Company: ALIT
Filing Date: 2025-02-27
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001809104-25-000062
Chunk: 46

Company: Alight, Inc. / Delaware
Filing Date: 2025-02-27
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 46
---
 large, diverse and changing workforce, control our costs or improve our efficiency. In addition, certain client contracts may include unique or heavily customized requirements that limit our ability to fully recognize economies of scale across our business units.

Most new outsourcing arrangements undergo an implementation process whereby our systems and processes are customized to match a client’s plans and programs. The cost of this process is estimated by us and often only partially funded (if at all) by our clients. If the actual implementation expense exceeds our estimate or if the ongoing service cost is greater than anticipated, the client contract may be less profitable than expected. Even though outsourcing clients typically sign long-term contracts, many of these contracts may be terminated at any time, with or without cause, by the client upon written notice, typically between 90 to 360 days before expiration.

In such cases, our clients are generally required to pay a termination fee, however, this amount may not be sufficient to offset the costs we incurred in connection with the implementation and system set-up or fully compensate us for the profit we would have received if the contract had not been cancelled. A client may choose to delay or terminate a current or anticipated project as a result of factors unrelated to our work product or progress, such as the business or financial condition of the client or general economic conditions. When any of our engagements are terminated, we may not be able to eliminate associated ongoing costs or redeploy the affected employees in a timely manner to minimize the impact on profitability. Any increased or unexpected costs or unanticipated delays in connection with the performance of these engagements, including delays caused by factors outside our control could have an adverse effect on our profit margin.

Our profit margin, and therefore our profitability, is largely a function of the rates we are able to charge for our services and the staffing costs for our personnel. Accordingly, if we are not able to maintain the rates we charge for our services or appropriately manage the staffing costs of our personnel, we may not be able to sustain our profit margin and our profitability will suffer. The prices we are able to charge for our services are affected by a number of factors, including competitive factors, cost of living adjustment provisions, the extent of ongoing clients’ perception of our ability to add value through our services and general economic conditions such as inflation (including wage inflation). Our profitability is largely based on our ability to drive cost efficiencies during the term of our contracts for our services provided to clients. If we cannot drive suitable cost efficiencies, our profit margins will suffer.

We might not be able to achieve the cost savings required