne Carnell
of
PricewaterhouseCoopers’ National SEC Practice and Mr. Craig Olinger from the
SEC. Information that was presented to the Staff included:
a)
Structure
of the DSSI group;
b)
Type
and complexity of operation in each entity of the
group;
c)
Where
the majority of audit work shall be
conducted;
d)
Size
and place of assets of the group;
e)
Amount
and location where revenues were earned;
and
f)
Location
of management and in particular financial
management.
Based
on
the information presented to the Staff, it was determined that it was
appropriate for K&K, located in Israel, to sign the audit report of the
Company.
In
addition, in early 2005, K&K with the assistance of Mr. Carnell, approached
the Staff to obtain approval for K&K to sign the audit report of the Company
for fiscal 2005. Information presented to the Staff included information
(on
matters a. through f. above) regarding dsIT subsequent to the sale of its
outsourcing consulting business referred to below. In September 2005, Mr.
Olinger advised Mr. Carnell that the Staff will not object to K&K signing
the audit report for fiscal 2005 and 2006 with the understanding that before
K&K commences the audit of 2007 this matter should be
re-evaluated.
Comment
No. 2
We
note your disclosure that revenues from fixed-price contracts to design,
develop, manufacture or modify complex equipment and software to customer
specifications are recognized using the percentage-of-completion method.
Tell us
why you believe it is appropriate to apply SOP 81-1 to service arrangements.
In
this regard, Footnote 1 of SOP 81-1 indicates that SOP 81-1 is not intended
to
apply to service transactions. Clarify whether these services are part of
a
multiple element arrangement where significant software and services are
being
provided and whether you are following SOP 97-2 for these arrangements. If
so,
address paragraphs 65, 66, 70 and 71 of SOP 97-2 to support use of contract
accounting for these arrangements.
In
response to the Staff’s comment, please be advised that the Company’s revenues
from fixed-price contracts are arrangements to design and/or modify complex
electronic equipment to a customer’s specification. Such arrangements in the
areas of sonar, telecommunications, digital signal processing, image processing,
software testing and validation,electronic warfare,
simulation and electro-optics and healthcare, all require significant
production, modification and customization of the Company’s core
software.
-2-
The
production, modification and customization services (“services”) are essential
to the customer desired software and system functionality. Provided below
is an
analysis of the application of this essentiality:
a)
The
software is not off-the-shelf software, but rather core software
which
always sold with modification and customization
services;
b)
The
Company always includes such services as part of the arrangement,
and the
software was never sold separately without
them;
c)
The
services involve designing complex interfaces with existing software
at
the customer site. In many cases the integration service is essential
to
the functionality of the software working as specified by the
customer;
d)
Each
arrangement is tailored to the specifications of the customer.
Such
specifications include in almost all instances, changes to the
features
and functionality of the software;
e)
Payment
terms are always based on milestones related to the stages and
progress of
the services set in the agreement;
f)
Company’s
management believes that their ability to meet customer specifications
by
modifying and customizing the software is a key differentiating
factor for
selecting them over other
competitors.
Based
on
the above factors, Company’s management believes that the fixed priced contracts
arrangements involve significant modification and customization of the Company’s
core software. Based on the provision of SOP 97-2 paragraph 7, the entire
arrangement should be accounted for
in
conformity with ARB No. 45 “Long-Term
Construction-Type Contracts”,
using
the relevant guidance in SOP 81-1 “Accounting
for Performance of Construction-Type and Certain Production-Type
Contracts”.
Comment
No. 3
We
note your disclosure on page 2 that you offer customers a full range of systems
integration services and maintenance with your computer hardware sales. Other
disclosures throughout your Form 10-K suggest that your arrangements include
multiple elements (e.g., software, hardware, consulting services, integration
services, implementation services, maintenance and extended service agreements).
Your revenue recognition policy should clearly identify each deliverable
included in your multi-element arrangement and how you allocate the arrangement
fee to each element. For arrangements where you apply SOP 97-2, demonstrate
how
you determine vendor specific objective evidence of fair value for each element.
While we note disclosure that your products and services are offered under
separately negotiated and priced agreements, note that separate prices stated
in
a contract may not represent fair value and should not be used as a basis
for
allocating revenue to the elements of an arrangement. Refer to EITF 00-21
and
SOP 97-2, as applicable.
