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CDW

cdw · NASDAQ Technology
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Industry Information Technology Services
Employees 10,000+
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FY2019 Annual Report · CDW
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2019 ANNUAL REPORT

At CDW, everything we do 
revolves around meeting the 
needs of our customers.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Net Sales ($B)

Net Sales Compound Annual 
Growth Rate (CAGR)

8 %
r  C
a

R  

G

A

Y e

-

5

$14.8

$16.2

$13.7

$13.0

$12.1

Non-GAAP operating income (NGOI) ($MM)

GAAP operating income ($MM)  

NGOI Margin (%)

$18.0

NGOI Compound Annual Growth Rate

R  

G

A

0 %
r  C
a

1

e

Y

-

5

$1,217

$1,368

$1,107

$1,134

$1,048

$987

$867

$820

$961

$742

7.4%

7.7%

7.5%

7.5%

7.6%

$851

$673

7.1%

CDW’s integrated technology 
solutions and services helped 
more than 250,000 business, 
government, education 
and healthcare customers 
throughout the United States, 
the United Kingdom and  
Canada navigate an increasingly 
complex IT landscape and 
optimize the return on their 
technology investment.

 2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019

 2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019

Non-GAAP net income* ($MM)

GAAP net income  ($MM)

Non-GAAP net income per diluted share* ($)

Non-GAAP net income per diluted share 
Compound Annual Growth Rate (%) 

U.S. IT Spending Growth1              

CDW Net Sales Compound Annual Growth Rate

9.7%

R  

G

A

%
a r  C

2 1
e

Y

-

5

$902

$737

$794

$643

$570

$606

$523

$504

$410

$403

$425

$245

$2.37

$2.93

$3.43

$3.83

$6.10

$5.17

7.8%

440 bps

290 bps

4.9%

5.3%

 2014 

2015 

2016 

2017 

2018 

2019

2006-2019 

         2009-2019

Note:  Prior period information for 2016 and 2017 has been adjusted 
to reflect the full retrospective adoption of ASU No. 2014-09, 
Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606)
*  Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP net income and 

Non-GAAP net income per diluted share are Non-GAAP financial 
measures. Please refer to Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures 
on the inside back cover for further information.

1 IDC Worldwide Black Book, 12/6/19        

Balanced Performance: 
All Six Customer 
Sales Channels over 
$1.5 Billion in Net Sales

$1.9 B

$2.4 B

$2.2 B

2019 Net Sales – $18.0B

Corporate  (>250 employees)
Small Business  (<250 employees)
Government  (Federal, State and Local)

Education  (K-12, Higher Ed)

$7.5 B

$2.5 B

$1.5 B

Healthcare 

Other  (Canada, U.K.)

CDW CORPORATION  1

CEO STAKEHOLDER LETTER

Dear Fellow Stakeholders:

I am writing this letter during 
extraordinary times, when the world is 
experiencing tremendous disruption due 
to the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.  
The scope of this crisis is universal– 
there is no continent, country, industry  
or individual that is not impacted, 
and we are all now united by these 
unprecedented circumstances that are 
affecting every part of our lives. I am 
extremely grateful to our coworkers, 
customers, partners and communities, 
who are managing through this crisis 
on our frontlines. And we will forever be 
grateful to our healthcare heroes and 
essential product and services providers, 
who are demonstrating courage, 
strength, stamina and compassion and 
inspire us to demonstrate the very best 
of the human spirit.

Our mission at CDW has always been 
to help our customers navigate and be 
successful in a changing world. Today, 
that mission feels even more relevant 
and pressing to me, as the technology 
that we provide has become essential 
to the fundamental operations of every 
sector that we support–from vital 
healthcare, education and government 
entities to businesses of all sizes that 
are working in new ways. The work that 
our customers are doing is inspiring our 
coworkers, who are working tirelessly 
to support these customers’ mission-
driven technology needs.

Today, that mission feels even 
more relevant and pressing to  
me, as the technology that we 
provide has become essential to 
the fundamental operations of 
every sector that we support — 
from vital healthcare, education 
and government entities to 
businesses of all sizes that  
are working in new ways.

Financial Performance 
Typically, this letter emphasizes the  
prior year’s performance. Given the 
unique circumstances, I also want  
to share how we are addressing the 
current environment and building for  
the future. In 2019, the work that our 
teams did to help our customers address 
their technology priorities resulted in 
record financial achievements. With  
Net sales of $18 billion, representing  
11.5 percent growth in constant 
currency, we once again delivered on 
our commitment to profitably grow 
meaningfully faster than the US IT 
market. This growth translated into a 
14.8 percent increase in GAAP operating 
income and a 12.5 percent increase in 
Non-GAAP operating income. 

Our exceptional results were driven  
by strong underlying performance and 
some incremental drivers, including  
the acquisition of Scalar Decisions Inc.  
(Scalar) and our Device-as-a-Service 
mobile solution to enable the 2020 Census. 
We overcame the headwinds of a supply-
constrained client device environment by 
leveraging our competitive advantages–
our scale, scope, and robust distribution 
capabilities–and our special position 
between customers and vendor partners.  

An Advantaged Business Model

With Net sales of $18 billion, 
representing 11.5 percent growth in 
constant currency, we once again 
delivered on our commitment to 
profitably grow meaningfully  
faster than the US IT market.

Customer
Value

Intimate Knowledge
of IT Environment
and Landscape

Vendor
Partner
Value

CDW sits between customers and vendor partners, creating value for both: 

Customers get access to a broad selection of multi-branded solutions and deeply technical resources, 
including highly-skilled, extensively certified specialists and engineers. CDW is an extension of its 
customers’ IT staffs.

Partners get access to CDW’s more than 250,000 customers and augment their product offerings 
with a wide range of value-added IT and distribution services. CDW is an extension of its partners’ 
sales and marketing resources.

CDW CORPORATION  1

The acquisitions of Scalar and Aptris 
Inc. strengthened our solutions and 
services portfolio and brought us 
additional capabilities and expertise 
in cloud technology, security, and 
digital transformation; our customers 
tell us these are key priorities on their 
technology agenda and roadmaps for  
the immediate and long-term.

Pragmatic management of our financial 
health and flexibility has always been  
a focus for CDW. By year-end 2019,  
we had reduced our net debt leverage 
ratio to 2.2x, and we will continue to 
prudently manage our debt profile– 
as of December 31, 2019, our weighted 
average debt maturity was 6.4 years, we 
have no meaningful near-term maturities 
and we have no maintenance covenants. 
We are confident regarding our liquidity 
and we will continue to remain highly 
focused on managing our liquidity and 
balance sheet during this uncertain period.

Serving Customers Today
At CDW, it is not a cliché to say that  
we listen to our customers because  
we swiftly turn that listening into action. 
Our customers want us to understand 
their business and the challenges and 
opportunities they face, they want a 
provider with deep technical capabilities, 
and they want a partner who provides 
unbiased advice across technologies  
and consumption models. Since the  
day we opened our doors in 1984,  
we have sought to be a trusted  

Our customers want us to 
understand their business and the 
challenges and opportunities they 
face, they want a provider with deep 
technical capabilities, and they want 
a partner who provides unbiased 
advice across technologies and 
consumption models.

The Strategy that Makes CDW Go – and Grow
Our three-part strategy for growth

Capture share and
acquire new customers

Enhance capabilities in
high-growth solutions areas

Expand services
capabilities

As we look to the future and beyond this crisis, technology will continue to play a 
pivotal role in supporting and reshaping how we work and live.

partner to our customers–an extension 
of their IT team–consistently investing  
in our salesforce and technical resources,  
and by offering more than 100,000 
products, services, and solutions from  
over 1,000 leading technology brands. 
These investments have enabled us to 
become a leading multi-brand technology 
solutions provider to more than 250,000 
business, government, education, and 
healthcare customers in the United  
States, the United Kingdom and Canada. 

Right now, we are moving with maximum 
speed and urgency to use our solutions 
and services capabilities to enable our 
healthcare customers, government first 
responders, educators, critical product and 
services providers, and the burgeoning  
work-from-home workforce to continue 
to deliver their essential services under 
trying conditions brought about by the 
COVID-19 pandemic. Every day, I am 
moved by the way our teams are helping 
customers in their efforts to battle and 
mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Our  
work with health systems all over the 
country, to aid screening and testing 
patients for COVID-19, is especially 
meaningful. We are enabling testing  
sites in parking lots and converted office 
spaces, providing end-user devices for 
doctors and nurses to test and triage 
patients, establishing connectivity for 

work-from-home contact center agents 
who are the emergency dispatchers for 
scheduling and directing patients, and 
creating network-in-a-box solutions for 
remote triage and testing sites. 

Building for Tomorrow
As we look to the future and beyond 
this crisis, technology will continue 
to play a pivotal role in supporting 
and reshaping how we work and live. 
Many of the changes happening today, 
such as remote work, growth in digital 
commerce channels and business 
continuity redundancies, will persist and 
continue to scale and mature. We will 
see acceleration in the development of 
online platforms that will change the way 
we create and consume services–most 
every industry will be impacted including 
healthcare, education, financial services, 
retail, entertainment and sports. You can 
expect us to continue to invest in next-
generation solutions and services that  
will help our customers adapt to this 
dynamic environment and meet their 
evolving end-user and employee needs.

Many of the changes happening today, 
such as remote work, growth in digital 
commerce channels and business 
continuity redundancies, will persist 
and continue to scale and mature.

2  CDW CORPORATION

CDW CORPORATION  3

We have been through challenging times 
and periods of uncertainty in the past, 
and we have consistently persisted, 
become stronger, and grown to greater 
heights. CDW’s uniquely resilient culture 
and business model will rise to the 
challenge to help our customers achieve 
their goals and navigate through this 
difficult time. 

Christine A. Leahy
President and Chief Executive Officer 

April 10, 2020

We are making such investments today 
and bringing the wealth of our CDW 
experience to customers in a way that 
is simple to understand and implement. 
One example of this type of next-level 
customer experience is our recently 
launched CDW Amplified ™ Services.  
It focuses on four mission-critical areas: 
infrastructure services that scale with 
customer demand, workspace services 
to empower a growing and increasingly 
mobile global workforce, security 
services for protection and response, 
and support services to augment 
internal IT staff. 

We are also continuing to make it easy 
for our customers to do business with 
us through both human and digital 
channels. Last year, customers who 
used both our digital and human sales 
channels spent 4.0x more than those 
who solely used human channels. Our 
digital channels help our customers 
learn about our portfolio of products 
and solutions, transact seamlessly, 
and get a complete snapshot of their 
relationship with CDW – this enables 
our sales teams to spend more time 
creating personalized solutions and 
services for our customers, with the  
aid of both digital and analytical tools.

Finally, I want to touch on our 
sustainability efforts as part of our  
long-standing regard for our broader role 
in our communities and in society.  
In 2019, we formalized what has  
long been the way we operate by 
establishing an Environmental,  
Social and Governance (ESG) Steering 
Committee made up of senior leaders 
across CDW. We completed a formal 
materiality assessment to prioritize 
the ESG topics of greatest importance 
and relevance to our business and 
stakeholders. Our recently released  
ESG report is an outcome of those 
efforts, and, truly the efforts of  
our coworkers.

With Gratitude
As we move into 2020, I want to thank 
our customers, vendor partners and 
investors for all your support and for 
choosing us as your advisor, provider and 
partner. I want to thank all our coworkers 
at CDW–across sales, integrated 
technology solutions, coworker services, 
ecommerce, finance, information 
technology, legal, marketing, operations, 
product and partner management, and 
strategy. You are the reason why CDW  
is the best place for the best people.   
You GET IT AND you Bring IT!

MISSION FORWARD – FIGHTING CORONAVIRUS 

CDW’s mission has always been to help our customers navigate and be successful in a changing world. As valued strategic 
partners to our customers, we are helping them contain and confront the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. 

For example, CDW is supporting one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers to mobilize to fight this pandemic. We combined 
our broad product portfolio with our service and logistics capabilities to quickly create frontline technology solutions to enable 
the rapid deployment of virus screening centers at scale. Further, we enabled expanded telehealth and remote care capabilities 
to increase the capacity of the customer’s healthcare team to tend to the increasing number of patients. These solutions would 
not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of CDW’s sales team, technical organization, and distribution and 
configuration center coworkers.

The customer shared, “We are confident that your efforts are helping our clinical teams save countless lives during this crisis.” 

2  CDW CORPORATION

CDW CORPORATION  3

GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP

Board of Directors

Virginia C. Addicott 
Retired President and  
Chief Executive Officer, 
FedEx Custom Critical

Steven W. Alesio 
Former Chairman and  
Chief Executive Officer,  
Dun & Bradstreet Corporation

Barry K. Allen 
Operating Partner, 
Providence Equity Partners L.L.C.; 
President,  
Allen Enterprises, LLC

James A. Bell 
Retired Executive Vice President,  
Corporate President and  
Chief Financial Officer,  
The Boeing Company

Benjamin D. Chereskin 
President,  
Profile Capital Management LLC

Lynda M. Clarizio 
Former Executive Vice President,  
Strategic Initiatives,  
The Nielsen Company (U.S.), LLC

Paul J. Finnegan 
Co-Chief Executive Officer,  
Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC

Christine A. Leahy 
President and Chief Executive Officer, 
CDW

David W. Nelms,  
Chairman of the Board; 
Retired Chairman and  
Chief Executive Officer,  
Discover Financial Services, Inc.

Joseph R. Swedish 
Retired Chairman, President and  
Chief Executive Officer; Senior Advisor,  
Anthem, Inc.

Donna F. Zarcone 
President and Chief Executive Officer,  
The Economic Club of Chicago

Executive Committee

Christine A. Leahy 
President and Chief Executive Officer 

Christina M. Corley 
Chief Commercial and Operating Officer

Jill M. Billhorn 
Senior Vice President—Corporate Sales

Sona Chawla 
Chief Growth and Innovation Officer

Mark C. Chong 
Senior Vice President—Strategy  
and Marketing

Elizabeth H. Connelly 
Senior Vice President— 
Coworker Services and Chief Human  
Resources Officer  

Douglas E. Eckrote 
Senior Vice President—Small Business  
Sales and eCommerce

Collin B. Kebo 
Senior Vice President and  
Chief Financial Officer

Robert F. Kirby 
Senior Vice President—Public Sales

Frederick J. Kulevich 
Senior Vice President, General Counsel  
and Corporate Secretary

Christina V. Rother 
Senior Vice President— Integrated 
Technology Solutions

Jonathan J. Stevens 
Senior Vice President—Operations  
and Chief Information Officer

Matthew A. Troka 
Senior Vice President—Product  
and Partner Management

4  CDW CORPORATION

Table of Contents 

(Mark One) 

UNITED STATES 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

Washington, D.C. 20549 
 FORM 10-K 

☒

☐

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 

or 

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

  For the transition period from                     to 

Commission File Number 001-35985 
CDW CORPORATION 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) 

Delaware 
(State or other jurisdiction of 
incorporation or organization) 

75 Tri-State International 
Lincolnshire ,  Illinois 
(Address of principal executive offices) 

26-0273989 
(I.R.S. Employer 
Identification No.) 

60069 
(Zip Code) 

(847) 465-6000 

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code) 

None 

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report) 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: 

Title of each class 

Trading symbol(s) 

Name of each exchange on which registered 

Common stock, par value $0.01 per share 

CDW 

Nasdaq Global Select Market 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.      Yes      No 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.      Yes      No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
during the preceding 12 months (or for shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing 
requirements for the past 90 days.      Yes      No 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 
of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such 
files).      Yes      No 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or 
emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company," and "emerging growth 
company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act: 

Large accelerated filer 

Non-accelerated filer 

     
  ☐

Accelerated filer 

Smaller reporting company 

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for 
complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. 

☐

☐

☐

☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    ☐  Yes    ☒  No 

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 28, 2019, the last business 
day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $15,932 million, based on the per share closing sale price of $111.00 on that 
date. 

As of February 25, 2020, there were 142,771,539 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value, outstanding. 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE 

Certain parts of the registrant's definitive proxy statement for its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders to be held on May 21, 2020, which will be filed 
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or before April 29, 2020, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 
10-K. 

 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
  
 
   
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K 
Year Ended December 31, 2019 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Item 

Business 

PART I 
Item 1. 
Item 1A.  Risk Factors 
Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments 
Item 2. 
Item 3. 
Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures 

Properties 
Legal Proceedings 

Information about our Executive Officers 

PART II 
Item 5.  Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity 

Securities 
Selected Financial Data 

Item 6. 
Item 7.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 
Item 7A.  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 
Item 8. 
Item 9. 
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 
Item 9A.  Controls and Procedures 
Item 9B.  Other Information 

PART III 
Item 10.  Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 
Item 11.  Executive Compensation 
Item 12. 
Item 13.  Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 
Item 14. 

Principal Accountant Fees and Services 

Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 

PART IV 
Item 15.  Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 
Item 16. 

Form 10-K Summary 

SIGNATURES 

2 

Page 

4 
10 
22 
23 
23 
23 
24 

25 
28 
32 
46 
47 
94 
94 
96 

97 
97 
97 
97 
97 

98 
102 
103 

Table of Contents 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 

This report contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than 
statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. These statements relate to analyses and other information, which are 
based on forecasts of future results or events and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These statements also relate to our 
future prospects, developments and business strategies. We claim the protection of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 
of 1995 for all forward-looking statements in this report. 

These  forward-looking  statements  are  identified  by  the  use  of  terms  and  phrases  such  as  "anticipate,"  "assume,"  "believe," 
"estimate," "expect," "goal," "intend," "plan," "potential," "predict," "project," "target" and similar terms and phrases or future or 
conditional verbs such as "could," "may," "should," "will," and "would." However, these words are not the exclusive means of 
identifying such statements. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and other expectations reflected in or suggested by 
such forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will achieve those plans, intentions or expectations. 
All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially 
from those that we expected. 

Important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from our expectations, or cautionary statements, 
are disclosed under the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and 
Results of Operations" included elsewhere in this report. All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us, or 
persons acting on our behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by those cautionary statements as well as other cautionary 
statements  that  are  made  from  time  to  time  in  our  other  Securities  and  Exchange  Commission  ("SEC")  filings  and  public 
communications. You should evaluate all forward-looking statements in the context of these risks and uncertainties. 

We caution you that the important factors referenced above may not reflect all of the factors that could cause actual results or 
events to differ from our expectations. In addition, we cannot assure you that we will realize the results or developments we 
expect or anticipate or, even if substantially realized, that they will result in the consequences or affect us or our operations in the 
way we expect. The forward-looking statements included in this report are made only as of the date hereof or, with respect to any 
documents incorporated by reference, available at the time such document was prepared or filed with the SEC. We undertake no 
obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, 
except as otherwise required by law. 

3 

Table of Contents 

Item 1. Business 

Our Company 

PART I 

CDW Corporation (together with its subsidiaries, the "Company," "CDW" or "we"), a Fortune 500 company and member of the 
S&P 500 Index, is a market-leading provider of integrated information technology ("IT") solutions to small, medium and large 
business, government, education and healthcare customers in the United States ("US"), the United Kingdom ("UK") and Canada. 
Our broad array of offerings ranges from discrete hardware and software products to integrated IT solutions such as mobility, 
security, data center optimization, cloud computing, virtualization and collaboration. 

We are technology "agnostic," with a solutions portfolio including more than 100,000 products and services from more than 1,000 
leading  and  emerging  brands.  Our  solutions  are  delivered  in  physical,  virtual  and  cloud-based  environments  through 
approximately 6,800 customer-facing coworkers, including sellers, highly-skilled technology specialists and advanced service 
delivery  engineers.  We  are  a  leading  sales  channel  partner  for  many  original  equipment  manufacturers  ("OEMs"),  software 
publishers and cloud providers (collectively, our "vendor partners"), whose products we sell or include in the solutions we offer. 
We provide our vendor partners with a cost-effective way to reach customers and deliver a consistent brand experience through 
our established end-market coverage, technical expertise and extensive customer access. 

We simplify the complexities of technology across design, selection, procurement, integration and management for our customers. 
Our goal is to have our customers, regardless of their size, view us as a trusted adviser and extension of their IT resources. We do 
not manufacture products. Our multi-brand offering approach enables us to identify the products or combination of products from 
our vendor partners that best address each customer's specific IT requirements. 

We have capabilities to provide integrated IT solutions in more than 150 countries for customers with primary locations in the 
US, UK and Canada, which are large and growing markets. According to the International Data Corporation ("IDC"), the total 
US, UK and Canadian IT market generated approximately $1 trillion in sales in 2019. We believe our addressable markets in the 
US,  UK  and  Canada  represent  approximately  $360  billion  in  annual  sales.  These  are  highly  fragmented  markets  served  by 
thousands of IT resellers and solutions providers. For the year ended December 31, 2019, we estimate that our total Net sales of 
$18 billion represented approximately 5% of our addressable markets. We believe that demand for IT will continue to outpace 
general economic growth in the markets we serve, fueled by new technologies, including cloud computing, virtualization and 
mobility as well as growing end-user demand for security, efficiency and productivity. 

Value Proposition 

We are positioned in the middle of the IT ecosystem where we procure products from OEMs, software publishers, cloud providers 
and wholesale distributors and provide added value to our customers by helping them navigate through complex options and 
implement the best solution for their business. In this role, we believe we provide unique value to both our vendor partners and 
our customers. 

Our value proposition to our customers 
●  Broad selection of products and multi-branded 

Our value proposition to our vendor partners 
●  Access to over 250,000 customers 

IT solutions 

●  Value-added services with integration capabilities 
●  Highly-skilled specialists and engineers 
●  Solutions across IT lifecycle 

●  Large and established customer channels 
●  Strong distribution and implementation capabilities 
●  Customer relationships driving insight into technology 

roadmaps 

Customers 

We provide integrated IT solutions to over 250,000 small, medium and large business, government, education and healthcare 
customers throughout the US, UK and Canada. 

4 

Table of Contents 

We serve our customers through sales teams focused on customer end-markets that are supported by technical specialists and 
highly-skilled service delivery engineers. Our market segmentation allows us to customize our offerings and to provide enhanced 
expertise in designing and implementing IT solutions that meet our customer's specific needs. 

We have three reportable segments, Corporate, Small Business and Public. Our Corporate segment primarily serves US private 
sector  business  customers  with  more  than  250  employees.  Our  Small  Business  segment  primarily  serves  US  private  sector 
business  customers  with  up  to  250  employees.  Our  Public  segment  is  comprised  of  government  agencies  and  education  and 
healthcare institutions in the US. We also have two other operating segments: CDW UK and CDW Canada, each of which do not 
meet the reportable segment quantitative thresholds and, accordingly, are included in an all other category ("Other"). 

In our US business, which represents approximately 90% of our revenues, we currently have five dedicated customer channels: 
corporate, small business, government, education and healthcare, each of which generated over $1.5 billion in Net sales in 2019. 
Net sales to customers in the UK and Canada combined generated $2.2 billion in 2019. We believe this diversity of customer 
end-markets provides us with multiple avenues for growth and has been a key factor in our ability to weather economic and 
technology cycles and continue to gain market share. 

Partners 

We provide more than 100,000 products and services from more than 1,000 partners, including well-established companies such 
as Adobe, APC, Apple, Cisco, Dell EMC, Google, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP Inc., IBM, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, NetApp, 
Samsung, and VMware, as well as from emerging technology companies such as Cohesity, Crowdstrike, Proofpoint, Pure Storage, 
Rubrik, ServiceNow, and Silver Peak. This broad portfolio of partners and technologies enables us to offer customers significant 
options and meet customer demand for the products and solutions that best meet their needs. We believe our value proposition to 
vendor partners enables us to evolve our offering as new technologies emerge and new companies seek us as a channel partner. 

In 2019, we generated over $1.0 billion of Net sales from each of six vendor partners and over $100 million of Net sales from 
each of eleven other vendor partners. We have received the highest level of certification from major vendor partners such as 
Cisco, Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, LG, Microsoft, Samsung, and VMware which reflects the extensive product and 
solution knowledge and capabilities that we bring to our customers' IT challenges. These certifications also provide us with access 
to favorable pricing, tools and resources, including vendor incentive programs, which we use to provide additional value to our 
customers. Our vendor partners also regularly recognize us with top awards and select us to develop and grow new customer 
solutions. 

Product Procurement 

We may purchase all or only some of the products our vendor partners offer for resale to our customers or for inclusion in the 
solutions we offer. Each vendor partner agreement provides for specific terms and conditions, which may include one or more of 
the following: product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase discounts and vendor incentive programs, such as, 
purchase or sales rebates and cooperative advertising reimbursements. We also purchase software from major software publishers 
and cloud providers for resale to our customers or for inclusion in the solutions we offer. Our agreements allow the end-user 
customer to acquire cloud-based solutions software or licensed products and services. 

