EXPEDITORS INTERNATIONAL OF WASHINGTON INC
For the period ended Mar 31, 2024. Filed May 9, 2024.
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Mar 31, 2024 · Filed May 9, 2024
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Item 4. Controls and Procedures
We carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in the Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of the end of the period covered by this report due to material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting that were disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Management concluded that unauthorized changes to custom databases could have gone undetected as a control to review and authorize direct changes to databases that support several key operational and accounting systems excluded certain database changes from review, and as such did not operate effectively as designed. In addition, the system logic used to record direct database changes excluded certain changes from being captured within the change logs used as the basis for population of the manual review. These control deficiencies related to personnel without specific training and experience to fulfill internal control responsibilities related to information technology general controls over custom databases resulting in an ineffective information and communication process that identifies and assesses the source of and controls necessary to ensure the reliability of information used in financial reporting. As a consequence of these control deficiencies, the Company concluded that it did not effectively design, implement and operate process-level controls across its financial reporting processes.
In light of the material weaknesses, management performed additional analysis and other procedures to ensure that our consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Accordingly, management believes that the consolidated financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q fairly present, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows as of and for the periods presented, in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
Remediation
As previously described in Part II, Item 9A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, we have taken steps to remediate the identified material weaknesses, including:
Increasing the number of qualified personnel involved in the remediation process and the design and implementation of IT controls;
Performing supplemental procedures and implementing certain enhancements designed to strengthen IT program change management processes;
Conducting supplemental review procedures for direct database changes until the improvements are fully in place and operating;
Improving entity wide risk assessments conducted to identify relevant process risk points, IT systems and the information used in the operation of controls; and
Conducting additional training relative to information technology in the operation of controls.
The material weaknesses will not be considered fully remediated, until the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time and management has concluded, through testing, that these controls are operating effectively. We expect that necessary enhancements and remediation of these material weaknesses will be completed in 2024.
Changes in Internal Controls
Except for on-going remediation related to the material weaknesses, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
We are developing a new accounting system, which is being implemented on a worldwide basis over the next several years. This system is expected to improve the efficiency of certain financial and transactional processes and reporting. This transition affects the processes that constitute our internal control over financial reporting and requires testing for operating effectiveness.
An internal control system, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of such internal controls are met. Further, the design of an internal control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all internal control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all of our control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Expeditors is involved in claims, lawsuits, government investigations, income and indirect tax audits and other legal matters that arise in the ordinary course of business and are subject to inherent uncertainties. Currently, in management's opinion and based upon advice from legal and tax advisors, none of these matters are expected to have a material effect on our operations, cash flows or financial position. As of March 31, 2024, the amounts recorded for claims, lawsuits, government investigations and other legal matters are not significant to our operations, cash flows or financial position. At this time, we are unable to estimate any additional loss or range of reasonably possible losses, if any, beyond the amounts recorded, that might result from the resolution of these matters.
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