In
response to the Staff’s comment, please be advised that the primary source of
our Computer Hardware segment revenues is the sale of computer hardware.
Computer software is generally off-the-shelf software (such as Microsoft
Windows
or Microsoft Office), which is already pre-loaded onto the computer hardware
and
shipped directly to the customer. Revenue from the sale is recognized at
time of
delivery. When a customer requests a specific software installation, the
computer hardware is shipped to us and we then install the requested software.
After installation, the computer hardware is delivered to the customer and
only
at that time revenue is recognized. In both situations, the software included
is
incidental to the sale of our hardware products as a whole. Therefore, the
Company’s management does not believe that such arrangements are within the
scope of SOP 97-2, as indicated in SOP 97-2 paragraph 2.
-3-
Please
note that our offer of integration services and maintenance with our computer
hardware sales is a service that we offer to our customers as a separate
service, subject to separate agreement, from our primary business of selling
computer hardware and is rarely requested by our customers. We currently
have
two employees who are in part dedicated to such services. Such services have
historically generated less than 2% of segment revenues in recent years.
Our
integration, implementation and consulting services, when provided, are based
on
hourly rates charged by software/hardware technicians in accordance with
our
predetermined price list. Such hourly rates are commensurate with market
rates
for the New York metropolitan area where most of the work is performed. Revenue
from these services is recognized at the time the service is
provided.
Our
maintenance contracts, which we no longer sell, were sold separately and
were
priced based upon predetermined price lists of maintenance contracts. In
addition such prices match similar contracts that can be purchased from outside
vendors. Revenue from these maintenance contracts was recognized ratably
over
the life of the maintenance contract (usually 12 to 24 months).
In
future
filings we will clearly identify each deliverable included in our multi-element
arrangements and how we allocate fees to each element in our Computer Hardware
segment.
Comment
No. 4
We
note that you are a reseller of computer hardware and software and, in certain
circumstances, account for revenues on a gross basis under EITF 99-19. Please
tell us the amount of 2004 revenues recorded gross and describe you considered
each of the factors listed in paragraphs 7 through 17 of EITF
99-19.
In
response to the Staff’s comment, please be advised that in fiscal 2004, the
computer hardware and software business was carried mainly through our
subsidiary Databit Inc. (“Databit”) resulted $17,971,000 of revenues, $3,362,000
of gross profit and $15,000 of net income.
The
Company’s management, following an analysis based on the provision of EITF
99-19, determined that revenues from its Computer Hardware segment should
be
presented on a gross basis. Management’s analysis was based on the following
factors:
The
company is the primary obligor in the arrangement-
Databit
is the primary obligor in the sales transaction opposite the customer. It
is
Databit that is responsible to the customer for fulfilling its order in its
entirety. Should there be any problems with the products provided, it is
Databit
and not the supplier that must amend any damages.
The
company has latitude in establishing price-
Databit
has complete discretion (within economic constraints) as to the prices it
charges for the products it sells. Databit’s suppliers do not determine the
prices that Databit must charge for their products.
The
company changes the product or performs part of the
service-
As
a
general rule under the sale arrangement Databit does not change the product
sold
by the supplier. In certain incidences, when requested by the customer, subject
to separate arrangement, Databit will modify the products purchased in
accordance with the customer’s specifications. Such modifications may include
implementation of local and wide area networks, additional hardware and software
selection and integration.
The
company has discretion in supplier selection-
Databit
maintains multiple suppliers for its products and has the discretion to select
the supplier that will provide the products ordered by the customer.
The
company is involved in the determination of product or service
specifications-
In
conjunction with the customer and based on their needs and budgets, Databit
assists in determining the nature, type, characteristics, and specifications
of
the products to be ordered by the customer.
The
company has credit risk-
Databit
assumes all credit risk for the amounts billed to its customer. Databit is
responsible for collecting the sales price from a customer but must pay the
amount owed to a supplier after the supplier performs, regardless of whether
the
sales price is fully collected.
The
company has general inventory risk (before customer order is placed or upon
customer return)-
Databit
for the most part does not have inventory risk as it utilizes drop shipments
by
its suppliers for product sales and maintains small inventory of computer
parts