In addition to purchasing products directly from our vendor partners, we purchase products from wholesale distributors for resale 
to our customers or for inclusion in the solutions we offer. These wholesale distributors provide logistics management and supply-
chain services for us, as well as for our vendor partners. 

For our US operations, we purchased approximately 50% of the products we sold as discrete products or as components of a 
solution directly from our vendor partners and the remaining 50% from wholesale distributors for the year ended December 31, 
2019. Purchases from our three largest wholesale distributors, Ingram Micro, SYNNEX and Tech Data, were each approximately 
10% of total US purchases in 2019. 

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Inventory Management 

We operate two distribution centers in North America: a 513,000 square foot facility in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and a 442,000 
square foot facility in Vernon Hills, Illinois. We also operate a 120,000 square foot distribution center in Rugby, Warwickshire, 
UK. We ship over 40 million units annually on an aggregate basis from our distribution centers. 

We also have drop-shipment arrangements with many of our OEMs and wholesale distributors, which permit us to offer products 
to  our  customers  without  having  to  take  physical  delivery  at  our  distribution  centers.  These  arrangements  represented 
approximately 50% of total consolidated Net sales in 2019, of which approximately 25% relate to electronic delivery for software 
licenses. 

We believe that the location of our distribution centers allows us to efficiently ship products to our customers and provide timely 
access to our principal distributors. 

We believe competitive sources of supply are available in substantially all of the product categories that we offer. 

Competition 

The market for technology products and services is highly competitive and subject to economic conditions and rapid technological 
changes. Competition is based on many things, including the ability to tailor specific solutions to customer needs, the quality and 
breadth of product and service offerings, knowledge and expertise of sales force, customer service, price, product availability, 
speed of delivery and credit availability. We face competition from resellers, direct manufacturers, large service providers, cloud 
providers,  telecommunication  companies, and  to  a  lesser  extent  e-tailers  and  retailers.  Smaller,  local  or regional value-added 
resellers typically focus on a single solution suite or portfolio of solutions from one or two vendor partners. 

We  believe  we  are  well  positioned  to  compete  within  this  marketplace  due  to  our  competitive  advantages.  We  expect  the 
competitive landscape to continue to evolve as new technologies are developed. While innovation can help our business as it 
creates new offerings for us to sell, it can also disrupt our business model and create new and stronger competitors. For additional 
information on the risks associated with competition, see "Item 1A. Risk Factors." 

We believe we have sustainable competitive advantages that differentiate us in the marketplace. We have built a strong sales 
organization and deep services and solutions capabilities over time and expect to continue to invest to enhance these capabilities, 
which we believe when combined with our competitive advantages of scale and a performance driven culture, will help drive 
sustainable, profitable growth for us today and in the future. Our scale enables us to have a national and international footprint, 
as well as invest in resources to meet specific customer end-market needs. Our sellers are organized around unique customer end-
markets that are both vertically and geographically focused. Our scale enables our ability to invest in technical coworkers who 
work directly with our sellers to help customers implement increasingly complex IT solutions. Our scale also enables us to operate 
our three distribution centers (two in the US and one in the UK), which combined are more than 1 million square feet in size. We 
have cross-border relationships that enable us to serve the needs of our US, UK and Canadian-based customers in more than 150 
countries. Our strong, execution-oriented culture is underpinned by our compensation system. 

Our Offerings 

Our offerings range from discrete hardware and software products and services to complex integrated solutions including one or 
more of these elements. We believe our customers increasingly view technology purchases as integrated solutions rather than 
discrete product and service categories. We estimate that more than 40% of our Net sales in 2019 in the US came from sales of 
product categories and services typically associated with solutions. Our hardware products include notebooks/mobile devices 
(including  tablets),  network  communications,  desktop  computers,  video  monitors,  enterprise  and  data  storage,  and  other 
hardware. Our software products include application suites, security, virtualization, operating systems and network management. 
Our services include warranties, managed services, consulting design and implementation. 

IT is critical to both "run the business" and drive greater growth and productivity. To help our customers accomplish this, we 
have built a robust portfolio of solutions across data center, digital workspace, security, virtualization and services that we provide 
in physical, virtual, or cloud-based environments. 

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We provide public cloud solutions, which reside off customer premises on a public (shared) infrastructure, and private cloud 
solutions, which reside on customer premises. We also offer hybrid cloud solutions that deliver the benefits of both public and 
private solutions. Our migration, integration and managed services offerings help our customers simplify cloud adoption, as well 
as the ongoing management of cloud solutions, across the entire IT lifecycle. Dedicated Cloud Client Executives work with our 
customers to architect cloud solutions meeting their organizational, technology and financial objectives. 

We offer a broad portfolio of integrated solutions that include the following on and off-premise capabilities: 

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

Data Center: We assess our customers application infrastructure need, design flexible, resilient and efficient solutions 
and manage the solution throughout its lifecycle. Our broad portfolio of hardware and software products, encompassing 
both  on  and  off-premise  solutions,  enables  us  to  provide  well-integrated  solutions,  including  converged  and  hyper-
converged  infrastructure,  physical  and  virtualized  servers,  software  defined  automation  and  orchestration  solutions, 
hybrid storage and energy-efficient power and cooling. 

Digital  Workspace:  We  build  end-to-end  solutions  that  deliver  access  to  applications  that  improve  our  customers' 
productivity regardless of device or location. We connect our customers' physical devices, including laptops, desktops, 
IP Phones, mobile devices and print systems. We utilize collaboration solutions to unite applications via the integration 
of products that facilitate the use of multiple enterprise communication methods including email, persistent chat, social 
media, voice and video. We also host cloud-based collaboration solutions. Our solutions provide the tools that allow our 
customers'  employees  to  share  knowledge,  ideas  and  information  among  each  other  and  with  clients  and  partners 
effectively, securely and quickly. 

Security: We assess our customers' security needs and provide them with risk mitigation tools and services. Product 
design, architecture and implementation can take the form of hardware, software or Software as a Service. These tools 
and  services  are  provided  across  a  multitude  of  categories  such  as:  endpoint  security,  email  security,  web  security, 
intrusion  prevention,  authentication,  firewall,  virtual  private  network  services  and  network  access  control.  Security 
consulting engagements include security assessment, policy and procedure gap analysis, security roadmaps and health 
checks. 

Virtualization: We design and implement server, storage and desktop virtualization solutions. Virtualization enables our 
customers  to  efficiently  utilize  hardware resources  by  running  multiple, independent, virtual operating  systems  on a 
single computer and multiple virtual servers simultaneously on a single server. Virtualization also can separate a desktop 
environment  and  associated  application  software  from  the  hardware  device  that  is  used  to  access  it,  and  provides 
employees with remote desktop access. Our specialists assist customers with the steps of implementing virtualization 
solutions,  including  evaluating  network  environments,  deploying  shared  storage  options  and  licensing  platform 
software. 

Services: We  advise,  architect  and  manage  integrated  business  technology  for  our  customers.  Our  solutions  include 
integrated  cloud,  collaboration,  data  center,  mobility  and  security  business  technology,  from  the  physical  to  the 
application layer. We provide advisory, architectural and managed services across basic, discrete and integrated business 
technology  solutions.  We  leverage  best-in-class  partner  technology  platforms  to  seamlessly  architect  and  manage 
disparate IT platforms into integrated business technology solutions. 

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Although we believe customers increasingly view technology purchases as solutions rather than discrete product and service 
categories, our Net sales by major category, based upon our internal category classifications, was as follows: 

2019 

2018(1) 

 2017(1) 

Year Ended December 31, 

Dollars in 
Millions 
  $  4,631.7    
2,193.4    
1,598.2    
1,272.7    

1,146.0 
3,521.2    
14,363.2    

2,637.2    
907.6    
124.4    
 $  18,032.4    

Percentage 
of Total 
Net Sales 

Dollars in 
Millions 

Percentage 
of Total 
Net Sales 

Dollars in 
Millions 

Percentage 
of Total 
Net Sales 

25.7 %   $  4,062.2    
2,119.1    
12.2  
1,322.2    
8.9  
1,184.3    
7.1  

6.4 
19.5  
79.8  

1,102.5 
3,308.8    
13,099.1    

14.6  
5.0  
0.6  

2,331.9    
695.8    
113.7    
100.0 %  $  16,240.5    

25.0 %   $ 
13.0  
8.1  
7.3  

3,491.8    
2,021.6    
1,196.0    
1,070.0    

6.8 
20.4  
80.6  

1,070.2 
3,122.2    
11,971.8    

14.4  
4.3  
0.7  

2,145.4    
602.8    
112.9    
100.0 %   $  14,832.9    

23.5 % 
13.6  
8.1  
7.2  

7.2 
21.0  
80.6  

14.5  
4.1  
0.8  
100.0 % 

Notebooks/Mobile Devices 
Netcomm Products 
Desktops 
Video 
Enterprise and Data Storage 
(Including Drives) 
Other Hardware 

Total Hardware 

Software(2) 
Services(2) 
Other(3) 

Total Net sales 

(1) 

(2) 

Amounts have been reclassified for changes in individual product classifications to conform to the presentation for the 
year ended December 31, 2019. 

Certain software and services revenue is recorded on a net basis for accounting purposes, so the category percentage of 
Net sales is not representative of the category percentage of gross profits. 

(3) 

Includes items such as delivery charges to customers. 

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Our Internal Capabilities 

Our Coworkers 

As of December 31, 2019, we employed approximately 9,900 coworkers with 7,600 coworkers in the US, 1,400 in the UK and 
900 in Canada. Approximately two-thirds of our coworkers at year end 2019 were customer facing. Over 50% of our Net sales 
are generated by account managers who have greater than seven years of tenure with CDW. Account managers are supported by 
field sellers, highly skilled technology specialists and advanced service delivery engineers. We believe this structure to be core 
to our ability to continue to offer complex IT solutions and services. None of our coworkers are covered by collective bargaining 
agreements. We consider our coworker relations to be good. 

Marketing 

We market the CDW brand to US, UK and Canadian audiences using a variety of channels that include online, broadcast, print, 
social  and  other  media.  We  market  to  current  and  prospective  customers  through  integrated  marketing  programs  including 
behaviorally targeted email, print, online media, events and sponsorships, as well as broadcast media. This promotion is also 
supported by integrated communication efforts targeting decision-makers, influencers and the general public using a combination 
of news releases, case studies, media interviews and speaking opportunities. 

As  a  result  of  our  relationships  with  our  vendor  partners,  a  significant  portion  of  our  advertising  and  marketing  expenses  is 
reimbursed  through  cooperative  advertising  programs.  These  programs  are  at  the  discretion  of  our  vendor  partners  and  are 
typically tied to sales or other commitments to be met by us within a specified period of time. We believe that our results and 
analytical techniques that measure the efficacy of our marketing programs differentiate us from our competitors. 

Information Technology Systems 

We maintain customized IT and unified communication systems that enhance our ability to provide prompt, efficient and expert 
service  to  our  customers.  In  addition,  these  systems  enable  centralized  management  of  key  functions,  including  purchasing, 
inventory  management,  billing  and  collection  of  accounts  receivable,  sales  and  distribution.  Our  systems  provide  us  with 
thorough,  detailed  and  real-time  information  regarding  key  aspects  of  our  business. This  capability  helps  us  to  continuously 
enhance productivity, ship customer orders quickly and efficiently, respond appropriately to industry changes and provide high 
levels of customer service. We believe our websites, which provide electronic order processing and advanced tools, such as order 
tracking, reporting and asset management, make it easy for customers to transact business with us and ultimately strengthen our 
customer relationships. 

Intellectual Property 

The CDW trademark and certain variations thereon are registered or subject to pending trademark applications in the US, UK, 
Canada  and  certain  other  jurisdictions.  We  believe  our  trademarks  have  significant  value  and  are  important  factors  in  our 
marketing programs. In addition, we own registrations for domain names, including cdw.com, cdwg.com, cdw.ca and variations 
thereon, for certain of our primary trademarks. We also own patent rights and have unregistered copyrights in our website content, 
software and other written materials. 

History 

Founded in 1984, CDW became a public company in 1993. In 2003, we purchased selected US assets and the Canadian operations 
of Micro Warehouse, which expanded our growth platform into Canada. In 2006, we acquired Berbee Information Networks 
Corporation, a regional provider of technology products, solutions and customized engineering services in advanced technologies 
primarily  across  Cisco,  IBM  and  Microsoft  portfolios. This  acquisition  increased  our  capabilities  in  customized  engineering 
services and managed services. 

We were a public company from 1993 until 2007 when we were acquired through a merger transaction by an entity controlled by 
investment funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC ("Madison Dearborn") and Providence Equity Partners LLC 
("Providence Equity"). In 2013, CDW Corporation completed a second initial public offering ("IPO") of its common stock. After 

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the IPO, through secondary offerings and fund distributions, Madison Dearborn and Providence Equity liquidated their ownership 
positions. 

In 2015, we acquired control of 100% of UK-based IT solutions provider, Kelway TopCo Limited. Rebranded CDW UK in 2016, 
the acquisition extended our footprint into the UK. It also enhanced our ability to provide IT solutions to US-based customers 
with multinational locations. 

In 2019, we acquired Canada-based technology solutions provider, Scalar Decisions Inc. and a premier IT service management 
solutions provider, Aptris Inc. 

Available Information 

We maintain a website at www.cdw.com. You may access our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, 
Current  Reports  on  Form  8-K  and  amendments  to  those  reports  filed  or  furnished  pursuant  to  Section  13(a)  or  15(d)  of  the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 with the SEC free of charge at our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material 
is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Our website and the information contained on that site, or connected to that 
site, are not incorporated into and are not a part of this report. 

Item 1A. Risk Factors 

There are many factors that could adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows, some of which are beyond 
our control. The following is a description of some important factors that may cause our business prospects, results of operations 
and cash flows in future periods to differ materially from those currently expected or desired. Factors not currently known to us 
or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash 
flows. 

Risks Related to Our Business 

Global and regional economic and political conditions may have an adverse impact on our business. 

Weak economic conditions generally, sustained uncertainty about global economic and political conditions, government spending 
cuts  and  the  impact  of  new  government  policies,  or  a  tightening  of  credit  markets,  could  cause  our  customers  and  potential 
customers to postpone or reduce spending on technology products or services or put downward pressure on prices, which could 
have  an  adverse  effect  on  our  business,  results  of  operations  or  cash  flows.  For  example,  there  continues  to  be  substantial 
uncertainty regarding the economic impact of the UK's exit from the European Union ("EU"), referred to as "Brexit". The UK 
formally  withdrew from  EU membership on  January 31, 2020,  and  commenced  a  transition period during which  the  trading 
relationship between the UK and the EU will remain the same and the UK and EU will begin negotiations to determine their 
future relationship. Although the full effects of Brexit are uncertain and will be dependent on the outcome of such negotiations, 
potential  adverse  consequences  of  Brexit  include  global  market  uncertainty,  volatility  in  currency  exchange  rates,  greater 
restrictions on imports and exports between the UK and other countries, and increased regulatory complexities, each of which 
could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition or results of operations. These effects may be amplified if the 
UK and the EU fail to agree on a future trade relationship, which could result in significant market and economic disruption.  We 
have  established  a  presence  in  the  Netherlands  to  help  address  future  developments,  as  needed,  for  Brexit,  which  could  add 
complexity  to  our European operations  as well  as result  in higher  costs associated  with  serving our customers  following  the 
transition period. 

Our financial performance could be adversely affected by decreases in spending on technology products and services by our 
public sector customers. 

Our sales to our public sector customers and our other customers that do business with our public sector customers are impacted 
by government spending policies, budget priorities and revenue levels. An adverse change in government spending policies (such 
as  budget  cuts  or  limitations  or  temporary  shutdowns  of  government  operations),  shifts  in  budget  priorities  or  reductions  in 
revenue levels could cause our impacted public sector customers or our other customers that do business with impacted public 
sector customers to reduce or delay their purchases or to terminate or not renew their contracts with us, which could adversely 
affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. Additionally, such adverse change in government spending policies, shifts 

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in budget priorities or reductions in revenue levels could impact cash collections from contracts with our impacted public sector 
customers or other customers that do business with impacted public sector customers, which could adversely affect our business, 
results of operations or cash flows. 

Our business depends on our vendor partner relationships and the terms of the agreements governing those relationships. 

Our  solutions  portfolio  includes  products  from  OEMs,  software  publishers  and  cloud  providers. We  are  authorized  by  these 
vendor partners to sell all or some of their products via direct marketing activities. Our authorization with each vendor partner is 
subject  to  specific  terms  and  conditions  regarding  such  things  as  sales  channel  restrictions,  product  return  privileges,  price 
protection  policies,  purchase  discounts  and  vendor  partner  programs  and  funding,  including  purchase  rebates,  sales  volume 
rebates, purchasing incentives and cooperative advertising reimbursements. However, we do not have any long-term contracts 
with  our  vendor  partners  and  many  of  these  arrangements  are  terminable  upon  notice  by  either  party. A  reduction  in  vendor 
partner programs or funding or our failure to timely react to changes in vendor partner programs or funding could have an adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, a reduction in the amount or a change in the terms of credit 
granted to us by our vendor partners could increase our need for, and the cost of, working capital and could have an adverse effect 
on our business, results of operations or cash flows, particularly given our level of indebtedness. 

From time to time, vendor partners may terminate or limit our right to sell some or all of their products or change the terms and 
conditions  or  reduce  or  discontinue  the  incentives  that  they  offer  us.  For  example,  there  is  no  assurance  that,  as  our  vendor 
partners continue to sell directly to end users and through resellers, they will not limit or curtail the availability of their products 
to solutions providers like us. Any such termination or limitation or the implementation of such changes could have a negative 
impact on our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

We  purchase  the  products  included  in  our  portfolio  both  directly  from  our  vendor  partners  and  from  wholesale  distributors. 
Although we purchase from a diverse vendor base, in 2019, products we purchased from wholesale distributors Ingram Micro, 
SYNNEX and Tech Data each represented approximately 10% of total US purchases. In addition, sales of products manufactured 
by Apple, Cisco, Dell EMC, HP Inc., Lenovo and Microsoft, whether purchased directly from these vendor partners or from a 
wholesale distributor, represented approximately 60% of our 2019 consolidated Net sales. Sales of products manufactured by 
Cisco and Dell EMC represented approximately 25% of our 2019 consolidated Net sales. The loss of, or change in business 
relationship with, any of these or any other key vendor partners, or the diminished availability of their products, including due to 
backlogs  for  their  products,  could  reduce  the  supply  and  increase  the  cost  of  products  we  sell  and  negatively  impact  our 
competitive position. 

Further, the sale, spin-off or combination of any of our vendor partners and/or certain of their business units, including any such 
sale to or combination with a vendor with whom we do not currently have a commercial relationship or whose products we do 
not sell, or our ability to develop relationships with and sell hardware, software and services from new and emerging vendors 
and vendors that we have not historically represented in the marketplace, could have an adverse impact on our business, results 
of operations or cash flows. 

Our sales are dependent on continued innovations in hardware, software and services offerings by our vendor partners and 
the competitiveness of their offerings, and our ability to partner with new and emerging technology providers. 

The  technology  industry  is  characterized  by  rapid  innovation  and  the  frequent  introduction  of  new  and  enhanced  hardware, 
software  and  services  offerings,  such  as  cloud-based  solutions,  including  Software  as  a  Service  ("SaaS"),  Infrastructure  as  a 
Service ("IaaS") and Platform as a Service ("PaaS"); Device as a Service ("DaaS"); the Internet of Things ("IoT"); and artificial 
intelligence. We have been and will continue to be dependent on innovations in hardware, software and services offerings, as 
well  as  the  acceptance  of  those  innovations  by  customers.  Also,  customers  may  delay  spending  while  they  evaluate  new 
technologies. A decrease in the rate of innovation, a lack of acceptance of innovations by our customers or delays in technology 
spending by our customers, could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

In  addition,  if we  are unable to  keep  up  with  changes  in  technology  and  new hardware,  software  and  services offerings,  for 
example by providing the appropriate training to our account managers, sales technology specialists and engineers to enable them 
to effectively sell and deliver such new offerings to customers, our business, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely 
affected. 

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We  also  are  dependent  upon  our  vendor  partners  for  the  development  and  marketing  of  hardware,  software  and  services  to 
compete effectively with hardware, software and services of vendors whose products and services we do not currently offer or 
that we are not authorized to offer in one or more customer channels. To the extent that a vendor's offering that is in high demand 
is not available to us for resale in one or more customer channels, and there is not a competitive offering from another vendor 
that  we  are  authorized  to  sell  in  such  customer  channels,  or  if  we  are  unable  to  develop  relationships  with  new  technology 
providers  or  companies  that  we  have  not  historically  represented,  our  business,  results  of  operations  or  cash  flows  could  be 
adversely impacted. 

Substantial competition could reduce our market share and significantly harm our financial performance. 

Our current competition includes: 

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

resellers, such as Computacenter, Connection, ePlus, Insight Enterprises, NTT, Presidio, SCC, Softchoice, World Wide 
Technology and many smaller resellers; 

manufacturers who sell directly to customers, such as Adobe, Apple, Dell EMC, HP Inc. and Hewlett Packard 
Enterprise; 

large service providers and system integrators, such as Accenture, Dell EMC, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and IBM; 

communications service providers, such as AT&T, CenturyLink and Verizon; 

cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services, Google and Microsoft; 

e-tailers, such as Amazon and Newegg; and 

retailers (including their e-commerce activities), such as Office Depot and Staples. 

We expect the competitive landscape to continue to evolve as new technologies and consumption models are developed, such as 
cloud-based  and  other  "as  a  service"  solutions,  hyper-converged  infrastructure  and  embedded  software  solutions.  While 
innovation can help our business as it creates new offerings for us to sell, it can also disrupt our business model and create new 
and  stronger  competitors. For  instance, while  cloud-based  solutions  present  an  opportunity  for us,  cloud-based  solutions  and 
technology solutions as a service could increase the amount of sales directly to customers rather than through solutions providers 
like us, or could reduce the amount of hardware we sell. In addition, some of our hardware and software vendor partners sell, and 
could intensify their efforts to sell, their products directly to our customers. Moreover, traditional OEMs have increased their 
services capabilities through mergers and acquisitions with service providers, which could potentially increase competition in the 
market  to provide  comprehensive  technology  solutions  to customers.  If we  are unable to  effectively  respond  to  the evolving 
competitive landscape, or respond in a manner that is less effective than that of our competitors, our business, results of operations 
or cash flows could be adversely impacted. 

We focus on offering a high level of service to gain new customers and retain existing customers. To the extent we face increased 
competition to gain and retain customers, we may be required to reduce prices, increase advertising expenditures or take other 
actions which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. Additionally, some of our competitors may 
reduce their prices in an attempt to stimulate sales, which may require us to reduce prices. This would require us to sell a greater 
number of products to achieve the same level of Net sales and Gross profit. If such a reduction in prices occurs and we are unable 
to attract new customers and sell increased quantities of products, our sales growth and profitability could be adversely affected. 

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The interruption of the flow of products from suppliers could disrupt our supply chain. 

Our  business  depends  on  the  timely  supply  of  products  in  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  our  customers.  Manufacturing 
interruptions or delays, including as a result of the financial instability or bankruptcy of manufacturers, significant labor disputes 
such as strikes, natural disasters, pandemics or other public health crises, such as the coronavirus, or other adverse occurrences 
affecting any of our suppliers' facilities, could disrupt our supply chain. We could experience product constraints due to the failure 
of suppliers to accurately forecast customer demand, or to manufacture sufficient quantities of product to meet customer demand, 
amongst other reasons. Additionally, the relocation of key distributors utilized in our purchasing model could increase our need 
for, and the cost of, working capital and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

Our supply chain is also exposed to risks related to international operations. While we purchase our products primarily in the 
markets we serve (for example, products for US customers are sourced in the US), our vendor partners manufacture or purchase 
a significant portion of the products we sell outside of the US, primarily in Asia. Political, social or economic instability in Asia, 
or in other regions in which our vendor partners purchase or manufacture the products we sell, could cause disruptions in trade, 
including exports to the US. Other events related to international operations that could cause disruptions to our supply chain 
include: 

•  

•  

•  

•  

the imposition of additional trade law provisions or regulations, including the adoption or expansion of trade 
restrictions; 

the imposition of additional duties, tariffs and other charges on imports and exports, including any resulting retaliatory 
tariffs or charges and any reductions in the production of products subject to such tariffs and charges; 

foreign currency fluctuations; and 

restrictions on the transfer of funds. 

We cannot predict whether the countries in which the products we sell, or any components of those products, are purchased or 
manufactured will be subject to new or additional trade restrictions or sanctions imposed by the US or foreign governments, 
including the likelihood, type or effect of any such restrictions. Trade restrictions, including new or increased tariffs or quotas, 
embargoes, sanctions, safeguards and customs restrictions against the products we sell, could increase the cost or reduce the 
supply of product available to us and adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, our exports 
are subject to regulations, some of which may be inconsistent, and noncompliance with these requirements could have a negative 
effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

The  success  of  our  business  depends  on  the  continuing  development,  maintenance  and  operation  of  our  information 
technology systems. 

Our success is dependent on the accuracy, proper utilization and continuing maintenance and development of our information 
technology  systems,  including  our  business  systems,  such  as  our  sales,  customer  management,  financial  and  accounting, 
marketing, purchasing, warehouse management, e-commerce and mobile systems, as well as our operational platforms, including 
voice and data networks and power systems. The quality and our utilization of the information generated by our information 
technology systems, and our success in implementing new systems and upgrades, affects, among other things, our ability to: 

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

conduct business with our customers, including delivering services and solutions to them; 

manage our inventory, accounts receivable and accounts payable; 

support planned growth in services and solutions and continued evolution of the business; 

purchase, sell, ship and invoice our hardware and software products and provide and invoice our services efficiently and 
on a timely basis; and 

maintain our cost-efficient operating model while scaling our business. 

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The integrity of our information technology systems is vulnerable to disruption due to forces beyond our control. While we have 
taken steps to protect our information technology systems from a variety of threats, both internal and external, and from human 
error, there can be no guarantee that those steps will be effective. Furthermore, although we have redundant systems at a separate 
location to back up our primary systems, there can be no assurance that these redundant systems will operate properly if and 
when required. Any disruption to or infiltration of our information technology systems could significantly harm our business or 
results of operations. 

Breaches  of  data  security  and  the  failure  to  protect  our  information  technology  systems  from  cybersecurity  threats  could 
adversely impact our business. 

Our  business  involves  the  storage  and  transmission  of  proprietary  information  and  sensitive  or  confidential  data,  including 
personal information of coworkers, customers and others. In connection with our services business, some of our coworkers have 
access to our customers' confidential data and other information. Additionally, third parties, such as data center colocation and 
hosted solution partners, provide services to us and as a component of our services delivery to customers. These third parties 
could also be a source of security risk in the event of a failure of their own security systems and infrastructure. We have privacy 
and data security policies in place that are designed to prevent security breaches; however, as newer technologies evolve, and the 
portfolio of the service providers we share confidential information with grows, we could be exposed to increased risks from 
breaches in security, including those from human error, negligence or mismanagement or from illegal or fraudulent acts, such as 
cyberattacks. The evolving nature of threats to data security, in light of new and sophisticated methods used by criminals and 
cyberterrorists,  state-sponsored  organizations  and  nation-states, 
including  computer  viruses,  malware,  phishing, 
misrepresentation, social engineering and forgery, make it increasingly challenging to anticipate and adequately mitigate these 
risks. 

Breaches in security could expose us, our supply chain, our customers or other individuals to significant disruptions, a risk of 
public disclosure, loss or misuse of this information. Security breaches could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or 
regulatory  penalties  under  laws  protecting  the  privacy  of  personal  information,  as  well  as  the  loss  of  existing  or  potential 
customers and damage to our brand and reputation. Moreover, media or other reports of perceived vulnerabilities in our network 
security  or perceived  lack of  security  within our  environment,  even  if  inaccurate,  could  adversely  impact  our reputation  and 
materially impact our business. The cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could 
be significant. Such breaches, costs and consequences could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

The failure to comply with our public sector contracts or applicable laws and regulations could result in, among other things, 
termination, fines or other liabilities, and changes in procurement regulations could adversely impact our business, results of 
operations or cash flows. 

Revenues  from  our  public  sector  customers  are  derived  from  sales  to  governmental  entities,  educational  institutions  and 
healthcare customers through various contracts and open market sales of products and services. Sales to public sector customers 
are highly regulated. Noncompliance with contract provisions, government procurement regulations or other applicable laws or 
regulations (including the False Claims Act, the Medicare and Medicaid Anti-Kickback Statute or similar laws of the jurisdictions 
for our business activities outside of the US) or security clearance and confidentiality requirements could result in civil, criminal 
and administrative liability, including substantial monetary fines or damages, termination of government contracts or other public 
sector customer contracts, and suspension, debarment or ineligibility from doing business with governmental entities or other 
customers in the public sector. In addition, contracts in the public sector are generally terminable at any time for convenience of 
the contracting agency or group purchasing organization ("GPO") or upon default. Furthermore, our inability to enter into or 
retain contracts with GPOs may threaten our ability to sell to customers in those GPOs and compete effectively. The effect of any 
of  these  possible  actions  or  failures  could  adversely  affect  our  business,  results  of  operations  or  cash  flows.  In  addition,  the 
adoption of new or modified procurement regulations and other requirements may increase our compliance costs and reduce our 
gross margins, which could have a negative effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

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If  we  or  our  third-party  service  providers  fail  to  provide  high-quality  services  to  our  customers,  our  reputation,  business, 
results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected. 

Our services include field services, managed services, warranties, configuration services, partner services and telecom services. 
Additionally, we deliver and manage mission critical software, systems and network solutions for our customers. We also offer 
certain services, such as implementation and installation services and repair services, to our customers through various third-
party service providers engaged to perform these services on our behalf. If we or our third-party service providers fail to provide 
high-quality services to our customers or such services result in a disruption of our customers' businesses, this could, among other 
things, result in legal claims and proceedings and liability for us. Moreover, as we expand our services and solutions business 
and provide increasingly complex services and solutions, we may be exposed to additional operational, regulatory and other risks. 
We also could incur liability for failure to comply with the rules and regulations applicable to the new services and solutions we 
provide to our customers. If any of the foregoing were to occur, our reputation with our customers, our brand and our business, 
results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected. 

If we lose any of our key personnel, or are unable to attract and retain the talent required for our business, our business could 
be disrupted and our financial performance could suffer. 

Our success is heavily dependent upon our ability to attract, develop, engage and retain key personnel to manage and grow our 
business, including our key executive, management, sales, services and technical coworkers. 

Our future success will depend to a significant extent on the efforts of our Chief Executive Officer, as well as the continued 
service and support of our other executive officers and the effectiveness of our succession planning. Our future success also will 
depend on our  ability  to  retain  and  motivate  our  customer-facing  coworkers,  who have  been  given  critical  CDW  knowledge 
regarding, and the opportunity to develop strong relationships with, many of our customers. In addition, as we seek to expand 
our offerings of value-added services and solutions, our success will even more heavily depend on attracting and retaining highly 
skilled technology specialists and engineers, for whom the market is extremely competitive. 

If we are unable to attract, develop, engage and retain key personnel, our relationships with our vendor partners and customers 
and our ability to expand our offerings of value-added services and solutions could be adversely affected. Moreover, if we are 
unable to continue to train our sales, services and technical personnel effectively to meet the rapidly changing technology needs 
of our customers, the overall quality and efficiency of such personnel could decrease. Such consequences could adversely affect 
our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

A natural disaster or other adverse occurrence at one of our primary facilities or a third-party provider location could damage 
our business. 

We have two warehouse and distribution facilities in the US and one in the UK. If the warehouse and distribution equipment at 
one of our distribution centers were to be seriously damaged by a natural disaster or other adverse occurrence, we could utilize 
another distribution center or third-party distributors to ship products to our customers. However, this may not be sufficient to 
avoid interruptions in our service and may not enable us to meet all of the needs of our customers and would cause us to incur 
incremental  operating  costs.  In  addition,  we  operate  numerous  facilities  which  may  contain  both  business-critical  data  and 
confidential information of our customers and third parties, such as data center colocation and hosted solution partners, provide 
services as a component of our services delivery to customers. A natural disaster or other adverse occurrence at any of our major 
sales offices or third-party provider locations could negatively impact our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

Increases in the cost of commercial delivery services or disruptions of those services could materially adversely impact our 
business. 

We generally ship hardware products to our customers by FedEx, United Parcel Service and other commercial delivery services 
and invoice customers for delivery charges. If we are unable to pass on to our customers future increases in the cost of commercial 
delivery services (including those that may result from an increase in fuel or personnel costs), our profitability could be adversely 
affected. Additionally, strikes, inclement weather, natural disasters or other service interruptions by such shippers could materially 
adversely affect our ability to deliver or receive products on a timely basis. 

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We are exposed to accounts receivable and inventory risks. 

We extend credit to our customers for a significant portion of our Net sales, typically on 30-day payment terms. We are subject 
to  the  risk  that  our  customers  may  not  pay  for  the  products  they  have  purchased,  or  may  pay  at  a  slower  rate  than  we  have 
historically experienced. This risk is heightened during periods of global or industry-specific economic downturn or uncertainty, 
during periods of rising interest rates or, in the case of public sector customers, during periods of budget constraints. Significant 
failures of customers to timely pay all amounts due to us could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

We are also exposed to inventory risks as a result of the rapid technological changes that affect the market and pricing for the 
products  we  sell.  We  seek  to  minimize  our  inventory  exposure  through  a  variety  of  inventory  management  procedures  and 
policies, including our rapid-turn inventory model, as well as vendor price protection and product return programs. However, if 
we were unable to maintain our rapid-turn inventory model, if there were unforeseen product developments that created more 
rapid obsolescence or if our vendor partners were to change their terms and conditions, our inventory risks could increase. We 
also from time to time take advantage of cost savings associated with certain opportunistic bulk inventory purchases offered by 
our vendor partners or we may decide to carry high inventory levels of certain products that have limited or no return privileges 
due to customer demand or request or to manage supply chain interruptions. If we purchase inventory in anticipation of customer 
demand that does not materialize, or if customers reduce or delay orders, we would be exposed to an increased risk of inventory 
obsolescence. 

We could be exposed to additional risks if we continue to make strategic investments or acquisitions or enter into alliances. 

We  may  continue  to  pursue  transactions,  including  strategic  investments,  acquisitions  or  alliances,  in  an  effort  to  extend  or 
complement  our  existing  business.  These  types  of  transactions  involve  numerous  business  risks,  including  finding  suitable 
transaction partners and negotiating terms that are acceptable to us, the diversion of management's attention from other business 
concerns, extending our product or service offerings into areas in which we have limited experience, entering into new geographic 
markets, the potential loss of key coworkers or business relationships and successfully integrating acquired businesses. There can 
be no assurance that the intended benefits of our investments, acquisitions and alliances will be realized, or that those benefits 
will offset these numerous risks or other unforeseen factors, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations 
or cash flows. 

In addition, our financial results could be adversely affected by financial adjustments required by generally accepted accounting 
principles in the United States of America ("GAAP") in connection with these types of transactions where significant goodwill 
or intangible assets are recorded. To the extent the value of goodwill or identifiable intangible assets becomes impaired, we may 
be required to incur material charges relating to the impairment of those assets. 

Our future operating results may fluctuate significantly, which may result in volatility in the market price of our stock and 
could impact our ability to operate our business effectively. 

We may experience significant variations in our future quarterly results of operations. These fluctuations may cause the market 
price of our common stock to be volatile and may result from many factors, including the condition of the technology industry 
in general, shifts in demand and pricing for hardware, software and services and the introduction of new products or upgrades.  
Further, if our customers’ businesses are adversely affected by the impact of the coronavirus, they might delay or reduce purchases 
from us, which could adversely affect our results of operations. 

Our  operating  results  are  also  highly  dependent  on  our  level  of  Gross  profit  as  a  percentage  of  Net  sales.  Our  Gross  profit 
percentage fluctuates due to numerous factors, some of which may be outside of our control, including general macroeconomic 
conditions; pricing pressures; changes in product costs from our vendor partners; the availability of price protection, purchase 
discounts and incentive programs from our vendor partners; changes in product, order size and customer mix; the risk of some 
items in our inventory becoming obsolete; increases in delivery costs that we cannot pass on to customers; and general market 
and competitive conditions. 

In addition, our cost structure is based, in part, on anticipated sales and gross margins. Therefore, we may not be able to adjust 
our cost structure quickly enough to compensate for any unexpected sales or gross margin shortfall, and any such inability could 
have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

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Fluctuations in foreign currency have an effect on our reported results of operations. 

Our  exposure  to  fluctuations  in  foreign  currency  rates  results  primarily  from  the  translation  exposure  associated  with  the 
preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements. While our Consolidated Financial Statements are reported in US dollars, 
the financial statements of our subsidiaries outside the US are prepared using the local currency as the functional currency and 
translated into US dollars. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rate of the US dollar relative to the local currencies of our 
international subsidiaries, particularly the British pound and the Canadian dollar, could cause material fluctuations in our reported 
results  of  operations.  We  also  have  foreign  currency  exposure  to  the  extent  sales  and  purchases  are  not  denominated  in  a 
subsidiary's functional currency, which could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

We are exposed to risks from legal proceedings and audits, which may result in substantial costs and expenses or interruption 
of our normal business operations. 

We  are  party  to  various  legal  proceedings  that  arise  in  the  ordinary  course  of  our  business,  which  include  commercial, 
employment, tort and other litigation. 

We are subject to intellectual property infringement claims against us in the ordinary course of our business, either because of 
the products and services we sell or the business systems and processes we use to sell such products and services, in the form of 
cease-and-desist letters, licensing inquiries, lawsuits and other communications and demands. In our industry, such intellectual 
property claims have become more frequent as the complexity of technological products and the intensity of competition in our 
industry have increased. Increasingly, many of these assertions are brought by non-practicing entities whose principal business 
model is to secure patent licensing revenue, but we may also be subject to demands from inventors, competitors or other patent 
holders  who  may  seek  licensing  revenue,  lost  profits  and/or  an  injunction  preventing  us  from  engaging  in  certain  activities, 
including selling certain products or services. 

We  also  are  subject  to  proceedings,  investigations  and  audits  by  federal,  state,  international,  national,  provincial  and  local 
authorities, including as a result of our significant sales to governmental entities. We also are subject to audits by various vendor 
partners and large customers, including government agencies, relating to purchases and sales under various contracts. In addition, 
we are subject to indemnification claims under various contracts. 

Current and future litigation, infringement claims, governmental proceedings and investigations, audits or indemnification claims 
that we face may result in substantial costs and expenses and significantly divert the attention of our management regardless of 
the outcome. In addition, these matters could lead to increased costs or interruptions of our normal business operations. Litigation, 
infringement claims, governmental proceedings and investigations, audits or indemnification claims involve uncertainties and 
the eventual outcome of any such matter could adversely affect our business, results of operations or cash flows. 

Failure to comply with complex and evolving laws and regulations applicable to our operations could adversely impact our 
business, results of operations or cash flows. 

Our operations are subject to numerous complex federal, state, provincial, local and foreign laws and regulations in a number of 
areas, including labor and employment, advertising, e-commerce, tax, trade, import and export requirements, economic and trade 
sanctions,  anti-corruption,  data  privacy  requirements  (including  those  under  the  European  Union  General  Data  Protection 
Regulation and the California Consumer Privacy Act), anti-competition, environmental and health and safety. The evaluation of, 
and  compliance  with  these  laws,  regulations  and  similar  requirements  may  be  onerous  and  expensive,  and  these  laws  and 
regulations may have other adverse impacts on our business, results of operations or cash flows. Furthermore, these laws and 
regulations are evolving and may be inconsistent from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, further increasing the cost of compliance and 
doing business, and the risk of noncompliance. 

We have implemented policies and procedures designed to help ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, but 
there  can  be  no  guarantee  against  coworkers,  contractors  or  agents  violating  such  laws  and  regulations  or  our  policies  and 
procedures. 

As  a  public  company,  we  also  are  subject  to  increasingly  complex  public  disclosure,  corporate  governance  and  accounting 
requirements that increase compliance costs and require significant management focus. 

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Risks Related to Our Indebtedness 

Our level of indebtedness could adversely affect our business. 

As of December 31, 2019, we had $3.3 billion of total long-term debt outstanding and $430 million of obligations outstanding 
under our inventory financing agreements, and the ability to borrow an additional $1.0 billion under our senior secured asset-
based revolving credit loan facility (the "Revolving Loan") after taking into account borrowing base limitations and an additional 
£50 million ($66 million at December 31, 2019) under our CDW UK revolving credit facility. Our level of indebtedness could 
have important consequences, including the following: 

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness; 

requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations to debt service payments on our and our 
subsidiaries' debt, which reduces the funds available for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other 
general corporate purposes; 

requiring us to comply with restrictive covenants in our senior credit facilities and indentures, which limit the manner 
in which we conduct our business; 

making  it  more  difficult  for  us  to  obtain  vendor  financing  from  our  vendor  partners,  including  original  equipment 
manufacturers and software publishers; 

limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the industry in which we operate; 

placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to any of our less-leveraged competitors; 

increasing our vulnerability to both general and industry-specific adverse economic conditions; and 

limiting our ability to obtain additional debt or equity financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures, 
acquisitions or other general corporate requirements and increasing our cost of borrowing. 

Restrictive  covenants  under  our  senior  credit  facilities  and,  to  a  lesser  degree,  our  indentures  may  adversely  affect  our 
operations and liquidity. 

Our  senior  credit  facilities  and,  to  a  lesser  degree,  our  indentures  contain,  and  any  future  indebtedness  of  ours  may  contain, 
various covenants that limit our ability to, among other things: 

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

incur or guarantee additional debt; 

pay  dividends  or  make  distributions  to  holders  of  our  capital  stock  or  to  make  certain  other  restricted  payments  or 
investments; 

repurchase or redeem capital stock; 

make loans, capital expenditures or investments or acquisitions; 

receive dividends or other payments from our subsidiaries; 

enter into transactions with affiliates; 

pledge our assets as collateral; 

merge or consolidate with other companies or transfer all or substantially all of our assets; 

transfer or sell assets, including capital stock of subsidiaries; and 

prepay, repurchase or redeem debt. 

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As a result of these covenants, we are limited in the manner in which we conduct our business and we may be unable to engage 
in favorable business activities or finance future operations or capital needs. A breach of any of these covenants or any of the 
other restrictive covenants would result in a default under our senior credit facilities. Upon the occurrence of an event of default 
under our senior credit facilities, the lenders: 

•  

•  

•  

will not be required to lend any additional amounts to us; 

could elect to declare all borrowings outstanding thereunder, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be 
due and payable; or  

could require us to apply all of our available cash to repay these borrowings. 

The  acceleration of  amounts  outstanding under  our  senior  credit  facilities  would  likely  trigger  an  event  of default under  our 
existing indentures. 

If we were unable to repay those amounts, the lenders under our senior credit facilities could proceed against the collateral granted 
to them to secure our borrowings thereunder. We have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under our senior 
credit facilities. If the lenders under our senior credit facilities accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we cannot assure you that 
we will have sufficient assets to repay our senior credit facilities and our other indebtedness or the ability to borrow sufficient 
funds to refinance such indebtedness. Even if we were able to obtain new financing, it may not be on commercially reasonable 
terms, or terms that are acceptable to us. 

In addition, under our Revolving Loan, we are permitted to borrow an aggregate amount of up to $1.5 billion. However, our 
ability to borrow under our Revolving Loan is limited by a borrowing base and a liquidity condition. The borrowing base at any 
time  equals  the  sum  of  up  to  85%  of  CDW  LLC  and  its  subsidiary  guarantors'  eligible  accounts  receivable  (net  of  accounts 
receivable reserves) (up to 30% of such eligible accounts receivable which can consist of federal government accounts receivable) 
plus the lesser of (i) 75% of CDW LLC and its subsidiary guarantors' eligible inventory (valued at cost and net of inventory 
reserves) and (ii) the product of 85% multiplied by the net orderly liquidation value percentage multiplied by eligible inventory 
(valued at cost and net of inventory reserves), less reserves (other than accounts reserves and inventory reserves). The borrowing 
base in effect as of December 31, 2019 was $2.0 billion and, therefore, did not restrict our ability to borrow under our Revolving 
Loan as of that date. 

Our ability to borrow under our Revolving Loan is also limited by a minimum liquidity condition, which provides that, if excess 
cash availability is less than the lesser of (i) $125 million and (ii) the greater of (A) 10% of the borrowing base and (B) $100 
million, the lenders are not required to lend any additional amounts under our Revolving Loan unless the consolidated fixed 
charge coverage ratio (as defined in the credit agreement for our Revolving Loan) is at least 1.00 to 1.00. It is an event of default 
under our Revolving Loan if our excess cash availability and consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio remain below such levels 
for a period of five or more consecutive business days. Moreover, our Revolving Loan provides discretion to the agent bank 
acting on behalf of the lenders to impose additional availability reserves, which could materially impair the amount of borrowings 
that would otherwise be available to us. We cannot make any assurances that the agent bank will not impose such reserves or, 
were it to do so, that the resulting impact of this action would not materially and adversely impair our liquidity. 

We will be required to generate sufficient cash to service our indebtedness and, if not successful, we may be forced to take 
other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness. 

Our  ability  to  make  scheduled  payments  on  or  to  refinance  our  debt  obligations  depends  on  our  financial  and  operating 
performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other 
factors beyond our control. Our outstanding long-term debt will impose significant cash interest payment obligations on us and, 
accordingly, we will have to generate significant cash flow from operating activities to fund our debt service obligations. We 
cannot assure you that we will maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, 
premium,  if  any,  and  interest  on  our  indebtedness.  See  "Management's  Discussion  and Analysis  of  Financial  Condition  and 
Results of Operations-Liquidity and Capital Resources" included elsewhere in this report. 

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If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay 
capital expenditures, sell assets or operations, seek additional debt or equity capital, restructure or refinance our indebtedness, or 
revise or delay our strategic plan. We cannot assure you that we would be able to take any of these actions on terms that are 
favorable to us or at all, that these actions would be successful and permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations or 
satisfy our capital requirements, or that these actions would be permitted under the terms of our existing or future debt agreements, 
including  our  senior  credit  facilities  and  indentures.  In  the  absence  of  such  operating  results  and  resources,  we  could  face 
substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other 
obligations. Our senior credit facilities restrict our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. We may 
not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds which we could realize from them and these proceeds 
may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. 

If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and, as a result: 

•  

•  

our debt holders could declare all outstanding principal and interest to be due and payable; 

the lenders under our senior credit facilities could foreclose against the assets securing the borrowings from them and 
the lenders under our Revolving Loan and CDW UK revolving credit facility could terminate their commitments to lend 
us money; and 

•  

we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. 

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantially more debt, including secured debt. This could further increase the 
risks associated with our leverage. 

We and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. The terms of our senior credit 
facilities  and  indentures  do  not  fully  prohibit  us  or  our  subsidiaries  from  doing  so.  To  the  extent  that  we  incur  additional 
indebtedness, the risks associated with our level of indebtedness described above, including our possible inability to service our 
debt, will increase. As of December 31, 2019, we had $1.0 billion available for additional borrowing under our Revolving Loan 
after taking into account borrowing base limitations and an additional £50 million ($66 million at December 31, 2019) available 
under our CDW UK revolving credit facility. 

Variable  rate  indebtedness  subjects  us  to  interest  rate  risk,  which  could  cause  our  debt  service  obligations  to  increase 
significantly. 

Certain of our borrowings, primarily borrowings under our senior credit facilities, are at variable rates of interest and expose us 
to interest rate risk. As of December 31, 2019, we had $1.6 billion of variable rate debt outstanding. If interest rates increase, our 
debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, 
and our net income would decrease. Although we have entered into interest rate cap agreements on our term loan facility to reduce 
interest rate volatility, we cannot assure you we will be able to enter into interest rate cap agreements in the future on acceptable 
terms or that such caps or the caps we have in place now will be effective. 

The  London  Inter-bank  Offered  Rate  ("LIBOR")  and  certain  other  interest  "benchmarks"  may  be  subject  to  regulatory 
guidance and/or reform that could cause interest rates under our current or future debt agreements to perform differently 
than in the past or cause other unanticipated consequences. 

Certain of our credit facilities, including our senior secured term loan facility and our Revolving Loan, have variable interest 
rates using LIBOR as a benchmark rate, and we have entered into interest rate cap agreements with respect to the senior secured 
term loan facility that are based on LIBOR. As of December 31, 2019, $1.5 billion of our total debt outstanding bears interest at 
variable interest rates using LIBOR as a benchmark rate. The LIBOR and certain other interest "benchmarks" may be subject to 
regulatory  guidance  and/or  reform  that  could  cause  interest  rates  under  our  current  or  future  debt  agreements  to  perform 
differently than in the past or cause other unanticipated consequences. The United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority, which 
regulates LIBOR, has announced that it intends to stop encouraging or requiring banks to submit LIBOR rates after 2021. The 
US Federal Reserve, in conjunction with the Alternative Reference Rates Committee, a steering committee comprised of large 
US financial institutions, announced the replacement of US dollar LIBOR with a new index calculated by short-term repurchase 

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agreements, backed by US Treasury securities, called the Secured Overnight Financing Rate ("SOFR"). The first publication of 
SOFR  was  released  in April  2018.  Whether  or  not  SOFR  attains  market  traction  as  a  LIBOR  replacement  for  US  dollar-
denominated instruments, and whether other benchmarks will attain traction in other markets, remains in question and the future 
of LIBOR at this time is uncertain. If LIBOR ceases to exist, interest rates on our current or future debt obligations and hedging 
instruments may be adversely affected and we may need to renegotiate the agreements governing such obligations or instruments. 
Although the agreement governing our senior secured term loan facility contains provisions for amending the applicable term 
loan interest rates if LIBOR is discontinued or cannot be determined, any such amendments will be contingent on our ability to 
negotiate new "benchmark" rates, spreads and calculation methods with the administrative agent and lenders under such facility. 
We may be unable to negotiate an acceptable alternative to LIBOR, or if we do agree to amend the facility, the new "benchmark" 
may  perform  differently  than  LIBOR  or  cause  other  unanticipated  consequences,  which  could  adversely  affect  our  interest 
expense, related debt obligations and our interest rate cap agreements. 

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock 

Our  common  stock  price  may  be  volatile  and  may  decline  regardless  of  our  operating  performance,  and  holders  of  our 
common stock could lose a significant portion of their investment. 

The market price for our common stock may be volatile. Our stockholders may not be able to resell their shares of common stock 
at or above the price at which they purchased such shares, due to fluctuations in the market price of our common stock, which 
may be caused by a number of factors, many of which we cannot control, including the risk factors described in this Annual 
Report on Form 10-K and the following: 

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

changes  in  financial  estimates  by  any  securities  analysts  who  follow  our  common  stock,  our  failure  to  meet  these 
estimates or failure of securities analysts to maintain coverage of our common stock; 

downgrades by any securities analysts who follow our common stock; 

future sales of our common stock by our officers, directors and significant stockholders; 

market conditions or trends in our industry or the economy as a whole; 

investors' perceptions of our prospects; 

announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, joint ventures or capital commitments; 
and 

changes in key personnel. 

In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect 
the market prices of equity securities of many companies, including companies in our industry. In the past, securities class action 
litigation has followed periods of market volatility. If we were involved in securities litigation, we could incur substantial costs, 
and our resources and the attention of management could be diverted from our business. 

In  the  future,  we  may  also  issue  our  securities  in  connection  with  investments  or  acquisitions. The  number  of  shares  of  our 
common stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding 
shares of our common stock and depress our stock price. 

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and Delaware law might discourage or delay acquisition attempts for us 
that may be considered favorable. 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the 
acquisition of the Company more difficult without the approval of our Board of Directors. These provisions: 

•  

authorize the issuance of undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and the shares of which 
may be issued without stockholder approval, and which may include super voting, special approval, dividend, or other 
rights or preferences superior to the rights of the holders of common stock; 

21 

Table of Contents 

•  

•  

•  

•  

•  

establish a classified Board of Directors until the 2021 annual meeting of stockholders, so that not all members of our 
Board of Directors are elected at one time; 

generally prohibit stockholder action by written consent, requiring all stockholder actions be taken at a meeting of our 
stockholders; 

provide that special meetings of the stockholders can only be called by or at the direction of our Board of Directors 
pursuant to a written resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of the majority of the total number of directors that the 
Company would have if there were no vacancies; 

establish advance notice requirements for nominations for elections to our Board of Directors or for proposing matters 
that can be acted upon by stockholders at stockholder meetings; and 

provide that our Board of Directors is expressly authorized to make, alter or repeal our amended and restated bylaws. 

Our  amended  and  restated  certificate  of  incorporation  also  contains  a  provision  that  provides  us  with  protections  similar  to 
Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, and will prevent us from engaging in a business combination with a 
person who acquires at least 15% of our common stock for a period of three years from  the date such person acquired such 
common stock, unless Board or stockholder approval is obtained prior to the acquisition. These anti-takeover provisions and 
other  provisions  under  Delaware  law  could  discourage,  delay  or  prevent  a  transaction  involving  a  change  in  control  of  the 
Company, even if doing so would benefit our stockholders. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it 
more  difficult  for  our  stockholders  to  elect  directors  of  their  choosing  and  to  cause  us  to  take  other  corporate  actions  our 
stockholders desire. 

We cannot assure you that we will continue to pay dividends on our common stock or repurchase any of our common stock 
under our share repurchase program, and our indebtedness and certain tax considerations could limit our ability to continue 
to pay dividends on, or make share repurchases of, our common stock. If we do not continue to pay dividends, you may not 
receive any return on investment unless you are able to sell your common stock for a price greater than your purchase price. 

We expect to continue to pay a cash dividend on our common stock, currently at the rate of $0.380 per share per quarter, or $1.52 
per share per annum. However, any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors. 
Any determination to pay dividends on, or repurchase, shares of our common stock in the future will depend upon our results of 
operations, financial condition, business prospects, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, any potential indebtedness we 
may incur, restrictions imposed by applicable law, tax considerations and other factors our Board of Directors deems relevant. In 
addition, our ability to pay dividends on, or repurchase, shares of our common stock will be limited by restrictions on our ability 
to  pay  dividends  or  make  distributions  to  our  stockholders  and  on  the  ability  of  our  subsidiaries  to  pay  dividends  or  make 
distributions to us, in each case, under the terms of our current and any future agreements governing our indebtedness. There can 
be no assurance that we will continue to pay a dividend at the current rate or at all or that we will continue to repurchase shares 
of our common stock. If we do not pay dividends in the future, realization of a gain on your investment will depend entirely on 
the appreciation of the price of our common stock, which may never occur. 

We are a holding company and rely on dividends, distributions and other payments, advances and transfers of funds from our 
subsidiaries to meet our obligations. 

We are a holding company that does not conduct any business operations of our own. As a result, we are largely dependent upon 
cash dividends and distributions and other transfers from our subsidiaries to meet our obligations. The agreements governing the 
indebtedness of our subsidiaries impose restrictions on our subsidiaries' ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us. The 
deterioration of the earnings from, or other available assets of, our subsidiaries for any reason could also limit or impair their 
ability to pay dividends or other distributions to us. 

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 

None. 

22 

 
Table of Contents 

Item 2. Properties 

As of December 31, 2019, we owned or leased a total of 2.6 million square feet of space, primarily in the US, UK and Canada. 
We own two properties: a 513,000 square foot distribution center in North Las Vegas, Nevada, and a combined office and a 
442,000  square  foot  distribution  center  in  Vernon  Hills,  Illinois.  In  addition,  we  conduct  sales,  services  and  administrative 
activities in various locations primarily in the US, UK and Canada. 

We believe our facilities are well maintained, suitable for our business and occupy sufficient space to meet our operating needs. 
As part of our normal business, we regularly evaluate sales center performance and site suitability. Leases covering our currently 
occupied leased properties expire at varying dates, generally within the next 17 years. 

We anticipate no difficulty in retaining occupancy through lease renewals, month-to-month occupancy or replacing the leased 
properties  with  equivalent  properties.  We  believe  that  suitable  additional  or  substitute  leased  properties  will  be  available  as 
required. 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings 

We are party to various legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of our business, which include commercial, intellectual 
property,  employment,  tort  and  other  litigation  matters. We  are  also  subject  to  audit  by  federal,  state,  international,  national, 
provincial and local authorities, and by various partners, group purchasing organizations and customers, including government 
agencies, relating to purchases and sales under various contracts. In addition, we are subject to indemnification claims under 
various contracts. From time to time, certain of our customers file voluntary petitions for reorganization or liquidation under the 
US bankruptcy laws or similar laws of the jurisdictions for our business activities outside of the US. In such cases, certain pre-
petition payments received by us could be considered preference items and subject to return to the bankruptcy administrator. 

As of December 31, 2019, we do not believe that there is a reasonable possibility that any material loss exceeding the amounts 
already  recognized  for  these  proceedings  and  matters,  if  any,  has  been  incurred.  However,  the  ultimate  resolutions  of  these 
proceedings and matters are inherently unpredictable. As such, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely 
affected in any particular period by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of these proceedings or matters. 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 

Not applicable. 

23 

Table of Contents 

Information about our Executive Officers 

The following table lists the name, age as of February 28, 2020 and positions of each executive officer of the Company. 

Name 

Christine A. Leahy 

Jill M. Billhorn 

Sona Chawla 

Age  Position 

55  President and Chief Executive Officer and member of our Board of Directors since January 2019; 
Chief Revenue Officer from July 2017 to December 2018; Senior Vice President - International, Chief 
Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary from May 2016 to July 2017; Senior Vice President, General 
Counsel and Corporate Secretary from January 2007 to May 2016. 

58  Senior Vice President, Corporate Sales since January 2019; Vice President, Strategic Solution Sales 
of CDW Direct, LLC from January 2018 to December 2018; Vice President, East Region of CDW 
Direct, LLC from August 2015 to January 2018; Vice President - Small Business of CDW Direct, 
LLC from August 2010 to August 2015. 

52  Chief  Growth  and  Innovation  Officer  since  January  2020;  President,  Kohl's  Corporation  (an 
omnichannel retailer) from May 2018 to October 2019 and Chief Operating Officer from November 
2015 to May 2018; President, Digital and Chief Marketing Officer, Walgreen Company (a drugstore 
chain) from February 2014 to November 2015. 

Mark C. Chong 

49  Senior Vice President of Strategy and Marketing since November 2016; Partner, Bain & Company (a 

Elizabeth H. Connelly 

Christina M. Corley 

global management consulting firm) from January 2010 to September 2016. 

55  Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President, Coworker Services since December 2018; 
Managing  Director  and  Head,  Commercial  Bank  Healthcare,  Higher  Education  and  Not-for-Profit 
Banking at J.P. Morgan Chase & Company (a global financial services firm) from March 2012 to 
December 2018. 

52  Chief Commercial and Operating Officer since January 2020; Chief Operating Officer since January 
2019;  Senior Vice  President,  Commercial  and  International  Markets  from  July  2017  to  December 
2018; Senior Vice President, Corporate Sales from September 2011 to July 2017. 

Douglas E. Eckrote 

55  Senior  Vice  President,  Small  Business  Sales  and  eCommerce  since  August  2016;  Senior  Vice 

Collin B. Kebo 

President, Strategic Solutions and Services from November 2009 to August 2016. 

53  Senior  Vice  President  and  Chief  Financial  Officer  since  January  2018;  Vice  President,  Financial 
Planning  and  Analysis  from  December  2008  to  December  2017;  Chief  Financial  Officer  - 
International from May 2016 to December 2017. 

Robert F. Kirby 

54  Senior Vice President, Public Sales since July 2018; Vice President, Federal and State and Local Sales 

Frederick J. Kulevich 

of CDW Government LLC from June 2011 to August 2018. 

54  Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since October 2017; Vice President 
and Deputy General Counsel from May 2016 to October 2017; Vice President and Assistant General 
Counsel from May 2014 to May 2016; Senior Director, Ethics and Compliance from July 2006 to 
May 2014. 

Christina V. Rother 

56  Senior Vice President, Integrated Technology Solutions since July 2018; Senior Vice President, Public 

Jonathan J. Stevens 

Matthew A. Troka 

and Advanced Technology Sales from September 2011 to July 2018. 

50  Senior Vice President, Operations and Chief Information Officer since November 2009. 

49  Senior Vice President, Product and Partner Management since March 2011. 

24 

 
Table of Contents 

PART II 

Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 

Market Information 

Our common stock has been listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market since June 27, 2013 under the symbol "CDW." 

Holders 

As  of  February 25,  2020,  there  were  17  holders  of  record  of  our  common  stock.  The  number  of  beneficial  stockholders  is 
substantially greater than the number of holders of record because a portion of our common stock is held through brokerage 
firms. 

Dividends 

On February 6, 2020, we announced that our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of 
$0.380  per  share. The  dividend  will  be  paid  on  March 10,  2020  to  all  stockholders  of  record  as  of  the  close  of  business  on 
February 25, 2020. 

We expect to continue to pay quarterly cash dividends on our common stock in the future, but such payments remain at the 
discretion  of  our  Board  of  Directors  and  will  depend  upon  our  results  of  operations,  financial  condition,  business  prospects, 
capital requirements, contractual restrictions, any potential indebtedness we may incur, restrictions imposed by applicable law, 
tax considerations and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends on our 
common stock will be limited by restrictions on our ability to pay dividends or make distributions to our stockholders and on the 
ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, in each case, under the terms of our current and any future 
agreements governing our indebtedness. For additional information on our cash resources and needs and restrictions on our ability 
to pay dividends, see "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and 
Capital Resources" included elsewhere in this report. For additional information on restrictions on our ability to pay dividends, 
see Note 9 (Long-Term Debt) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 

On February 7, 2019, we announced that our Board of Directors authorized a $1 billion increase to our share repurchase program 
under  which  we  may  repurchase  shares  of  our  common  stock  in  the  open  market  through  privately  negotiated  or  other 
transactions, depending on share price, market conditions and other factors. 

Information relating to the Company's purchases of its common stock during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 is as follows: 

Period 

October 1 through October 31, 2019 
November 1 through November 30, 2019   
December 1 through December 31, 2019 

Total 

(1) 

Total Number of 
Shares Purchased 
(in millions) 

Average Price Paid per 
Share 

0.4     $ 
0.5     $ 
0.4     $ 
1.3      

122.89    
135.10    
137.53    

Total Number of 
Shares Purchased as 
Part of a Publicly 
Announced Program 
(in millions) 

Maximum Dollar 
Value of Shares that 
May Yet be Purchased 
Under the Program(1) 
(in millions) 

0.4     $ 
0.5     $ 
0.4     $ 
1.3      

798.0  
731.7  
678.7  

The amounts presented in this column are the remaining total authorized value to be spent after each month's 
repurchases. 

Cumulative Total Shareholder Return 

The information contained in this Cumulative Total Shareholder Return section shall not be deemed to be "soliciting material" or 
"filed" or incorporated by reference in future filings with the SEC, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Securities 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Exchange Act  of  1934,  except  to  the  extent  that  we  specifically  incorporate  it  by  reference  into  a  document  filed  under  the 
Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. 

The following graph compares the cumulative total shareholder return, calculated on a dividend reinvested basis, on $100.00 
invested at the closing of the market on December 31, 2014 through and including the market close on December 31, 2019, with 
the cumulative total return for the same time period of the same amount invested in the S&P 500 Index and a peer group index. 
Our peer group index for 2019 consists of the following companies: Anixter International, Inc., Arrow Electronics, Inc., Avnet, 
Inc., CGI Group Inc., Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, DXC Technology Company, Genuine Parts Company, Henry 
Schein,  Inc.,  Insight  Enterprises,  Inc.,  LKQ  Corporation,  Patterson  Companies,  Inc.,  SYNNEX  Corporation,  Tech  Data 
Corporation, W.W.  Grainger,  Inc.  and Wesco  International,  Inc. This  peer  group  was  selected  based  on  a  review  of  publicly 
available information about these companies and our determination that they met one or more of the following criteria: (i) similar 
size  in  terms  of  revenue  and/or  enterprise  value  (one-third  to  three  times  our  revenue  or  enterprise  value);  (ii) operates  in  a 
business-to-business distribution environment; (iii) members of the technology industry; (iv) similar customers (i.e., business, 
government,  healthcare,  and  education);  (v) companies  that  provide  services  and/or  solutions;  (vi) similar  margins;  (vii) 
comparable percentage of international sales; (viii) frequently identified as a peer by the other peer companies or Institutional 
Shareholder Services Inc.; or (ix) identified by the Company as a competitor. 

The cumulative total shareholder returns over the indicated period are based on historical data and should not be considered 
indicative of future shareholder returns. 

CDW Corp 
S&P 500 Index 
CDW Peers 

December 31, 
2014 

December 31, 
2015 

December 31, 
2016 

December 31, 
2017 

December 31, 
2018 

December 31, 
2019 

 $ 
 $ 
 $ 

100    $ 
100    $ 
100    $ 

120    $ 
99    $ 
98    $ 

151    $ 
109    $ 
122    $ 

204    $ 
130    $ 
138    $ 

240    $ 
122    $ 
115    $ 

428  
157  
146  

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities 

None. 

27 

Table of Contents 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data 

The selected financial data set forth below are not necessarily indicative of the results of future operations and should be read in 
conjunction  with  "Management's  Discussion  and  Analysis  of  Financial  Condition  and  Results  of  Operations"  and  our 
Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes. 

We have derived the selected financial data presented below as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 and for the years ended December 
31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 from our Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report. The 
selected financial data as of December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 and for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015 have been 
derived from our Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for those periods and are not included in this report. 

28 

Table of Contents 

(dollars in millions, except per share amounts) 

2019 

2018 

2017 

2016 

2015(1) 

Year Ended December 31, 

Statement of Operations Data: 
Net sales 

Cost of sales 

Gross profit 

Selling and administrative expenses 

Advertising expense 

Operating income 

Interest expense, net 

Gain on remeasurement of equity investment 

Other (expense) income, net 

Income before income taxes 

Income tax expense 

Net income 

Net income per common share: 

Basic 

Diluted 

  $  18,032.4  
14,992.5  
3,039.9  
1,713.1  
193.2  
1,133.6  
(159.4 )   
—  
(24.5 )   
949.7  
(212.9 )   
736.8  

  $ 16,240.5  
  13,533.6  
2,706.9  
1,537.1  
182.5  
987.3  
(148.6 )   
—  
1.8  
840.5  
(197.5 )   
643.0  

  $ 14,832.9  
  12,382.7  
2,450.2  
1,410.0  
173.7  
866.5  
(150.5 )   
—  
(55.3 )   
660.7  
(137.6 )   
523.1  

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 13,672.7  
  11,344.4  
2,328.3  
1,345.4  
162.9  
820.0  
(146.5 )   
—  
(0.3 )   

673.2  
(248.1 )   
425.1  

  $ 

  $ 12,988.7  
  10,872.9  
2,115.8  
1,226.0  
147.8  
742.0  
(159.5 ) 
98.1  
(33.6 ) 
647.0  
(243.9 ) 
403.1  

  $ 

  $ 
  $ 

5.08  
4.99  

  $ 
  $ 

4.26  
4.19  

  $ 
  $ 

3.37  
3.31  

  $ 
  $ 

2.60  
2.56  

  $ 
  $ 

2.37  
2.35  

Cash dividends declared per common share 

  $  1.2650  

  $  0.9250  

  $  0.6900   — 

 $  0.4825   — 

 $  0.3100  

Balance Sheet Data (at period end): 

Cash and cash equivalents 

Working capital 

Total assets 

Total debt and capitalized lease obligations(2) 

Total stockholders' equity 

Other Financial Data: 

Capital expenditures 

Gross profit as a percentage of Net sales 

Non-GAAP operating income(3) 

Non-GAAP net income(4) 

Statement of Cash Flows Data: 

Net cash provided by (used in): 

Operating activities 

Investing activities 

Financing activities 

  $ 

154.0  
842.7  
7,999.4  
3,317.3  
960.3  

  $ 

205.8  
993.7  
7,167.7  
  3,209.1  
975.2  

  $ 

144.2  
874.2  
6,966.7  
3,236.7  
985.6  

  $ 

263.7  
959.9  
6,958.4  
3,236.6  
1,047.9  

  $ 

37.6  
903.5  
6,755.3  
3,262.9  
1,095.9  

  $ 

  $ 

236.3  
16.9 %  

  $ 

86.1  
16.7 %  

  $ 

81.1  
16.5 %  

  $ 

63.5  
17.0 %  

  $  1,368.4  
902.1  

 $  1,216.6  
794.3  

  $  1,106.8  
605.9  

  $  1,048.3  
569.7  

  $ 

90.1  
16.3 % 
960.9  
503.5  

  $  1,027.2  

  $ 

(331.4 )   
(749.8 )   

  $ 

905.9  
(86.1 )   
(754.8 )   

  $ 

777.7  
(81.1 )   
(818.7 )   

  $ 

604.0  
(65.9 )   
(304.6 )   

277.5  
(354.4 ) 
(226.5 ) 

(1) 

(2) 

Includes the impact of consolidating five months of CDW UK's financial results. 

Excludes borrowings of $430 million, $429 million, $498 million, $580 million and $440 million as of December 31, 
2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015, respectively, under our inventory financing agreements. We do not include these 
borrowings in total debt because we have not in the past incurred, and in the future do not expect to incur, any interest 
expense or late fees under these agreements. 

29 

 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
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(3) 

Non-GAAP operating income excludes, among other things, charges related to the amortization of acquisition-related 
intangible assets, equity-based compensation and the associated payroll taxes, and acquisition and integration expenses. 
Non-GAAP operating income is considered a non-GAAP financial measure. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure 
is a numerical measure of a company's performance or financial position that either excludes or includes amounts that 
are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance 
with GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used by management may differ from similar measures used by other companies, 
even when similar terms are used to identify such measures. We believe Non-GAAP operating income provide analysts, 
investors and management with helpful information regarding the underlying operating performance of our business, as 
this  measure  removes  the  impact  of  items  that  management  believes  are  not  reflective  of  underlying  operating 
performance. Management uses this measure to evaluate period-over-period performance as management believes it 
provides a more comparable measure of the underlying business. 

The following unaudited table sets forth a reconciliation of Operating income to Non-GAAP operating income for the 
periods presented: 

Year Ended December 31, 

(dollars in millions) 

Operating income 

Amortization of intangibles 
Equity-based compensation 
Other adjustments(2) 

Non-GAAP operating income 

2019 
  $  1,133.6     $ 

2015(1) 
2017 
2016 
866.5     $  820.0     $  742.0  
173.9  
187.2    
185.1    
31.2  
39.2    
43.7    
13.8  
1.9    
11.5    
  $  1,368.4     $  1,216.6    $  1,106.8     $ 1,048.3     $  960.9  

2018 
987.3     $ 
182.7    
40.7    
5.9    

178.5    
48.5    
7.8    

(1) 

(2) 

Includes the impact of consolidating five months of CDW UK's financial results. 

Primarily includes payroll taxes on equity-based compensation, consolidation of office space, settlement of 
litigation matters, and acquisition and integration expenses. 

(4) 

Non-GAAP  net  income  excludes,  among  other  things,  charges  related  to  acquisition-related  intangible  asset 
amortization,  equity-based  compensation,  net  loss  on  extinguishment  of  long-term  debt,  acquisition  and  integration 
expenses, and the associated tax effects of each. Non-GAAP net income is considered a non-GAAP financial measure. 
Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance or financial position that 
either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally included or excluded in the most directly comparable measure 
calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used by management may differ from similar 
measures used by other companies, even when similar terms are used to identify such measures. We believe that Non-
GAAP  net  income  provides  analysts,  investors  and  management  with  helpful  information  regarding  the  underlying 
operating performance of our business, as this measure removes the impact of items that management believes are not 
reflective  of  underlying  operating  performance.  Management  uses  this  measure  to  evaluate  period-over-period 
performance as management believes it provides a more comparable measure of the underlying business. 

The  following  unaudited  table  sets  forth  a  reconciliation  of  Net  income  to  Non-GAAP  net  income  for  the  periods 
presented: 

30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

(dollars in millions) 

Net income 

Amortization of intangibles(2) 
Equity-based compensation 
Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt 
Gain on remeasurement of equity investment(3) 
Other adjustments(4) 
Aggregate adjustments for income taxes(5) 

Non-GAAP net income 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2016 

2018 

2015(1) 
2017 
 $  736.8     $  643.0    $  523.1     $  425.1     $  403.1  
173.9  
31.2  
24.3  
(98.1 ) 
33.9  
(64.8 ) 
 $  902.1     $  794.3    $  605.9     $  569.7     $  503.5  

185.1    
43.7    
57.4    
—    
11.5    
(214.9 )  

182.7    
40.7    
—    
—    
5.9    
(78.0 )   

187.2    
39.2    
2.1    
—    
1.9    
(85.8 )  

178.5    
48.5    
22.1    
—    
7.8    
(91.6 )  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

Includes the impact of consolidating five months of CDW UK's financial results. 

Includes  amortization  expense  for  acquisition-related  intangible  assets,  primarily  customer  relationships, 
customer contracts and trade names. 

Represents the gain resulting from the remeasurement of the Company's previously held 35% equity investment 
to fair value upon the completion of the acquisition of CDW UK. 

Primarily includes expenses related to the consolidation of office space, settlement of litigation matters, the 
favorable resolution of a local sales tax matter, acquisition and integration expenses and the Company's 35% 
share of expenses related to certain equity awards for the acquisition of CDW UK. 

(5) 

Aggregate adjustments for income taxes consists of the following: 

(dollars in millions) 

Total Non-GAAP adjustments 

Weighted-average statutory effective rate 

Income tax 

Deferred tax adjustment due to law changes 

Excess tax benefits from equity-based compensation 

Discrete tax benefit related to CDW Canada's acquisition of Scalar 

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 
Withholding tax expense on the unremitted earnings of our Canadian 
subsidiary 
Non-deductible adjustments and other 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 
$  256.9  

2018 
 $  229.3  

2017 
 $  297.7  

2016 
 $  230.4  

2015 
 $  165.2  

25.0 %   
(64.2 ) 
0.3  
(24.5 ) 

(3.0 ) 
—  

— 

(0.2 ) 

25.0 %   
(57.3 ) 
0.5  
(19.1 ) 
—  
(1.9 ) 

36.0 %   

(107.2 ) 
1.3  
(36.2 ) 
—  
(75.5 ) 

— 

(0.2 ) 

— 
2.7  

36.0 %   
(82.9 ) 

38.0 % 

(62.8 ) 

(1.5 ) 

(1.8 ) 
—  
—  

— 
0.4  

(4.0 ) 
—  
—  
—  

3.3 

(1.3 ) 

Total aggregate adjustments for income taxes 

$  (91.6 ) 

 $  (78.0 ) 

 $  (214.9 ) 

 $  (85.8 ) 

 $  (64.8 ) 

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Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 

Unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, as used in this "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial 
Condition and Results of Operations," the terms "we," "us," "the Company," "our," "CDW" and similar terms refer to CDW 
Corporation and its subsidiaries. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" 
should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this report. 
This discussion contains forward-looking statements that are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. Actual results may 
differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. See "Forward-Looking Statements" above. 

Overview 

CDW  Corporation,  a  Fortune  500  company  and  member  of  the  S&P  500  Index,  is  a  market-leading  provider  of  integrated 
information technology ("IT") solutions to small, medium and large business, government, education and healthcare customers 
in the US, the UK and Canada. Our broad array of offerings ranges from discrete hardware and software products to integrated 
IT solutions such as mobility, security, data center optimization, cloud computing, virtualization and collaboration. 

We are technology "agnostic," with a solutions portfolio including more than 100,000 products and services from more than 
1,000  leading  and  emerging  brands.  Our  solutions  are  delivered  in  physical,  virtual  and  cloud-based  environments  through 
approximately 6,800 customer-facing coworkers, including sellers, highly-skilled technology specialists and advanced service 
delivery  engineers.  We  are  a  leading  sales  channel  partner  for  many  original  equipment  manufacturers  ("OEMs"),  software 
publishers and cloud providers (collectively, our "vendor partners"), whose products we sell or include in the solutions we offer. 
We provide our vendor partners with a cost-effective way to reach customers and deliver a consistent brand experience through 
our established end-market coverage, technical expertise and extensive customer access. 

We have three reportable segments, Corporate, Small Business and Public. Our Corporate segment primarily serves US private 
sector  business  customers  with  more  than  250  employees.  Our  Small  Business  segment  primarily  serves  US  private  sector 
business  customers  with  up  to  250  employees.  Our  Public  segment  is  comprised  of  government  agencies  and  education  and 
healthcare institutions in the US. We also have two other operating segments: CDW UK and CDW Canada, each of which do not 
meet the reportable segment quantitative thresholds and, accordingly, are included in an all other category ("Other"). 

We may sell all or only select products that our vendor partners offer. Each vendor partner agreement provides for specific terms 
and conditions, which may include one or more of the following: product return privileges, price protection policies, purchase 
discounts and vendor incentive programs, such as purchase or sales rebates and cooperative advertising reimbursements. We also 
resell software for major software publishers. Our agreements with software publishers allow the end-user customer to acquire 
software or licensed products and services. In addition to helping our customers determine the best software solutions for their 
needs,  we  help  them  manage  their  software  agreements,  including  warranties  and  renewals.  A  significant  portion  of  our 
advertising and marketing expenses are reimbursed through cooperative advertising programs with our vendor partners. These 
programs are at the discretion of our vendor partners and are typically tied to sales or other commitments to be met by us within 
a specified period of time. 

For  a  discussion  of  results  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2017,  see  "Item  7.  Management's  Discussion  and Analysis  of 
Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed 
with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2019. 

Trends and Key Factors Affecting our Financial Performance 

We believe the following key factors may have a meaningful impact on our business performance, influencing our ability to 
generate sales and achieve our targeted financial and operating results: 

•  

General economic conditions are a key factor affecting our results as they impact our customers' willingness to spend 
on  information  technology.  This  is  particularly  the  case  for  our  Corporate  and  Small  Business  customers,  as  their 
purchases tend to reflect confidence in their business prospects, which are driven by their discrete perceptions of business 
and general economic conditions. Additionally, changes in trade policy and product constraints from suppliers could 
have an adverse impact on our business. There is uncertainty regarding whether the rapidly evolving coronavirus could 

32 

Table of Contents 

impact  our  supply  chain  causing  product  constraints,  which  could  have  an  adverse  impact  on  our  business.    There 
continues to be substantial uncertainty regarding the impact of the UK's exit from the European Union ("EU") (referred 
to  as  "Brexit").  Potential  adverse  consequences  of  Brexit  such  as  global  market  uncertainty,  volatility  in  currency 
exchange  rates,  greater  restrictions  on  imports  and  exports  between  UK  and  EU  countries  and  increased  regulatory 
complexities could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. To date, CDW 
UK has not experienced significant changes in the buying behavior of its customers even with the uncertainty related to 
the ultimate terms of Brexit. We have established a presence in the Netherlands to support CDW UK's broader growth 
opportunities in the EU and to help address future developments, as needed, for Brexit. 

Changes in spending policies, budget priorities and funding levels are a key factor influencing the purchasing levels of 
government, healthcare and education customers.  

Technology  trends  drive  customer  purchasing  behaviors  in  the  market.  Current  technology  trends  are  focused  on 
delivering greater flexibility and efficiency, as well as designing IT securely. These trends are driving customer adoption 
of solutions such as those delivered via cloud, software defined architectures and hybrid on-premise and off-premise 
combinations, as well as the evolution of the IT consumption model to more "as a service" offerings, including Device 
as a Service and managed services. 

•  

•  

Key Business Metrics 
We monitor a number of financial and non-financial measures and ratios on a regular basis in order to track the progress of our 
business and make adjustments as necessary. Effective January 1, 2019, we made a change to the non-GAAP financial measures 
that  we  use  to  provide  meaningful  methods  of  evaluating  our  financial  performance  and  have  replaced  EBITDA, Adjusted 
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin with Non-GAAP operating income and Non-GAAP operating income margin. We made 
this change due to the continuing evolution of the IT consumption model. We believe Non-GAAP operating income will be more 
reflective of the costs of providing services to our customers and our own costs as the consumption model continues to evolve. 
Non-GAAP  operating  income  is  also being used for  the first  time  in  2019  as  a  key  business  metric  for our  annual  incentive 
compensation programs. 

In  addition  to  Non-GAAP  operating  income  and  Non-GAAP  operating  income  margin,  we  believe  that  the  most  important 
financial and non-financial measures and ratios include average daily sales, gross margin, operating margin, Net income, Non-
GAAP income before income taxes, Non-GAAP net income, Net income per diluted share, Non-GAAP net income per diluted 
share, free cash flow, return on working capital, Cash and cash equivalents, net working capital, cash conversion cycle, debt 
levels including available credit, sales per coworker and coworker turnover. These measures and ratios are compared to standards 
or objectives set by management, so that actions can be taken, as necessary, in order to achieve the standards and objectives. 

In this report, we discuss Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP income before income 
taxes and Non-GAAP net income, which are non-GAAP financial measures. 

We  believe  these  measures  provide  analysts,  investors  and  management  with  helpful  information  regarding  the  underlying 
operating  performance  of  our  business,  as  they  remove  the  impact  of  items  that  management  believes  are  not  reflective  of 
underlying operating performance. Management uses these measures to evaluate period-over-period performance as management 
believes they provide a more comparable measure of the underlying business. For the definitions of Non-GAAP operating income, 
Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP income before income taxes and Non-GAAP net income and reconciliations 
to the most directly comparable GAAP measure, see "Results of Operations - Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliations." 

The results of certain key business metrics are as follows: 

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Table of Contents 

(dollars in millions) 

Net sales 
Gross profit 
Operating income 
Net income 
Non-GAAP operating income 
Non-GAAP net income 
Average daily sales(1) 
Net debt(2) 
Cash conversion cycle (in days)(3) 

$ 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 
18,032.4     $ 
3,039.9    
1,133.6    
736.8    
1,368.4    
902.1    
71.0    
3,163.3    
18    

2018 
16,240.5     $ 
2,706.9    
987.3    
643.0    
1,216.6    
794.3    
63.9    
3,002.8    
19    

2017 
14,832.9  
2,450.2  
866.5  
523.1  
1,106.8  
605.9  
58.4  
3,091.3  
19  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

There were 254 selling days for each of the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017. 

Defined as Total debt minus Cash and cash equivalents. 

Cash conversion cycle is defined as days of sales outstanding in Accounts receivable and certain receivables due from 
vendors plus days of supply in Merchandise inventory minus days of purchases outstanding in Accounts payable and 
Accounts payable-inventory financing, based on a rolling three-month average. 

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Results of Operations 

Results of operations, in dollars and as a percentage of Net sales are as follows: 

Net sales 
Cost of sales 

Gross profit 
Selling and administrative expenses 
Advertising expense 

Operating income 
Interest expense, net 
Other (expense) income, net 

Income before income taxes 
Income tax expense 

Net income 

Net sales 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

Dollars in 
Millions 
 $  18,032.4    
14,992.5    
3,039.9    
1,713.1    
193.2    
1,133.6    
(159.4 )  
(24.5 )  
949.7    
(212.9 )  
736.8    

 $ 

Percentage of 
Net Sales 

Dollars in 
Millions 

Percentage of 
Net Sales 

100.0 %   $  16,240.5    
13,533.6    
83.1  
2,706.9    
16.9  
1,537.1    
9.5  
182.5    
1.1  
987.3    
6.3  
(148.6 )  
(0.9 )   
1.8    
(0.1 )   
840.5    
5.3  
(197.5 )  
(1.2 )   
643.0    

4.1 %   $ 

100.0 % 
83.3  
16.7  
9.5  
1.1  
6.1  
(0.9 ) 
—  
5.2  
(1.2 ) 

4.0 % 

Net sales by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of total Net sales, and the year-over-year dollar and percentage change in 
Net sales are as follows: 

(dollars in millions) 

Corporate 

Small Business 

Public: 

Government 
Education 
Healthcare 

Total Public 

Other 

Total Net sales 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

  Net Sales 

Percentage 
of Total 
Net Sales 

Net Sales 

Percentage 
of Total 
Net Sales 

Dollar 
Change 

Percent  
Change(1) 

 $ 

7,499.0    

41.6 %  $ 

6,842.5    

42.1 %  $ 

656.5    

9.6 % 

1,510.3    

8.4  

1,359.6    

8.4  

150.7    

11.1  

2,519.3    
2,411.6    
1,933.9    
6,864.8    

2,158.3    

14.0  
13.4  
10.7  
38.1  

12.0  

2,097.3    
2,327.4    
1,730.0    
6,154.7    

1,883.7    

12.9  
14.3  
10.7  
37.9  

11.6  

422.0    
84.2    
203.9    
710.1    

274.6    

20.1  
3.6  
11.8  
11.5  

14.6  

  $  18,032.4    

100.0 %   $  16,240.5    

100.0 %   $ 

1,791.9    

11.0 % 

(1) 

There were 254 selling days for each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. 

Total Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2019 increased $1,792 million, or 11.0%, to $18,032 million, compared to the 
prior year. Excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, constant currency Net sales growth was 11.5%. For additional 
information, see "Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliations" below regarding constant currency Net sales growth. 

For the year ended December 31, 2019, Net sales growth reflected growth across all major product categories, particularly client 
devices (defined as notebooks/mobile devices and desktops), software and services. Additionally, eleven months of results from 
Scalar, which was acquired on February 1, 2019, contributed to our Net sales growth. For additional information, see Note 17 
(Segment Information) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements. 

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Corporate segment Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2019 increased $657 million, or 9.6%, compared to the year ended 
December 31, 2018. Growth was primarily driven by client devices and software. 

Small Business segment Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2019 increased by $151 million, or 11.1%, compared to the 
year ended December 31, 2018. Growth was primarily driven by client devices and software. 

Public segment Net sales for the year ended December 31, 2019 increased $710 million, or 11.5%, compared to the year ended 
December  31,  2018. The  increase  was  primarily  driven  by  growth  in  Government  and  Healthcare.  Net  sales  to  Government 
customers  increased  20.1%  primarily  driven  by  client  devices,  software  and  netcomm.  Net  sales  to  Healthcare  customers 
increased 11.8% primarily driven by client devices and software. Net sales to Education customers increased 3.6% primarily 
driven by client devices and video, partially offset by netcomm. 

Net sales in Other, which is comprised of results from our UK and Canadian operations, for the year ended December 31, 2019 
increased $275 million, or 14.6%, compared to the year ended December 31, 2018. Both operations grew in local currency and 
Canada growth included the incremental Net sales from Scalar. The impact of foreign currency exchange decreased Other Net 
sales growth by approximately 430 basis points, primarily due to the unfavorable translation of the British pound and Canadian 
dollar to the US dollar. 

Gross profit 

Gross profit increased $333 million, or 12.3%, to $3,040 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to $2,707 
million for the year ended December 31, 2018. As a percentage of Net sales, Gross profit margin increased 20 basis points to 
16.9% for the year ended December 31, 2019. Gross profit margin was positively impacted by product margin and an increase in 
the mix of netted down revenues that are booked net of costs of goods sold, partially offset by Net sales growth outpacing partner 
funding growth. 

Selling and administrative expenses 

Selling and administrative expenses increased $176 million, or 11.5%, to $1,713 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, 
compared to $1,537 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. The increase was driven by higher sales payroll expenses 
consistent with higher gross profit. 

As a percentage of total Net sales, Selling and administrative expenses remained flat at 9.5% for the years ended December 31, 
2019 and 2018. 

Operating income 

During  2019,  we  evaluated  our  methodology  for  allocating  certain  depreciation  and  amortization  expenses  to  each  of  our 
segments. The evaluation resulted in a revision to the allocation of depreciation and amortization expenses from Headquarters to 
our reportable segments, effective January 1, 2019. The prior period results have been recast to reflect these changes and present 
comparable information. 

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Table of Contents 

Operating income by segment, in dollars and as a percentage of Net sales, and the year-over-year percentage change was as 
follows: 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

Dollars in 
Millions 

Operating 
Margin 

Dollars in 
Millions 

Operating 
Margin 

Percent Change 
in Operating 
Income 

  $ 

 $ 

585.1    
107.5    
475.0    
101.6    
(135.6 )  
1,133.6    

7.8 %   $ 
7.1  
6.9  
4.7  
nm*  

6.3 %   $ 

530.4    
94.4    
405.0    
82.2    
(124.7 )  
987.3    

7.8 %  
6.9  
6.6  
4.4  
nm*  

6.1 %  

10.3 % 
13.9  
17.3  
24.8  
8.7  

14.8 % 

Segments:(1) 

Corporate 
Small Business 
Public 
Other(2) 
Headquarters(3) 

Total Operating income 

* Not meaningful 

(1) 

(2) 

Segment operating income includes the segment's direct operating income, allocations for certain Headquarters costs, 
allocations  for  income  and  expenses  from  logistics  services,  certain  inventory  adjustments  and  volume  rebates  and 
cooperative advertising from vendors. 

Includes the financial results for our other operating segments, CDW UK and CDW Canada, which do not meet the 
reportable segment quantitative thresholds. 

(3) 

Includes Headquarters' function costs that are not allocated to the segments. 

Operating income was $1,134 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of $147 million, or 14.8%, compared 
to $987 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Operating income increased primarily due to higher gross profit dollars, 
partially offset by higher payroll expenses. Total operating margin percentage increased 20 basis points to 6.3% for the year ended 
December 31,  2019,  from  6.1%  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2018  due  to  an  increase  in  Gross  profit  margin  and  lower 
intangible asset amortization as a percentage of Net sales, partially offset by higher sales payroll expenses. 

Corporate segment Operating income was $585 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of $55 million, or 
10.3%,  compared  to  $530  million  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2018.  Corporate  segment  Operating  income  increased 
primarily  due to  higher gross  profit  dollars,  partially  offset  by  higher payroll  expenses.  Corporate  segment  operating  margin 
percentage remained flat at 7.8% for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. 

Small Business segment Operating income was $108 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of $14 million, 
or 13.9%, compared to $94 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Small Business segment Operating income increased 
primarily due to higher gross profit dollars, partially offset by higher sales payroll expenses. Small Business segment operating 
margin  percentage  increased  20  basis  points  to  7.1%  for  the  year  ended  December 31,  2019,  from  6.9%  for  the  year  ended 
December 31, 2018 due to lower sales payroll expenses and lower intangible asset amortization as a percentage of Net sales. 

Public segment Operating income was $475 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of $70 million, or 17.3%, 
compared to $405 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Public segment Operating income increased primarily due to 
higher  gross  profit  dollars,  partially  offset  by  higher  sales  payroll  expenses.  Public  segment  operating  margin  percentage 
increased 30 basis points to 6.9% for the year ended December 31, 2019, from 6.6% for the year ended December 31, 2018 
primarily due to product margin. 

Other Operating income was $102 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of $20 million, or 24.8%, compared 
to $82 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Other Operating income increased primarily due to higher gross profit 
dollars, partially offset by higher payroll expenses along with the unfavorable translation of the British pound and Canadian 
dollar to the US dollar. Other operating margin percentage increased 30 basis points to 4.7% for the year ended December 31, 

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2019,  from  4.4%  for  the  year  ended December  31, 2018  due  to product  margin  and  lower  intangible  asset  amortization  as  a 
percentage of Net sales, partially offset by higher payroll expenses. 

Interest expense, net 

Interest expense, net in 2019 was $159 million, an increase of $10 million, compared to $149 million in 2018. This increase was 
primarily due to paying an effective interest rate on the term loan in 2019 that exceeded the capped rate in 2018 and higher 
interest expense to finance the Scalar acquisition. 

Income tax expense 

Income tax expense was $213 million in 2019, compared to $198 million in 2018. The effective income tax rate, expressed by 
calculating  income  tax  expense  as  a  percentage  of  Income  before  income  taxes,  was  22.4%  and  23.5%  for  2019  and  2018, 
respectively. 

For 2019, the effective tax rate differed from the US federal statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes, partially offset by 
tax credits, excess tax benefits on equity-based compensation and a tax benefit related to CDW Canada's acquisition of Scalar. 
For 2018, the effective tax rate differed from the US federal statutory rate primarily due to state income taxes, partially offset by 
excess tax benefits on equity-based compensation. The 2019 effective tax rate was lower than 2018 primarily due to tax credits, 
higher excess tax benefits on equity-based compensation and a discrete tax benefit related to CDW Canada's acquisition of Scalar. 

Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliations 

We have included reconciliations of Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP income 
before income taxes, Non-GAAP net income, and Net sales growth on a constant currency basis for the years ended December 
31, 2019 and 2018 below. 

Non-GAAP operating income excludes, among other things, charges related to the amortization of acquisition-related intangible 
assets,  equity-based  compensation  and  the  associated  payroll  taxes,  and  acquisition  and  integration  expenses.  Non-GAAP 
operating income margin is defined as Non-GAAP operating income as a percentage of Net sales. Non-GAAP income before 
income taxes and Non-GAAP net income exclude, among other things, charges related to acquisition-related intangible asset 
amortization, equity-based compensation, acquisition and integration expenses, and the associated tax effects of each. Net sales 
growth on a constant currency basis is defined as Net sales growth excluding the impact of foreign currency translation on net 
sales compared to the prior period. 

Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income margin, Non-GAAP income before income taxes, Non-GAAP net 
income and Net sales growth on a constant currency basis are considered non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP 
financial  measure  is  a  numerical  measure  of  a  company's  performance  or  financial  position  that  either  excludes  or  includes 
amounts  that  are  not  normally  included  or  excluded  in  the  most  directly  comparable  measure  calculated  and  presented  in 
accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP measures used by management may differ from similar measures used by other companies, 
even when similar terms are used to identify such measures. 

We  believe  these  measures  provide  analysts,  investors  and  management  with  helpful  information  regarding  the  underlying 
operating  performance  of  our  business,  as  they  remove  the  impact  of  items  that  management  believes  are  not  reflective  of 
underlying operating performance. Management uses these measures to evaluate period-over-period performance as management 
believes they provide a more comparable measure of the underlying business. 

Non-GAAP operating income 

Non-GAAP operating income was $1,368 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of $151 million, or 12.5%, 
compared to $1,217 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. As a percentage of Net sales, Non-GAAP operating income 
was 7.6% and 7.5% for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. 

38 

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(dollars in millions) 

Operating income 

Amortization of intangibles(1) 

Equity-based compensation 

Scalar acquisition and integration expenses 

Other adjustments(2) 

Non-GAAP operating income 

Non-GAAP operating income margin 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

1,133.6  
178.5  
48.5  
3.0  
4.8  
1,368.4  

  $ 

 $ 

987.3  
182.7  
40.7  
1.5  
4.4  
1,216.6  

7.6 %  

7.5 % 

$ 

$ 

(1) 

Includes  amortization  expense  for  acquisition-related  intangible  assets,  primarily  customer  relationships,  customer 
contracts and trade names. 

Includes other expenses such as payroll taxes on equity-based compensation. 

(2) 
Non-GAAP net income 

Non-GAAP net income was $902 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of $108 million, or 13.6%, compared 
to $794 million for the year ended December 31, 2018. 

Year Ended December 31, 2019 

Year Ended December 31, 2018 

(dollars in millions) 

GAAP (as reported) 

Amortization of intangibles(2) 
Equity-based compensation 
Net loss on extinguishments of long-term debt 
Scalar acquisition and integration expenses(3) 
Other adjustments(4) 

Non-GAAP 

Income tax   
expense(1)    Net income 

Income tax 
expense(1)    Net income 

 $ 

Income 
before 
income 
taxes 
949.7     $ 
178.5    
48.5    
22.1    
3.0    
4.8    
 $  1,206.6     $ 

(212.9 )   $ 
(44.6 )  
(36.6 )  
(5.5 )  
(3.7 )  
(1.2 )  

(304.5 )   $ 

Income 
before 
income 
taxes 
840.5     $ 
182.7    
40.7    
—    
1.5    
4.4    
902.1     $  1,069.8     $ 

736.8     $ 
133.9    
11.9    
16.6    
(0.7 )  
3.6    

(197.5 )   $ 
(45.7 )  
(29.2 )  
—    
—    
(3.1 )  

(275.5 )   $ 

643.0  
137.0  
11.5  
—  
1.5  
1.3  
794.3  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

Income tax on non-GAAP adjustments includes excess tax benefits associated with equity-based compensation and the 
impact of global intangible low tax income ("GILTI") due to equity-based compensation and amortization of intangibles. 

Includes  amortization  expense  for  acquisition-related  intangible  assets,  primarily  customer  relationships,  customer 
contracts and trade names. 

Includes a $3 million discrete tax benefit related to CDW Canada's acquisition of Scalar. 

Includes other expenses such as payroll taxes on equity-based compensation. 

Net sales growth on a constant currency basis 

Net sales increased $1,791 million, or 11.0%, to $18,032 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to $16,241 
million for the year ended December 31, 2018. Net sales on a constant currency basis, which excludes the impact of foreign 
currency translation, increased $1,860 million, or 11.5%. 

Year Ended December 31, 

(dollars in millions) 

Net sales, as reported 

Foreign currency translation(2) 

Net sales, on a constant currency basis 

2019 
18,032.4    $ 
—    
18,032.4    $ 

 $ 

 $ 

39 

2018 
16,240.5    
(67.8 )     
16,172.7    

  % Change(1) 

11.0 % 

11.5 % 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

(1) 

(2) 

There were 254 selling days for each of the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018. 

Represents the effect of translating the prior period results of CDW UK and CDW Canada at the average exchange rates 
applicable in the current year. 

Seasonality 

While we have not historically experienced significant seasonality throughout the year, sales in our Corporate segment, which 
primarily serves US private sector business customers with more than 250 employees, are typically higher in the fourth quarter 
than in other quarters due to customers spending their remaining technology budget dollars at the end of the year. Additionally, 
sales in our Public segment have historically been higher in the third quarter than in other quarters primarily due to the buying 
patterns of the federal government and education customers. 

Liquidity and Capital Resources 

Overview 

We finance our operations and capital expenditures with internally generated cash from operations. As of December 31, 2019, 
we also have $1.0 billion of availability for borrowings under our senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility and an 
additional  £50  million  ($66  million  at  December 31,  2019)  under  the  CDW  UK  revolving  credit  facility.  Our  liquidity  and 
borrowing plans are established to align with our financial and strategic planning processes and ensure we have the necessary 
funding to meet our operating commitments, which primarily include the purchase of inventory, payroll and general expenses. 
We also take into consideration our overall capital allocation strategy, which includes investment for future growth, dividend 
payments, acquisitions and share repurchases. We believe we have adequate sources of liquidity and funding available for at least 
the next year; however, there are a number of factors that may negatively impact our available sources of funds. The amount of 
cash generated from operations will be dependent upon factors such as the successful execution of our business plan and general 
economic conditions. 

Long-Term Debt and Financing Arrangements 

On September 26, 2019, we refinanced our 2023 Senior Notes through the issuance of 2028 Senior Notes. On October 11, 2019, 
we extended the maturity date of the Term Loan from August 2023 to October 2026. For additional information, see Note 9 
(Long-Term Debt) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements. 

As  of  December 31,  2019,  we  had  total  indebtedness  of  $3.3  billion,  of  which  $1.6  billion  was  secured  indebtedness. At 
December 31, 2019, we were in compliance with the covenants under our various credit agreements and indentures. 

For  additional information  regarding our debt  and refinancing  activities,  see  Note  9  (Long-Term  Debt)  to  the  accompanying 
Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Inventory Financing Agreements 

We  have  entered  into  agreements  with  certain  financial  intermediaries  to  facilitate  the  purchase  of  inventory  from  various 
suppliers under certain terms and conditions. These amounts are classified separately as Accounts payable-inventory financing 
on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. We do not incur any interest expense associated with these agreements as balances are paid 
when they are due. For additional information, see Note 6 (Inventory Financing Agreements) to the accompanying Consolidated 
Financial Statements. 

Share Repurchase Program 

During 2019, we repurchased 6.1 million shares of our common stock for $657 million under the previously announced share 
repurchase program. On February 7, 2019, we announced that our Board of Directors authorized a $1.0 billion increase to our 
share repurchase program. For additional information, see "Item 5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder 
Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities." 

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Dividends 

A summary of 2019 dividend activity for our common stock is as follows: 

Dividend Amount 

$0.295 
$0.295 
$0.295 
$0.380 

$1.265 

Declaration Date 

February 7, 2019 
May 1, 2019 
July 31, 2019 
October 31, 2019 

Record Date 

February 25, 2019 
May 24, 2019 
August 26, 2019 
November 25, 2019 

 Payment Date 

March 12, 2019 
June 11, 2019 
September 10, 2019 
December 10, 2019 

On February 6, 2020, we announced that our Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on our common stock of 
$0.380  per  share. The  dividend  will  be  paid  on  March 10,  2020  to  all  stockholders  of  record  as  of  the  close  of  business  on 
February 25, 2020. 

The payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our results of 
operations, financial condition, business prospects, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, any potential indebtedness we 
may incur, restrictions imposed by applicable law, tax considerations and other factors that our Board of Directors deems relevant. 
In addition, our ability to pay dividends on our common stock will be limited by restrictions on our ability to pay dividends or 
make distributions to our stockholders and on the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions to us, in each 
case, under the terms of our current and any future agreements governing our indebtedness. 

Cash Flows 

Cash flows from operating, investing and financing activities are as follows: 

(dollars in millions) 

Net cash provided by (used in): 

Operating activities 
Investing activities 

Net change in accounts payable - inventory financing 
Other financing activities 

Financing activities 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

$ 

1,027.2     $ 
(331.4 )  

(1.3 )  
(748.5 )  

(749.8 )  

2.2    

905.9  
(86.1 ) 

(67.4 ) 
(687.4 ) 

(754.8 ) 

(3.4 ) 
61.6  

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents 

$ 

(51.8 )   $ 

41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
   
 
 
   
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Operating Activities 

Cash flows from operating activities are as follows: 

(dollars in millions) 

Net income 
Adjustments for the impact of non-cash items(1) 
Net income adjusted for the impact of non-cash items(2) 
Changes in assets and liabilities: 
Accounts receivable(3) 
Merchandise inventory(4) 
Accounts payable-trade(5) 
Other(6) 

Net cash provided by operating activities 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

Change 

$ 

$ 

736.8    $ 
256.7    
993.5    

(244.8 )   
(153.0 )   
194.1    
237.4    
1,027.2    $ 

643.0    $ 
261.1    
904.1    

(365.1 )   
(46.8 )   
271.2    
142.5    
905.9    $ 

93.8  
(4.4 ) 
89.4  

120.3  
(106.2 ) 
(77.1 ) 
94.9  
121.3  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

Includes items such as deferred income taxes, depreciation and amortization, and equity-based compensation expense. 

The change is due to stronger operating results driven by Net sales and Gross profit growth. 

The change is due to improved collections performance. 

The change is due to higher customer-driven and strategic stocking positions and timing of receipts and shipments. 

The change is due to timing of payments. 

The change is due to higher contract liabilities, partially offset by an increase in the receivables from vendors attributed 
to the growth in business. 

In order to manage our working capital and operating cash needs, we monitor our cash conversion cycle, defined as days of sales 
outstanding in accounts receivable plus days of supply in inventory minus days of purchases outstanding in accounts payable, 
based on a rolling three-month average. Components of our cash conversion cycle are as follows: 

(in days) 
Days of sales outstanding (DSO)(1) 
Days of supply in inventory (DIO)(2) 
Days of purchases outstanding (DPO)(3) 

Cash conversion cycle 

December 31, 

2019 

2018 

57    
14    
(53 )  
18    

56  
13  
(50 ) 
19  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Represents the rolling three-month average of the balance of Accounts receivable, net at the end of the period, divided 
by  average  daily  Net  sales  for  the  same  three-month  period. Also  incorporates  components  of  other  miscellaneous 
receivables. 

Represents the rolling three-month average of the balance of Merchandise inventory at the end of the period divided by 
average daily Cost of sales for the same three-month period. 

Represents  the  rolling  three-month  average  of  the  combined  balance  of  Accounts  payable-trade,  excluding  cash 
overdrafts, and Accounts payable-inventory financing at the end of the period divided by average daily Cost of sales for 
the same three-month period. 

The cash conversion cycle decreased to 18 days at December 31, 2019, compared to 19 days at December 31, 2018. DSO, DIO 
and DPO increased 1 day, 1 day and 3 days, respectively, compared to December 31, 2018. The increase in DSO was primarily 
driven by higher Net sales and third-party services such as Software as a Service and warranties. These sales have an unfavorable 

42 

 
 
 
 
   
   
 
 
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impact on DSO as the receivable is recognized on the Consolidated Balance Sheets on a gross basis while the corresponding sales 
amount in the Consolidated Statement of Operations is recorded on a net basis. This also results in a favorable impact on DPO 
as  the  payable  is  recognized  on  the  Consolidated  Balance  Sheets  without  a  corresponding  Cost  of  sales  in  the  Consolidated 
Statement of Operations because the cost paid to the vendor or third-party service provider is recorded as a reduction to Net sales. 
Additionally, DIO increased due to high customer-driven and strategic stocking positions and timing of receipts and shipments. 

Investing Activities 

Net cash used in investing activities increased $245 million in 2019 compared to 2018. The increase was primarily due to capital 
expenditures due to revenue generating assets and the completion of our acquisition of Scalar on February 1, 2019. 

Financing Activities 

Net  cash  used  in  financing  activities  decreased  $5  million  in  the  year  ended  December  31,  2019  compared  to  year  ended 
December 31, 2018. The decrease was primarily driven by refinancing of our 2023 Senior Notes through the issuance of 2028 
Senior Notes, further leveraging our inventory financing arrangements and borrowings under our revolving credit facilities, which 
were partially offset by our share repurchases and increasing dividends per share in the year ended December 31, 2019. For 
additional information regarding our debt activities, see Note 9 (Long-Term Debt) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial 
Statements. 
Contractual Obligations 

We have future obligations under various contracts relating to debt and interest payments and operating leases. Our estimated 
future payments, based on undiscounted amounts, under contractual obligations that existed as of December 31, 2019, are as 
follows: 

Payments Due by Period 

Total 
1,777.5     $ 
58.7    
63.1    
733.1    
780.0    
817.2    
277.3    
4,506.9     $ 

$ 

$ 

2020 

2021-2022 

2023-2024 

66.6     $ 
2.6    
7.9    
31.6    
30.0    
25.9    
32.2    
196.8     $ 

131.3     $ 
56.1    
55.2    
63.3    
60.0    
51.0    
50.9    
467.8     $ 

129.3     $ 
—    
—    
638.2    
60.0    
51.0    
37.6    
916.1     $ 

2025 & 
Thereafter 

1,450.3  
—  
—  
—  
630.0  
689.3  
156.6  
2,926.2  

Includes future principal and cash interest payments on long-term borrowings through scheduled maturity dates. Interest 
payments  for  variable  rate  debt  were  calculated  using  interest  rates  as  of  December  31,  2019.  Excluded  from  these 
amounts are the amortization of debt issuance and other costs related to indebtedness. 

Includes future principal and cash interest payments on long-term borrowings through scheduled maturity dates. Interest 
on the Senior Notes is calculated using the stated interest rates. Excluded from these amounts are the amortization of 
debt issuance and other costs related to indebtedness. 

(3) 

For additional information, see Note 11 (Leases) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements 

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on our 
financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or 
capital resources. 

43 

(dollars in millions) 

Term Loan(1) 
Revolving Loan(1) 
CDW UK Term Loan(1) 
Senior Notes due 2024(2) 
Senior Notes due 2025(2) 
Senior Notes due 2028(2) 
Operating leases(3) 

Total 

(1) 

(2) 

 
 
 
 
 
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Inflation 

Inflation has not had a material impact on our operating results. We generally have been able to pass along price increases to our 
customers, though certain economic factors and technological advances in recent years have tended to place downward pressure 
on pricing. We also have been able to generally offset the effects of inflation on operating costs by continuing to emphasize 
productivity improvements. There can be no assurances, however, that inflation would not have a material impact on our sales or 
operating costs in the future. 

Commitments and Contingencies 

The information set forth in Note 16 (Commitments and Contingencies) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements 
included in Part II, Item 8 of this report is incorporated herein by reference. 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates 

The preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with GAAP requires management to make use of certain 
estimates  and  assumptions  that  affect  the  reported  amounts  of  assets,  liabilities,  revenues  and  expenses,  as  well  as  related 
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in the Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes. We base our 
estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. 
Historically, we have not made significant changes to the methods for determining these estimates as our actual results have not 
differed materially from our estimates. We do not believe it is reasonably likely that the estimates and related assumptions will 
change materially in the foreseeable future; however, actual results could differ from those estimates under different assumptions, 
judgments or conditions. We have reviewed our critical accounting policies with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors. 

Critical accounting policies and estimates are those that are most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results 
of operations, and which require us to make our most difficult and subjective judgments, often as a result of the need to make 
estimates of matters that are inherently uncertain. Based on this definition, we have identified the critical accounting policies and 
estimates addressed below. For additional information related to significant accounting policies used in the preparation of our 
Consolidated Financial Statements, see Note 1 (Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies) to the 
accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Revenue Recognition 

We sell some of our products and services as part of bundled contract arrangements containing multiple deliverables, which may 
include  a  combination  of  different  products  and  services.  Significant  judgment  may  be  required  when  determining  whether 
products and services are considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus together. 

For each deliverable that represents a distinct performance obligation, total arrangement consideration is allocated based upon 
the standalone selling prices of each performance obligation. Judgment is required to determine the standalone selling price for 
each distinct performance obligation. For certain performance obligations, we will use a combination of methods to estimate the 
standalone selling price based on recent transactions. When evidence from recent transactions is not available to confirm that the 
prices are representative of the standalone selling price, an expected cost plus margin approach is used. 

Additional judgment is required in determining whether we are the principal, and report revenues on a gross basis, or agent, and 
report  revenues  on  a  net  basis.    For  each  identified  performance  obligation  in  a  transaction,  we  evaluate  the  facts  and 
circumstances  present to determine whether or not we control the specified good or service prior to transfer to the customer.  
This evaluation includes, but is not limited to, assessing indicators such as whether: (i) we are primarily responsible for fulfilling 
the promise to provide the specified goods or service, (ii) we have inventory risk before the specified good or service has been 
transferred  to  a  customer  and  (iii)  we  have  discretion  in  establishing  the  price  for  the  specified  good  or  service.  When  the 
evaluation indicates we control the specified good or service prior to transfer to the customer, we are acting as a principal.  When 
the evaluation indicates we do not control the specified good or service prior transfer to the customer, we are acting as an agent. 

The nature of our contracts give rise to variable consideration in the form of sales returns and allowances. We estimate variable 
consideration at the most likely amount to which we are expected to be entitled. The estimates of variable consideration and 

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determination of whether to include estimated amounts in the transaction price are based on an assessment of our anticipated 
performance and all information that is reasonably available. 

We recognize revenue on performance obligations when the customer obtains control over the specified good or service.  That 
is, when the customer has the ability to direct the use of and obtain substantially all of the benefits from the good or service.  For 
the sale of hardware and software, this is generally upon delivery to the customer. As a result, we perform an analysis to estimate 
the amount of Net sales in-transit at the end of the period and adjust revenue and the related costs to reflect only what has been 
delivered to the customer. This analysis requires judgment whereby we perform an analysis of the estimated number of days of 
sales in-transit to customers at the end of each reporting period based on a weighted-average analysis of commercial delivery 
terms that include drop-shipment arrangements. Changes in delivery patterns may result in a different number of business days 
estimated to make this adjustment. 

Vendor Programs 

We receive incentives from certain vendors related to cooperative advertising, volume rebates, bid programs, price protection 
and other programs. These incentives generally relate to written agreements with specified performance requirements with the 
vendors and are recorded as adjustments to Cost of sales or Merchandise inventory, depending on the nature of the incentive. We 
record vendor partner receivables related to these programs when the amounts are probable and reasonably estimable. Some 
programs are based on the achievement of specific targets, and we base our estimates on information provided by our vendors 
and internal information to assess our progress toward achieving those targets. 

We  also  record  reserves  for  vendor  partner  receivables  for  estimated  losses  due  to  vendors'  inability  to  pay  or  rejections  by 
vendors of claims. In estimating the required allowance, we take into consideration collections performance and the aging of the 
incentive receivables, as well as specific vendor circumstances. 

Goodwill 

Goodwill is allocated to reporting units expected to benefit from the business combination. Goodwill is not amortized but is 
subject to periodic testing for impairment at the reporting unit level on an annual basis each December 1, or more frequently if 
events  or  changes  in  circumstances  indicate  that  the  asset  may  be  impaired.  These  events  or  circumstances  could  include  a 
significant change in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition or sale or disposition of 
a significant portion of a reporting unit. 

We may elect to utilize a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting 
unit is less than its carrying value. As part of our qualitative assessment, judgment is required in weighing the effect of various 
positive and negative factors that may affect the fair value. We consider various factors, including the excess of fair value over 
carrying  value  from  the  last  quantitative  test,  macroeconomic  conditions,  industry  and  market  considerations,  the  projected 
financial performance and actual financial performance compared to prior year projected financial performance, as well as other 
factors. 

If we elect to bypass the qualitative assessment, or if indicators of impairment exist, a quantitative impairment test is performed. 
As part of the quantitative assessment, application of the goodwill impairment test requires judgment, including the identification 
of  reporting  units,  assignment  of  assets  and  liabilities  to  reporting  units,  assignment  of  goodwill  to  reporting  units,  and 
determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. Fair value of a reporting unit is determined by using a weighted combination 
of an income approach and a market approach, as this combination is considered the most indicative of our fair value in an orderly 
transaction between market participants. This analysis requires significant judgments, including estimation of future cash flows, 
which is dependent on internal forecasts, estimation of the long-term rate of growth for our business, estimation of the useful life 
over which cash flows will occur, determination of our weighted average cost of capital, future market conditions and profitability 
of future business strategies. The estimates used to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit change from year to year based on 
operating results, market conditions and other factors. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the 
determination of fair value and goodwill impairment for each reporting unit. However, our past estimates of fair value would not 
have indicated an impairment when revised to include subsequent years' actual results. 

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Table of Contents 

Intangible Assets 

Intangible assets include customer relationships, trade names, internally developed software and other intangibles. Intangible 
assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset and reviewed for impairment when events 
or  changes  in  circumstances  indicate  that  the  carrying  amount  of  such  assets  may  not  be  recoverable.  The  valuation  and 
classification  of  these  assets  and  the  assignment  of  useful  lives  involve  significant  judgment  and  the  use  of  estimates.  The 
valuation,  classification  and  assignment  of  useful  lives  are  derived  using  market  inputs,  historic  experience  and  third-party 
guidance. 

Income Taxes 

The determination of our provision for income taxes and evaluating our tax positions requires significant judgment, the use of 
estimates  and  the  interpretation  and  application  of  complex  tax  laws.  Our  provision  for  income  taxes  primarily  reflects  a 
combination of income earned and taxed in the various US federal and state, as well as foreign, jurisdictions. Our annual effective 
tax rate is based on our income, the jurisdiction(s) in which the income is earned and subjected to taxation, the tax laws in those 
various jurisdictions which can be affected by tax law changes, increases or decreases in permanent differences between book 
and tax items, and accruals or adjustments of accruals for unrecognized tax benefits or valuation allowances. 

We establish reserves to remove some or all of the tax benefit of any of our tax positions at the time we determine that the position 
becomes uncertain based upon one of the following: (1) the tax position is not more likely than not to be sustained, (2) the tax 
position is more likely than not to be sustained, but for a lesser amount, or (3) the tax position is more likely than not to be 
sustained, but not in the financial period in which the tax position was originally taken. Reserves related to tax accruals and 
valuations allowances related to deferred tax assets can be impacted by changes in tax law in the relevant jurisdiction(s) and our 
future taxable income levels in the relevant jurisdiction(s) with respect to valuation allowances. 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements 

The  information  set  forth  in  Note  2  (Recent  Accounting  Pronouncements)  to  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Financial 
Statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this report is incorporated herein by reference. 

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures of Market Risks 

Interest Rate Risk 

Our market risks relate primarily to changes in interest rates. The interest rates on borrowings under our senior secured asset-
based revolving credit facility, our senior secured term loan facility and the CDW UK term loan are floating and, therefore, are 
subject  to fluctuations.  In  order  to  manage  the  risk  associated  with  changes  in  interest  rates  on borrowings under our  senior 
secured term loan facility, we have entered into interest rate caps to add stability to interest expense and to manage our exposure 
to interest rate fluctuations. 

As of December 31, 2019, we have interest rate cap agreements in effect with a combined notional amount of $1.4 billion. For 
additional information, see Note 8 (Financial Instruments) to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements. 

See "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Liquidity and Capital Resources 
- Contractual Obligations" for information on cash flows, interest rates and maturity dates of our debt obligations. 

Foreign Currency Risk 

We transact business in foreign currencies other than the US dollar, primarily the British pound and the Canadian dollar, which 
exposes us to foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Revenue and expenses generated from our international operations are 
generally  denominated  in  the  local  currencies  of  the  corresponding  countries.  The  functional  currency  of  our  international 
operating subsidiaries is the same as the corresponding local currency. Upon consolidation, as results of operations are translated, 
operating results may differ from expectations. The direct effect of foreign currency fluctuations on our results of operations has 
not been material as the majority of our results of operations are denominated in US dollars. 

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

Page 

48 
50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of CDW Corporation and subsidiaries 

Opinion on the Financial Statements 

We  have  audited  the  accompanying  consolidated  balance  sheets  of  CDW  Corporation  and  subsidiaries  (the  Company)  as  of 
December 31, 2019 and 2018, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders' equity, 
and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes and financial statement 
schedule listed in the Index at Item 15(a) (2) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements“). In our opinion, 
the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 
31, 2019 and 2018, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 
31, 2019, in conformity with US generally accepted accounting principles. 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) 
(PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on criteria established in 
Internal  Control-Integrated  Framework  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the Treadway  Commission 
(2013 framework) and our report dated February 28, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon. 

Basis for Opinion 

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on 
the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are 
required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable 
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB. 

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the 
audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to 
error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, 
whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a 
test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the 
accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the 
financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

Critical Audit Matters 

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that 
was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are 
material  to  the  financial  statements  and  (2)  involved  our  especially  challenging,  subjective  or  complex  judgments.  The 
communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken 
as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below providing a separate opinion on the critical audit 
matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates. 

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Description of the Matter 

How We Addressed the Matter 
in Our Audit 

Revenue recognition 
As described  in Note 1  to  the  consolidated  financial  statements,  the  Company  recognizes 
revenue  upon  transfer  of  control  of  promised  products  or  services  to  customers.  The 
Company applies judgment in determining whether it is the principal and reports revenue on 
a gross basis, or agent and reports revenue on a net basis. The Company also sells some of 
its  products  and  services  as  part  of  bundled  contract  arrangements  containing  multiple 
performance obligations. 

Significant judgment may be required when determining whether products and services are 
considered distinct performance obligations that should be accounted for separately versus 
together.  For  each  distinct  performance  obligation,  judgment  is  required  to  determine  the 
relative standalone selling price to allocate the transaction price, such as using an expected 
cost plus margin approach. 

Auditing the Company's contracts with customers was challenging given the significant audit 
effort  required  to  analyze  the  Company's  various  products,  services  and  contract 
arrangements.  For example, certain customer contracts contain multiple  parties and there 
can  be  subjective  judgment  in  assessing  the  Company's  role  as  principal  or  agent  in  the 
contract  arrangement.  For  certain  other  customer  contracts,  there  can  be  judgment  in  the 
We obtained an understanding of the revenue process, evaluated the design and tested the 
operating  effectiveness  of  the  Company's  internal  controls  over  the  relevant  terms  of  the 
customer contracts, including the determination of principal versus agent, the identification 
of distinct performance obligations and the determination of the relative standalone selling 
price for separate performance obligations. 

To  test  revenue  recognition,  our  audit  procedures  included  among  others,  examination  of 
executed customer contracts for a sample of sales transactions, and evaluating the Company's 
determination of principal versus agent, identifying products and services in the contract and 
assessing separate distinct performance obligations. To test management's determination of 
relative standalone selling price for separate performance obligations, we performed audit 
procedures that included, among others, assessing the appropriateness of the methodology 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP 
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2011. 
Chicago, Illinois 
February 28, 2020 

49 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
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Assets 
Current assets: 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS 
(dollars in millions, except per share amounts) 

Cash and cash equivalents 
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $7.9 and $7.0, respectively 
Merchandise inventory 
Miscellaneous receivables 
Prepaid expenses and other 

Total current assets 
Operating lease right-of-use assets 
Property and equipment, net 
Goodwill 
Other intangible assets, net 
Other assets 

Total Assets 

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity 
Current liabilities: 

Accounts payable-trade 
Accounts payable-inventory financing 
Current maturities of long-term debt 
Contract liabilities 
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities: 

Compensation 
Advertising 
Sales and income taxes 
Other 

Total current liabilities 

Long-term liabilities: 

Debt 
Deferred income taxes 
Operating lease liabilities 
Other liabilities 

Total long-term liabilities 

Stockholders' equity: 

$ 

$ 

$ 

December 31, 

2019 

2018 

154.0     $ 

3,002.2    
611.2    
395.1    
171.6    
4,334.1    
131.8    
363.1    
2,553.0    
594.1    
23.3    
7,999.4     $ 

1,835.0     $ 
429.9    
34.1    
252.2    

212.3    
147.9    
88.6    
491.4    
3,491.4    

3,283.2    
62.4    
131.1    
71.0    
3,547.7    

205.8  
2,671.2  
454.3  
316.4  
149.1  
3,796.8  
—  
156.1  
2,462.8  
712.2  
39.8  
7,167.7  

1,577.1  
429.3  
25.3  
178.3  

186.4  
119.2  
55.5  
232.0  
2,803.1  

3,183.3  
141.9  
—  
64.2  
3,389.4  

Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 100.0 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding for 
both periods 
Common stock, $0.01 par value, 1,000.0 shares authorized; 143.0 and 147.7 shares 
outstanding, respectively 
Paid-in capital 
Accumulated deficit 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss 

Total stockholders' equity 

Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity 

— 

— 

1.4 
3,095.3    
(2,018.6 )  
(117.8 )  
960.3    
7,999.4     $ 

1.5 
2,996.9  
(1,892.6 ) 
(130.6 ) 
975.2  
7,167.7  

$ 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

50 

 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS 
(dollars in millions, except per share amounts) 

Year Ended December 31, 

Net sales 
Cost of sales 
Gross profit 
Selling and administrative expenses 
Advertising expense 
Operating income 
Interest expense, net 
Other (expense) income, net 
Income before income taxes 
Income tax expense 
Net income 

Net income per common share: 
Basic 
Diluted 

Weighted-average common shares outstanding: 
Basic 
Diluted 

2017 

2019 

2018 
$ 18,032.4     $ 16,240.5     $  14,832.9  
12,382.7  
2,450.2  
1,410.0  
173.7  
866.5  
(150.5 ) 
(55.3 ) 
660.7  
(137.6 ) 
523.1  

14,992.5     13,533.6    
2,706.9    
3,039.9    
1,537.1    
1,713.1    
182.5    
193.2    
987.3    
1,133.6    
(148.6 )  
(159.4 )  
1.8    
(24.5 )  
840.5    
949.7    
(197.5 )  
(212.9 )  
643.0     $ 
736.8     $ 

$ 

$ 
$ 

5.08     $ 
4.99     $ 

4.26     $ 
4.19     $ 

3.37  
3.31  

145.1    
147.8    

150.9    
153.6    

155.4  
158.2  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

51 

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
   
   
 
 
   
   
 
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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME 
(dollars in millions) 

Net income 
Other comprehensive income (loss): 

Unrealized loss from hedge accounting, net of tax 
Reclassification of hedge accounting gain to net income, net of tax 
Foreign currency translation, net of tax 

Other comprehensive income (loss): 
Comprehensive income 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

 $ 

736.8     $ 

643.0     $ 

523.1  

(11.3 )  
1.7    
22.4    
12.8    
749.6     $ 

(5.9 )  
3.9    
(32.7 )  

(34.7 )  
608.3     $ 

(0.1 ) 
0.3  
43.7  
43.9  
567.0  

 $ 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 
(dollars in millions) 

  Common Stock 

  Treasury Stock 

  Shares    Amount    Shares    Amount   

Paid-in 
Capital 

Accumulated 
Deficit 

Accumulated 
Other 
Comprehensive 
Loss 

Balance as of December 31, 2016 
Net income 

Equity-based compensation expense 

Stock option exercises 

Coworker stock purchase plan 

Repurchases of common stock 

Dividend payments ($0.690 per share) 

Incentive compensation plan stock withheld for taxes 

Foreign currency translation 

Unrealized loss from hedge accounting 

Realized gain from hedge accounting 

Balance as of December 31, 2017 
Net income 

Equity-based compensation expense 

Stock option exercises 

Coworker stock purchase plan 

Repurchases of common stock 

Dividend payments ($0.925 per share) 

Incentive compensation plan stock withheld for taxes 

Foreign currency translation 

Unrealized loss from hedge accounting 

Realized gain from hedge accounting 

Balance as of December 31, 2018 
Net income 

Equity-based compensation expense 

Stock option exercises 

Coworker stock purchase plan 

Repurchases of common stock 

Dividend payments ($1.265 per share) 

Incentive compensation plan stock withheld for taxes 

Foreign currency translation 

Unrealized loss from hedge accounting 

Realized gain from hedge accounting 

Balance as of December 31, 2019 

160.3    $ 
—   
—   
1.5   
0.2   
(8.9 )  
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
153.1    $ 
—   
—   
0.8   
0.1   
(6.3 )  
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
147.7    $ 
—   
—   
1.3   
0.1   
(6.1 )  
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
143.0    $ 

1.6   
—   
—   
—   
—   
(0.1 )  
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
1.5   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
1.5   
—   
—   
—   
—   
(0.1 )  
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
1.4   

—   
37.9   
13.0   
10.3   
—   
0.7   
(7.6 )  
—   
—   
—   

—    $  —     $ 2,857.3    $ 
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
0.1   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—   
—    
0.1    $  —     $  2,911.6    $ 
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
(0.1 )  
—    
—   
—    
—   
—   
—    
—    $  —     $ 2,996.9    $ 
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—    
—   
—   
—    
—    —    
—    
—   
—    
—   
—   
—    
—    $  —     $ 3,095.3    $ 

—   
47.7   
34.9   
14.9   
—   
0.9   
—   
—   
—   
—   

—   
36.5   
28.6   
11.8   
—   
0.8   
7.6   
—   
—   
—   

(1,671.2 )   $ 
523.1   
—   
—   
—   
(533.9 )  
(107.6 )  
(42.0 )  
—   
—   
—   
(1,831.6 )   $ 
643.0   
—   
—   
—   
(522.3 )  
(140.2 )  
(41.5 )  
—   
—   
—   
(1,892.6 )   $ 
736.8   
—   
—   
—   
(657.1 )  
(184.3 )  
(21.4 )  
—   
—   
—   
(2,018.6 )   $ 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

53 

Total 
Stockholders' 
Equity 
1,047.9  
523.1  
37.9  
13.0  
10.3  
(534.0 ) 

(106.9 ) 

(49.6 ) 
43.7  
(0.1 ) 
0.3  
985.6  
643.0  
36.5  
28.6  
11.8  
(522.3 ) 

(139.4 ) 

(33.9 ) 

(32.7 ) 

(5.9 ) 
3.9  
975.2  
736.8  
47.7  
34.9  
14.9  
(657.2 ) 

(183.4 ) 

(21.4 ) 
22.4  
(11.3 ) 
1.7  
960.3  

(139.8 )   $ 
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
43.7   
(0.1 )  
0.3   
(95.9 )   $ 
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
(32.7 )  
(5.9 )  
3.9   
(130.6 )   $ 
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
—   
22.4   
(11.3 )  
1.7   
(117.8 )   $ 

 
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS 
(dollars in millions) 

Cash flows from operating activities: 

Net income 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: 

Depreciation and amortization 

Equity-based compensation expense 

Deferred income taxes 

Other 

Changes in assets and liabilities: 

Accounts receivable 

Merchandise inventory 

Other assets 

Accounts payable-trade 

Other liabilities 

Net cash provided by operating activities 

Cash flows used in investing activities: 

Capital expenditures 

Acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired 

Net cash used in investing activities 

Cash flows used in financing activities: 

Proceeds from borrowings under revolving credit facilities 

Repayments of borrowings under revolving credit facilities 

Repayments of long-term debt 

Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt 

Payments to extinguish long-term debt 

Net change in accounts payable-inventory financing 

Repurchases of common stock 

Payment of incentive compensation plan withholding taxes 

Dividend payments 

Other 

Net cash used in financing activities 

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents – beginning of period 

Cash and cash equivalents – end of period 

Supplementary disclosure of cash flow information: 

Interest paid 

Taxes paid, net 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

$ 

736.8    $ 

643.0    $ 

523.1  

267.1   
48.5   
(87.9 )  
29.0    

(244.8 )  
(153.0 )  
(10.9 )  
194.1   
248.3   
1,027.2   

(236.3 )  
(95.1 )  
(331.4 )  

2,445.5   
(2,394.5 )  
(23.5 )  
600.0   
(539.0 )  
(1.3 )  
(657.2 )  
(21.4 )  
(183.4 )  
25.0   
(749.8 )  
2.2   
(51.8 )  
205.8   
154.0    $ 

265.6   
40.7   
(56.1 )  
10.9    

(365.1 )  
(46.8 )  
25.2   
271.2   
117.3   
905.9   

(86.1 )  
—   
(86.1 )  

686.7   
(686.7 )  
(21.6 )  
—   
—   
(67.4 )  
(522.3 )  
(33.9 )  
(139.4 )  
29.8   
(754.8 )  
(3.4 )  
61.6   
144.2   
205.8    $ 

(154.2 )   $ 
(272.2 )   $ 

(148.8 )   $ 
(261.2 )   $ 

260.9  
43.7  
(172.7 ) 
62.4  

(136.8 ) 
16.9  
(117.8 ) 
231.5  
66.5  
777.7  

(81.1 ) 
—  

(81.1 ) 

1,560.7  
(1,560.7 ) 

(14.9 ) 
2,083.0  
(2,121.3 ) 

(84.0 ) 

(534.0 ) 

(49.6 ) 

(106.9 ) 
9.0  

(818.7 ) 
2.6  
(119.5 ) 
263.7  
144.2  

(148.5 ) 

(275.7 ) 

$ 

$ 

$ 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

54 

 
 
 
 
 
   
   
 
   
   
 
   
   
 
   
   
 
   
   
 
   
   
 
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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

1.  

Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 

Description of Business 

CDW  Corporation  ("Parent"),  a  Fortune  500  company  and  member  of  the  S&P  500  Index,  is  a  leading  provider  of 
integrated  information  technology  ("IT")  solutions  to  small,  medium  and  large business,  government,  education  and 
healthcare customers in the United States ("US"), the United Kingdom ("UK") and Canada. The Company's offerings 
range from discrete hardware and software products to integrated IT solutions such as mobility, security, data center 
optimization, cloud computing, virtualization and collaboration. 

Throughout this report, the terms "the Company" and "CDW" refer to Parent and its 100% owned subsidiaries. 

Parent has two 100% owned subsidiaries, CDW LLC and CDW Finance Corporation. CDW LLC is an Illinois limited 
liability company that, together with its 100% owned subsidiaries, holds all material assets and conducts all business 
activities  and operations of  the  Company. CDW  Finance  Corporation  is  a Delaware corporation formed  for  the  sole 
purpose of acting as co-issuer of certain debt obligations as described in Note 18 (Supplemental Guarantor Information) 
and does not hold any material assets or engage in any business activities or operations. 

Basis of Presentation 

The Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted 
in the United States of America ("GAAP") and the rules and regulations of the US Securities and Exchange Commission 
("SEC"). 

Reclassifications 

Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform with current period presentation. 

Principles of Consolidation 

The  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  include  the  accounts  of  Parent  and  its  100%  owned  subsidiaries.  All 
intercompany transactions and accounts are eliminated in consolidation. 

Use of Estimates 

The  preparation  of  the  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  in  accordance  with  GAAP  requires  management  to  make 
certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent 
assets and liabilities as of the date of the Consolidated Financial Statements and the reported amounts of revenue and 
expenses during the reported periods. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other 
assumptions that management believes are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for 
making judgments about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual 
results and outcomes could differ from those estimates. 

Business Combinations 

The Company accounts for business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting, which allocates the fair 
value of the purchase consideration to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their 
estimated  fair  values. The  excess  of  the  purchase  consideration  over  the  fair  values  of  these  identifiable  assets  and 
liabilities  is  recorded  as  goodwill.  When  determining  the  fair  values  of  assets  acquired  and  liabilities  assumed, 
management makes significant estimates and assumptions. The Company may utilize third-party valuation specialists to 
assist the Company in the allocation. Initial purchase price allocations are subject to revision within the measurement 

55 

 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

period, not to exceed one year from the date of acquisition. Acquisition-related expenses and transaction costs associated 
with business combinations are expensed as incurred. 

Cash and Cash Equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents include deposits in banks and short-term (original maturities of three months or less at the 
time  of  purchase),  highly  liquid  investments  that  are  readily  convertible  to  known  amounts  of  cash  and  are  so  near 
maturity that there is insignificant risk of changes in value due to interest rate changes. 

Accounts Receivable 

Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and typically do not bear interest. The Company provides 
allowances for doubtful accounts related to accounts receivable for estimated losses resulting from the inability of its 
customers to make the required payments. The Company takes into consideration the overall quality of the receivable 
portfolio along with specifically-identified customer risks in establishing the allowance. 

Merchandise Inventory 

Inventory  is  valued  at  the  lower  of  cost  and  net  realizable  value.  Cost  is  determined  using  a  weighted-average  cost 
method. Price protection is recorded when earned as a reduction to the cost of inventory. The Company decreases the 
value of inventory for estimated obsolescence equal to the difference between the cost of inventory and the net realizable 
value, based upon an aging analysis of the inventory on hand, specifically known inventory-related risks and assumptions 
about future demand and market conditions. 

Miscellaneous Receivables 

Miscellaneous  receivables  primarily  consist  of  amounts  due  from  vendors.  The  Company  receives  incentives  from 
vendors related to cooperative advertising, volume rebates, bid programs, price protection and other programs. These 
incentives generally relate to written vendor agreements with specified performance requirements and are recorded as 
adjustments to Cost of sales or Merchandise inventory, depending on the nature of the incentive. 

Property and Equipment 

Property and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. The Company calculates depreciation expense 
using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets. For revenue generating assets, the Company 
calculates depreciation expense using the straight-line method to the estimated residual value over the estimated useful 
life of the assets. Property and equipment are reviewed for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate 
that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Determination of recoverability is based on an estimate of undiscounted 
future cash flows resulting from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition. If the carrying amount of an asset 
exceeds its estimated future undiscounted cash flows, an impairment loss is recorded for the excess of the asset's carrying 
amount over its fair value. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of their estimated useful lives or the 
remaining lease term. Expenditures for major renewals and improvements that extend the useful life of property and 
equipment are capitalized. Expenditures for maintenance and repairs are charged to expense as incurred. 

56 

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Leases 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

The  Company  enters  into  operating  lease  contracts,  as  assessed  at  contract  inception,  primarily  for  real  estate,  data 
centers and equipment. On the lease commencement date, the Company records operating lease liabilities based on the 
present value of the future lease payments. In determining the present value of future lease payments, the Company uses 
its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date. For real estate and data 
center contracts, the Company accounts for the lease and non-lease components as a single lease component. For certain 
equipment leases, the Company applies a portfolio approach to account for the right-of-use asset and operating lease 
liability. In assessing the lease term, the Company includes options to renew only when it is reasonably certain that it 
will be exercised; a determination which is at the sole discretion of the Company. For leases with an initial term of 12 
months or less, the Company has elected to not record a right-of-use asset and lease liability. For equipment leases used 
in revenue generating activities, the Company records a right-of-use asset and lease liability for leases with a term of 12 
months  or  less.  The  Company  records  lease  expense  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the  lease  term  beginning  on  the 
commencement date. 

Goodwill 

The  Company  performs  an  evaluation  of  goodwill,  utilizing  either  a  qualitative  or  quantitative  impairment  test. A 
qualitative assessment is performed at least on an annual basis to determine whether it is more likely than not that the 
fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. The Company performs a quantitative impairment test for 
each reporting unit every three years, or more frequently if circumstances indicate a potential impairment. The annual 
test for impairment is conducted as of December 1. The Company's reporting units included in the assessment of potential 
goodwill impairment are the same as its operating segments. Goodwill is not amortized but is subject to periodic testing 
for impairment at the reporting unit level. 

Under a qualitative assessment, the most recent quantitative assessment is used to determine if it is more likely than not 
that  the  reporting  unit's  goodwill  is  impaired. As  part  of  this qualitative assessment,  the  Company  assesses  relevant 
events and circumstances including macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, cost factors, overall 
financial  performance,  changes  in  share  price  and  entity-specific  events  to  determine  if  there  is  an  indication  of 
impairment. 

Under a quantitative assessment, goodwill impairment is identified by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit to its 
carrying  amount,  including  goodwill.  If  the  carrying  amount  of  a  reporting  unit  exceeds  its  fair  value,  goodwill  is 
considered impaired and an impairment charge is recognized in an amount equal to that excess, not to exceed the carrying 
amount of goodwill. Fair value of a reporting unit is determined by using a weighted combination of an income approach 
(75%) and a market approach (25%), as this combination is considered the most indicative of the Company's fair value 
in an orderly transaction between market participants. 

Under the income approach, the Company determines fair value based on estimated future cash flows of a reporting unit, 
discounted  by  an  estimated  weighted-average  cost  of  capital,  which  reflects  the  overall  level  of  inherent  risk  of  a 
reporting unit and the rate of return an outside investor would expect to earn. The estimated future cash flows of each 
reporting unit are based on internally generated forecasts for the remainder of the respective reporting period and the 
next five years. 

Under the market approach, the Company utilizes valuation multiples derived from publicly available information for 
guideline companies to provide an indication of how much a knowledgeable investor in the marketplace would be willing 
to pay for a company. The valuation multiples are applied to the reporting units. 

Determining the fair value of a reporting unit is judgmental in nature and requires the use of significant estimates and 
assumptions, including Net sales growth rates, gross profit margins, operating margins, discount rates and future market 
conditions, among others. Any changes in the judgments, estimates or assumptions used could produce significantly 
different results. 

57 

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Intangible Assets 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Intangible assets with determinable lives are amortized on a straight-line basis over their respective estimated useful 
lives. The cost of computer software developed or obtained for internal use is capitalized and amortized on a straight-
line basis over the estimated useful life of the software. Intangible assets are reviewed for impairment when events or 
changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Determination of 
recoverability  is  based  on  an  estimate  of  undiscounted  future  cash  flows  resulting  from  the  use  of  the  asset  and  its 
eventual  disposition.  If  the  carrying  amount  of  an  asset  exceeds  its  estimated  future  undiscounted  cash  flows,  an 
impairment loss is recorded for the excess of the asset's carrying amount over its fair value. In addition, each quarter, the 
Company evaluates whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining estimated useful life of each 
of these intangible assets. If the Company were to determine that a change to the remaining estimated useful life of an 
intangible  asset  was  necessary,  then  the  remaining  carrying  amount  of  the  intangible  asset  would  be  amortized 
prospectively over that revised remaining useful life. 

Deferred Financing Costs 

Deferred financing costs, such as underwriting, financial advisory, professional fees and other similar fees are capitalized 
and recognized in Interest expense, net over the estimated life of the related debt instrument using the effective interest 
method or straight-line method, as applicable. The Company classifies deferred financing costs as a direct deduction 
from the carrying value of the Long-term debt liability on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, except for deferred financing 
costs associated with revolving credit facilities which are presented as an asset, within Other assets on the Consolidated 
Balance Sheets. 

Derivative Instruments 

The Company has interest rate cap agreements for the purpose of hedging its exposure to fluctuations in interest rates. 
The interest rate cap agreements are designated as cash flow hedges of interest rate risk and recorded at fair value in 
Other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Changes in fair value of the derivative instruments, along with the 
change in the fair value of the hedged item, are reported as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss until 
reclassified to Interest expense, net in the same period the hedge transaction affects earnings. 

Fair Value Measurements 

Fair value is defined under GAAP as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an 
orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A fair value hierarchy has been established for 
valuation inputs to prioritize the inputs into three levels based on the extent to which inputs used in measuring fair value 
are observable in the market. Each fair value measurement is reported in one of the three levels which is determined by 
the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. These levels are: 

Level 1 – observable inputs such as quoted prices for identical instruments traded in active markets. 

Level 2 – inputs are based on quoted prices for similar instruments in active  markets, quoted prices for identical or 
similar  instruments  in  markets  that  are  not  active  and  model-based  valuation  techniques  for  which  all  significant 
assumptions are observable in the market or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full 
term of the assets or liabilities. 

Level 3 – inputs are generally unobservable and typically reflect management's estimates of assumptions that market 
participants  would  use  in  pricing  the  asset  or  liability.  The  fair  values  are  therefore  determined  using  model-based 
techniques that include option pricing models, discounted cash flow models and similar techniques. 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Revenue Recognition 

The Company is a primary distribution channel for a large group of vendors and suppliers, including original equipment 
manufacturers ("OEMs"), software publishers and wholesale distributors. 

The Company accounts for a contract when it has approval and commitment from both parties, the rights of the parties 
are identified, payment terms are established, the contract has commercial substance and collectability of consideration 
is probable. The Company evaluates the following indicators amongst others when determining whether it is acting as a 
principal in the transaction and recording revenue on a gross basis: (i) the Company is primarily responsible for fulfilling 
the promise to provide the specified goods or service, (ii) the Company has inventory risk before the specified good or 
service has been transferred to a customer or after transfer of control to the customer and (iii) the Company has discretion 
in establishing the price for the specified good or service. If the terms of a transaction do not indicate the Company is 
acting as a principal in the transaction, then the Company is acting as an agent in the transaction and the associated 
revenues are recognized on a net basis. 

The Company recognizes revenue once control has passed to the customer. The following indicators are evaluated in 
determining when control has passed to the customer: (i) the Company has a right to payment for the product or service, 
(ii) the customer has legal title to the product, (iii) the Company has transferred physical possession of the product to 
the customer, (iv) the customer has the significant risk and rewards of ownership of the product and (v) the customer 
has accepted the product. The Company's products can be delivered to customers in a variety of ways, including (i) as 
physical product shipped from the Company's warehouse, (ii) via drop-shipment by the vendor or supplier or (iii) via 
electronic delivery of keys for software licenses. The Company's shipping terms typically allow for the Company to 
recognize revenue when the product reaches the customer's location. 

The Company leverages drop-shipment arrangements with many of its vendors and suppliers to deliver products to its 
customers  without  having  to  physically  hold  the  inventory  at  its  warehouses.  The  Company  is  the  principal  in  the 
transaction and recognizes revenue for drop-shipment arrangements on a gross basis. 

Revenue Recognition for Hardware 

Revenues from sales of hardware products are recognized on a gross basis as the Company is acting as a principal in 
these transactions, with the selling price to the customer recorded as Net sales and the acquisition cost of the product 
recorded as Cost of sales. The Company recognizes revenue from these transactions when control has passed to the 
customer, which is usually upon delivery of the product to the customer. 

In  some  instances,  the  customer  agrees  to  buy  the  product  from  the  Company  but  requests  delivery  at  a  later  date, 
commonly known as bill-and-hold arrangements. For these transactions, the Company deems that control passes to the 
customer when the product is ready for delivery. The Company views products ready for delivery when the customer 
has a signed agreement, significant risk and rewards for the products, the ability to direct the assets, the products have 
been set aside specifically for the customer, cannot be redirected to another customer and for customer orders that include 
configuration services, when such services have been completed. 

The Company's vendor partners warrant most of the products the Company sells. These manufacturer warranties are 
assurance-type  warranties  and  are  not  considered  separate  performance  obligations.  The  warranties  are  not  sold 
separately  and  only  provide  assurance  that  products  will  conform  with  the  manufacturer's  specifications.  In  some 
transactions,  a  third  party  will  provide  the  customer  with  an  extended  warranty. These  extended  warranties  are  sold 
separately and provide the customer with a service in addition to assurance that the product will function as expected. 
The  Company  considers  these  warranties  to  be  separate  performance  obligations  from  the  underlying  product.  For 
extended warranties, the Company is arranging for those services to be provided by the third party and therefore is acting 
as an agent in the transaction and records revenue on a net basis at the point of sale. 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

The Company sells cloud computing solutions which include Infrastructure as a Service ("IaaS"). IaaS solutions utilize 
third-party partners to enable customers to access data center functionality in a cloud-based solution, including storage, 
computing and networking. The Company recognizes revenue for cloud computing solutions for arrangements with one-
time invoicing to the customer at the time of invoice on a net basis as the Company is acting as an agent in the transaction. 
For  monthly  subscription-based  arrangements,  the  Company  is  acting  as  an  agent  in  the  transaction  and  recognizes 
revenue as it invoices the customer for its monthly usage on a net basis. 

Revenue Recognition for Software 

Revenues from most software license sales are recognized as a single performance obligation on a gross basis as the 
Company is acting as a principal in these transactions at the point the software license is delivered to the customer. 
Generally, software licenses are sold with accompanying third-party delivered software assurance, which is a product 
that allows customers to upgrade, at no additional cost, to the latest technology if new capabilities are introduced during 
the period that the software assurance is in effect. The Company evaluates whether the software assurance is a separate 
performance obligation by assessing if the third-party delivered software assurance is critical or essential to the core 
functionality of the software itself. This involves considering if the software provides its original intended functionality 
to the customer without the updates, if the customer would ascribe a higher value to the upgrades versus the up-front 
deliverable, if the customer would expect frequent intelligence updates to the software (such as updates that maintain 
the  original  functionality),  and  if  the  customer  chooses  to  not  delay  or  always  install  upgrades.  If  the  Company 
determines that the accompanying third-party delivered software assurance is critical or essential to the core functionality 
of  the  software  license,  the  software  license  and  the  accompanying  third-party  delivered  software  assurance  are 
recognized as a single performance obligation. The value of the product is primarily the accompanying support delivered 
by a third party and therefore the Company is acting as an agent in these transactions and recognizes them on a net basis 
at the point the associated software license is delivered to the customer. For software licenses where the accompanying 
third-party delivered software assurance is not critical or essential to the core functionality, the software assurance is 
recognized as a separate performance obligation, with the associated revenue recognized on a net basis at the point the 
related software license is delivered to the customer. For additional information regarding the accounting for bundled 
arrangements, see "Revenue Recognition for Bundled Arrangements" below. 

The  Company  sells  cloud  computing  solutions which  include  Software as  a Service ("SaaS").  SaaS solutions  utilize 
third-party partners to offer the Company's customers access to software in the cloud that enhances office productivity, 
provides  security  or  assists  in  collaboration.  The  Company  recognizes  revenue  for  cloud  computing  solutions  for 
arrangements with one-time invoicing to the customer at the time of invoice on a net basis as the Company is acting as 
an  agent  in  the  transaction. For  monthly  subscription-based  arrangements,  the  Company  is  acting as  an agent  in  the 
transaction and recognizes revenue as it invoices the customer for its monthly usage on a net basis. 

The  Company's  customers  are  offered  the  opportunity  by  certain  of  its  vendors  to  purchase  software  licenses  and 
software assurance under enterprise agreements ("EAs"). For most EA transactions, the Company's obligation to the 
customer  is  that  of  a  distributor  or  sales  agent  of  the  services,  where  all  obligations  for  providing  the  services  to 
customers are passed to the Company's vendors. The Company's performance obligations are satisfied at the time of the 
sale.  In  other  EA  transactions,  the  Company  is  responsible  for  fulfilling  the  promised  services  to  the  customer  and 
providing remedy or refund for work if the customer is not satisfied with the delivered services, has inventory risk in the 
arrangement and has full control to set the price for the customer. With most EAs, the Company's vendors will transfer 
the license and invoice the customer directly, paying resellers an agency fee or commission on these sales. The Company 
records these fees as a component of Net sales as earned and there is no corresponding Cost of sales amount. 

Revenue Recognition for Services 

The Company provides professional services, which include project managers and consultants recommending, designing 
and implementing IT solutions. Revenue from professional services is recognized either on a time and materials basis 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

or proportionally as costs are incurred for fixed fee project work. Revenue is recognized on a gross basis each month as 
work is performed and the Company transfers those services. 

Revenues  from  the  sale  of  data  center  services,  such  as  managed  and  remote  managed  services,  server  co-location, 
internet connectivity and data backup and storage provided by the Company, are recognized over the period the service 
is provided. Most hosting and managed service obligations are based on the quantity and pricing parameters established 
in the agreement. As the customer receives the benefit of the service each month, the Company recognizes the respective 
revenue on a gross basis as the Company is acting as a principal in the transaction. Additionally, the Company's managed 
services team provides project support to customers that are billed on a fixed fee basis. The Company is acting as the 
principal in the transaction and recognizes revenue on a gross basis based on the total number of hours incurred for the 
period over the total expected hours for the project. Total expected hours to complete the project is updated for each 
period and best represents the transfer of control of the service to the customer. 

Revenue Recognition for Bundled Arrangements 

The Company also sells some of its products and services as part of bundled contract arrangements containing multiple 
deliverables, which may include a combination of products and services. For each deliverable that represents a distinct 
performance obligation, total arrangement consideration is allocated based upon the standalone selling prices of each 
performance obligation. The Company excludes amounts collected on behalf of third-parties, such as sales taxes, when 
determining the transaction price. For certain performance obligations, the Company will use a combination of methods 
to estimate the standalone selling price. When evidence from recent transactions is not available to confirm that the 
prices are representative of the standalone selling price, an expected cost plus a margin approach is used. 

Sales In-Transit 

The Company performs an analysis of the estimated number of days of sales in-transit to customers at the end of each 
reporting  period  based  on  a  weighted-average  analysis  of  commercial  delivery  terms  that  include  drop-shipment 
arrangements. This analysis is the basis upon which the Company estimates the amount of Net sales in-transit at the end 
of the period and adjusts revenue and the related costs to reflect only what has been delivered to the customer. Changes 
in delivery patterns may result in a different number of business days estimated to make this adjustment. 

Freight Costs 

The Company records freight billed to its customers as Net sales and the related freight costs as Cost of sales when the 
underlying product revenue is recognized. For freight not billed to its customers, the Company records the freight costs 
as Cost of sales. The Company's typical shipping terms result in shipping being performed before the customer obtains 
control  of  the product. The Company  considers  shipping to be  a  fulfillment  activity  and not  a  separate  performance 
obligation. 

Other 

The nature of the Company's contracts give rise to variable consideration in the form of sales returns and allowances. 
The Company estimates variable consideration at the most likely amount to which it is expected to be entitled. This 
estimated amount is included in the transaction price to the extent it is probable that a significant reversal of cumulative 
revenue  recognized  will  not  occur  when  the  uncertainty  associated  with  the  variable  consideration  is  resolved. The 
estimates of variable consideration and determination of whether to include estimated amounts in the transaction price 
are based on an assessment of the Company's anticipated performance and all information that is reasonably available. 
At the time of sale, the Company records an estimate for sales returns and allowances and an associated right of return 
asset based on historical experience. 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

When a contract results in revenue being recognized in excess of the amount the Company has the right to invoice to the 
customer, a contract asset is recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Contract assets are comprised primarily of 
professional services with fixed fee arrangements. 

Contract  liabilities  consist  of  payments  received  from  customers,  or  such  consideration  that  is  contractually  due,  in 
advance of providing the product or performing services. Contract liabilities are comprised primarily of professional 
services with fixed fee arrangements, bill-and-hold transactions where control has not passed to the customer and certain 
governmental contracts. 

Trade accounts receivable are recorded at the point of sale (or in accordance with the Statement of Work for services) 
for the total amount payable by the customer to the Company for sale of goods. Taxes to be collected from the customer 
as part of the sale are included in Accounts receivable. 

Any  incremental  direct  costs of  obtaining  a contract, primarily  sales  commissions,  are  deferred on  the  Consolidated 
Balance Sheets and amortized over the period of contract performance. 

The Company typically does not enter into long-term contracts. The Company has elected to use the practical expedient 
for its performance obligations table to include only those contracts that are longer than 12 months at the time of contract 
inception and those contracts that are non-cancelable. Additionally, for certain governmental contracts where there are 
annual renewals, the Company has excluded these contracts since there is only a one-year legal obligation. Typically, 
the only contracts that are longer than 12 months in duration are related to the Company's managed services business. 

The Company requests payments for its products and services at the point of sale. The Company generally does not enter 
into any long-term financing arrangements or payment plans with customers or contracts with customers that have non-
cash consideration. 

Sales Taxes 

Sales tax amounts collected from customers for remittance to governmental authorities are presented on a net basis in 
the Consolidated Statements of Operations. 

Advertising 

Advertising costs are generally charged to expense in the period incurred. Cooperative reimbursements from vendors 
are recorded in the period the related advertising expenditure is incurred. The Company classifies vendor consideration 
as a reduction to Cost of sales. 

Equity-Based Compensation 

The Company measures all equity-based payments using a fair-value-based method and records compensation expense 
over the requisite service period using the straight-line method in its Consolidated Financial Statements. The expense 
calculation includes estimated forfeiture rates, which have been developed based upon historical experience. 

Interest Expense 

Interest expense is recognized in the period incurred at the applicable interest rate in effect. 

Foreign Currency Translation 

The Company's functional currency is the US dollar. The functional currency of the Company's international operating 
subsidiaries is generally the same as the corresponding local currency. Assets and liabilities of the international operating 
subsidiaries  are  translated  at  the  spot  rate  in  effect  at  the  applicable  reporting  date.  Revenues  and  expenses  of  the 
international operating subsidiaries are translated at the average exchange rates in effect during the applicable period. 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

The resulting foreign currency translation adjustment is recorded as Accumulated other comprehensive loss, which is 
reflected as a separate component of Stockholders' equity. 

Income Taxes 

Deferred income taxes are provided to reflect the differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their 
reported amounts in the Consolidated Financial Statements using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the 
differences are expected to reverse. The Company performs an evaluation of the realizability of deferred tax assets on a 
quarterly  basis.  This  evaluation  requires  management  to  make  use  of  estimates  and  assumptions  and  considers  all 
positive and negative evidence and factors, such as the scheduled reversal of temporary differences, the mix of earnings 
in the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. 

The Company accounts for unrecognized tax benefits based upon its assessment of whether a tax benefit is more likely 
than  not  to  be  sustained  upon  examination  by  tax  authorities. The  Company  reports  a  liability  for  unrecognized  tax 
benefits resulting from unrecognized tax benefits taken or expected to be taken in a tax return and recognizes interest 
and penalties, if any, related to its unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense. 

2.  

Recent Accounting Pronouncements 

Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments 

In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2016-
13, Financial Instruments - Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments ("Topic 
326"). This ASU introduced a forward-looking approach based on expected losses to estimate credit losses on certain 
types  of  financial  instruments,  including  trade  receivables.  The  estimate  required  considerations  of  historical 
information,  current  information  and  reasonable  and  supportable  forecasts.  This ASU  also  expanded  the  disclosure 
requirements to enable users of financial statements to understand the assumptions, models and methods for estimating 
expected credit losses. 

The  Company  established  a  cross-functional  implementation  team  to  analyze  the  effect  of  Topic  326.  The  analysis 
included  identifying  pools  of  receivables,  developing  and  assessing  estimation  methodologies,  assessing  policy 
elections, and evaluating its business processes and internal controls to meet the accounting, reporting and disclosure 
requirements. On January 1, 2020, the Company adopted and applied Topic 326 using the modified retrospective method. 
The adoption of Topic 326, as well as the adjustment to retained earnings for the cumulative effect, was not significant 
to the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Accounting for Leases 

On January 1, 2019, the Company adopted and applied ASU 2016-02 Leases (Topic 842), resulting in the recognition of 
right-of-use assets and additional lease liabilities of $81 million as of January 1, 2019, mainly related to operating leases 
for the Company's real estate portfolio. As part of the adoption, financial information and disclosures are not updated 
for comparative reporting periods. Additionally, the Company elected the transition package of practical expedients upon 
adoption which, among other things, allows an entity to not reassess the historical lease classification.  For additional 
information regarding the impact to the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets from adopting this standard, see Note 
11 (Leases). 

3.  

Acquisition 

On February 1, 2019, the Company completed the acquisition of all issued and outstanding shares of Scalar Decisions 
Inc. ("Scalar"), a leading technology solutions provider in Canada, for a total final purchase price of $88 million of 
which $13 million is deferred to satisfy potential indemnity obligations and is expected to be paid in the first quarter of 
2021. The financial results of Scalar have been included in the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements since the 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

date of the acquisition. The financial results are included in the CDW Canada operating segment which is shown in an 
all other category ("Other") along with CDW UK. The purchase price allocation is final. 

The final purchase price allocation is as follows: 

Net assets acquired 
Identified intangible assets(1) 
Goodwill(2) 

Total purchase price 

Acquisition-Date Fair Value 

 $ 

 $ 

5.7  
20.3  
62.0  
88.0  

(1) 

(2) 

Net of a related deferred tax liability of $7 million. 

Goodwill in the amount of $62 million was recognized in connection with the acquisition of Scalar, primarily 
attributed to cross selling opportunities and overall corporate synergies. The full amount of goodwill recognized 
is not deductible for income tax purposes in Canada. 

4.  

Property and Equipment 

Property and equipment consists of the following: 

Revenue generating assets 
Building and leasehold improvements 
Computer and data processing equipment 
Machinery and equipment 
Land 
Computer software 
Construction in progress 
Furniture and fixtures 
Property and equipment, gross 
Less: accumulated depreciation 
Property and equipment, net 

*Asset is not depreciated. 

Useful Lives (Years) 

2019 

2018 

December 31, 

Up to 1 
5 - 25 
3 - 5 
5 - 10 
-* 
3 - 5 
-* 
5 - 10 

  $ 

  $ 

212.0     $ 
134.2    
132.0    
45.4    
27.7    
25.1    
23.3    
20.5    
620.2    
(257.1 )  
363.1     $ 

—  
129.1  
105.4  
44.1  
27.7  
22.2  
24.5  
18.9  
371.9  
(215.8 ) 
156.1  

During 2019,  the  Company  recorded $212 million  in  revenue generating  assets related to  the delivery  of  a  mobility 
solution. 

During 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded disposals of $3 million, $25 million and $23 million, respectively, 
to remove from Property and equipment, gross assets that were no longer in use. 

Depreciation expense for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017 was $41 million, $42 million and $40 
million, respectively. 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

5.  

Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets 

Goodwill 

The changes in goodwill by reportable segment are as follows: 

Balances as of December 31, 2017(2) 
Foreign currency translation 
Balances as of December 31, 2018(2) 

Scalar acquisition(3) 
Other acquisition(4) 
Foreign currency translation 
Balances as of December 31, 2019(2) 

  Corporate 
  $  1,074.1     $ 

—    
1,074.1    
—    
16.5    
—    

  $  1,090.6     $ 

Small 
Business 

Public 

185.9     $ 
—    
185.9    
—    
—    
—    
185.9     $ 

929.6     $ 
—    
929.6    
—    
—    
—    
929.6     $ 

Other(1) 

  Consolidated 
290.0     $  2,479.6  
(16.8 ) 
(16.8 )  
2,462.8  
273.2    
62.0  
62.0    
16.5  
—    
11.7    
11.7  
346.9     $  2,553.0  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

Other is comprised of CDW UK and CDW Canada reporting units. 

Goodwill is net of accumulated impairment losses of $1,571 million, $354 million and $28 million related to 
the Corporate, Public and Other segments, respectively. 

For additional information regarding the addition to goodwill resulting from the Company's acquisition, see 
Note 3 (Acquisition). 

(4) 

The Company acquired Aptris, Inc. on October 1, 2019.  

December 1, 2019 Impairment Analysis 

The Company completed its annual impairment analysis as of December 1, 2019. For all reporting units, the Company 
performed a quantitative analysis. Based on the results of the quantitative analysis the Company determined that the fair 
values of Corporate, Small Business, Public, CDW UK, and CDW Canada reporting units substantially exceeded their 
carrying values and no impairment existed. 

December 1, 2018 Impairment Analysis 

The Company completed its annual impairment analysis as of December 1, 2018. For all reporting units, the Company 
performed a qualitative analysis. The Company determined that it was more likely than not that the individual fair values 
of  all  reporting  units  exceeded  the  respective  carrying  values.  As  a  result  of  this  determination,  the  quantitative 
impairment analysis was not performed. 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Other Intangible Assets 

A summary of intangible assets is as follows: 

December 31, 2019 

Customer relationships and contracts 
Trade name 
Internally developed software 
Other 
Total 

December 31, 2018 

Customer relationships and contracts 
Trade name 
Internally developed software 
Other 
Total 

  Useful Lives (Years) 

Gross Carrying 
Amount 

Accumulated 
Amortization 

Net Carrying 
Amount 

3 - 14 
generally 20 
3 - 5 
1 - 10 

3 - 14 
generally 20 
3 - 5 
1 - 10 

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 

  $ 

2,111.2     $ 
422.8    
263.5    
5.5    
2,803.0     $ 

2,071.0     $ 
422.1    
205.8    
3.7    
2,702.6     $ 

(1,786.4 )   $ 
(259.0 )  
(160.0 )  
(3.5 )  
(2,208.9 )   $ 

(1,625.5 )   $ 
(237.3 )  
(125.4 )  
(2.2 )  
(1,990.4 )   $ 

324.8  
163.8  
103.5  
2.0  
594.1  

445.5  
184.8  
80.4  
1.5  
712.2  

During the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recorded disposals of $11 million, $26 million 
and $24 million, respectively, to remove fully amortized intangible assets that were no longer in use. 

Amortization expense related to intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $219 
million, $223 million and $221 million, respectively. 

Estimated future amortization expense related to intangible assets is as follows: 

Years ending December 31, 

2020 
2021 
2022 
2023 
2024 
Thereafter 

Total future amortization expense 

Estimated Future 
Amortization Expense 

206.4  
110.4  
62.8  
41.3  
41.1  
132.1  
594.1  

  $ 

  $ 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

6.  

Inventory Financing Agreements 

The Company has entered into agreements with certain financial intermediaries to facilitate the purchase of inventory 
from various suppliers under certain terms and conditions, as described below. These amounts are classified separately 
as Accounts payable-inventory financing on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company does not incur any interest 
expense associated with these agreements as balances are paid when they are due. 

Amounts included in accounts payable-inventory financing are as follows: 

Revolving Loan inventory financing agreement(1) 
Other inventory financing agreements 

Accounts payable-inventory financing 

December 31, 

2019 
379.1    $ 
50.8    
429.9    $ 

2018 
406.3  
23.0  
429.3  

 $ 

 $ 

(1) 

The senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility includes an inventory floorplan sub-facility that enables 
the  Company  to  maintain  an  inventory  financing  agreement  with  a  financial  intermediary  to  facilitate  the 
purchase of inventory from certain vendors on more favorable terms than offered directly by the vendors. 

7.  

Contract Liabilities and Remaining Performance Obligations 

The  Company's  contract  liabilities  consist  of  payments  received  from  customers,  or  such  consideration  that  is 
contractually due, in advance of providing the product or performing services. The Company's contract liabilities are 
reported in a net position on a contract-by-contract basis at the end of each reporting period. As of December 31, 2019 
and December 31, 2018, the contract liability balance was $252 million and $178 million, respectively. For the years 
ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the Company recognized revenue of $136 million, $123 million, and $113 
million, respectively, related to its contract liabilities. 

A contract's transaction price is allocated to each distinct performance obligation and recognized as revenue when, or 
as, the performance obligation is satisfied. For additional information regarding the Company's performance obligations, 
see Note 1 (Description of Business and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). The following table represents 
the total transaction price for the remaining performance obligations as of December 31, 2019 related to non-cancelable 
contracts longer than 12 months in duration that is expected to be recognized over future periods. 

Remaining performance obligations 

  Within 1 Year 
  $ 

43.1     $ 

Years 1-2 

Years 2-3 

Thereafter 

21.3     $ 

8.2     $ 

1.0  

8.  

Financial Instruments 

The Company's indebtedness creates interest rate risk on its variable-rate debt. The Company uses derivative financial 
instruments  to  manage  its  exposure  to  interest  rate  risk.  The  Company  does  not  hold  or  issue  derivative  financial 
instruments for trading or speculative purposes. 

The Company has interest rate cap agreements that entitle it to payments from the counterparty of the amount, if any, by 
which three-month London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") exceeds the strike rates of the caps during the agreement 
period in exchange for an upfront premium. During 2019, the Company entered into interest rate cap agreements with a 
combined notional value of $1.2 billion resulting in premiums paid to the counterparties of $6 million. As of December 
31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the Company had the following interest rate cap agreements for which the fair values 
are classified within Other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets: 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Notional Value 

Effective Date 

Maturity Date 

Fair Value 

Fair Value 

December 31, 2019 

December 31, 2018 

$ 

1,400.0     December 31, 2018 
1,400.0     December 31, 2020 

  December 31, 2020    $ 
  December 31, 2022 

  $ 

—     $ 
0.9    
0.9     $ 

10.6  
1.5  
12.1  

The fair value of the Company's interest rate cap agreements is classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. The 
valuation of the interest rate cap agreements is derived by using a discounted cash flow analysis on the expected cash 
receipts  that  would  occur  if  variable  interest  rates  rise  above  the  strike  rates  of  the  caps.  This  analysis  reflects  the 
contractual terms of the interest rate cap agreements, including the period to maturity, and uses observable market-based 
inputs, including LIBOR curves and implied volatilities. The Company also incorporates insignificant credit valuation 
adjustments to appropriately reflect the respective counterparty's nonperformance risk in the fair value measurements. 
The counterparty credit spreads are based on publicly available credit information obtained from a third-party credit data 
provider. For additional information, see Note 9 (Long-Term Debt). 

The interest rate cap agreements are designated as cash flow hedges. The changes in the fair value of derivatives that 
qualify as cash flow hedges are recorded in Accumulated other comprehensive loss and are subsequently reclassified 
into Interest expense, net in the period when the hedged forecasted transaction affects earnings. The Company recorded 
a loss of $11 million and $2 million, net of tax, into Accumulated other comprehensive loss for the years ended December 
31,  2019  and  2018,  respectively.  During  2019  and  2018,  the  Company  reclassified  $2  million  and  $5  million, 
respectively, from Accumulated other comprehensive loss to earnings within Interest expense, net on the Consolidated 
Statement of Operations. The Company expects to reclassify $8 million from Accumulated other comprehensive loss 
into Interest expense, net during the next 12 months. 

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9.  

Long-Term Debt 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Maturity Date 

  As of December 31, 2019 
Amount 
  Interest Rate   

  As of December 31, 2018 
Amount 
  Interest Rate   

Credit Facilities 
CDW UK revolving credit facility(1) 
Senior secured asset-based revolving credit 
facility 
Total credit facilities 

July 2021 

— %  

—    

— %  $ 

  March 2022 

5.00 %  

51.0 
51.0      

— %  

Term Loans 
CDW UK term loan(1) 
Senior secured term loan facility 

Total term loans 

  August 2021 
  October 2026 

2.19 %  
3.55 %  

61.0    
1,438.3    
1,499.3      

2.29 %  
4.10 %  

Unsecured Senior Notes 
Senior notes due 2023 ("2023 Senior Notes") 
Senior notes due 2024 ("2024 Senior Notes") 
Senior notes due 2025 ("2025 Senior Notes") 
Senior notes due 2028 ("2028 Senior Notes") 

Total unsecured senior notes 

  September 2023   
  December 2024   
  September 2025   
  April 2028 

— %  
5.50 %  
5.00 %  
4.25 %  

—    
575.0    
600.0    
600.0    
1,775.0      

5.00 %  
5.50 %  
5.00 %  
— %  

—  

— 
—  

65.0  
1,453.2  
1,518.2  

525.0  
575.0  
600.0  
—  
1,700.0  

Other long-term obligations 
Unamortized deferred financing fees 
Current maturities of long-term debt 

Total long-term debt 

(1) 

British pound-denominated debt facilities.  

12.6      
(20.6 )     
(34.1 )     
 $  3,283.2      

8.3  
(17.9 ) 
(25.3 ) 
 $  3,183.3  

As of December 31, 2019, the Company is in compliance with the covenants under the various credit agreements and 
indentures. 

Credit Facilities 

The  Company  has  a  variable  rate  CDW  UK  revolving  credit  facility  that  is  denominated  in  British  pounds. As  of 
December 31, 2019, the Company could have borrowed up to an additional £50 million ($66 million at December 31, 
2019) under the CDW UK revolving credit facility. 

The Company also has a variable rate senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility (the "Revolving Loan") that is 
denominated in US dollars. The Revolving Loan is used by the Company for borrowings, issuances of letters of credit 
and floorplan financing. As of December 31, 2019, the Revolving Loan has less than $1 million of undrawn letters of 
credit, $359 million reserved for the floorplan sub-facility and a borrowing base of $2.0 billion, which is based on the 
amount of eligible inventory and accounts receivable balances as of November 30, 2019. As of December 31, 2019, the 
Company could have borrowed up to an additional $1.0 billion under the Revolving Loan. 

The  Revolving  Loan  is  collateralized  by  a  first  priority  interest  in  inventory  (excluding  inventory  to  the  extent 
collateralized under the inventory financing arrangements as described in Note 6 (Inventory Financing Agreements)), 
deposits, and accounts receivable, and by a second priority interest in substantially all other US assets. 

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Term Loans 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

The CDW UK term loan has a variable interest rate. The Company is required to make annual principal installments 
of £5 million ($7 million at December 31, 2019), with the remaining principal amount due at the maturity date. 

The CDW UK term loan agreement imposes restrictions on CDW UK's ability to transfer funds to the Company through 
the payment of dividends, repayment of intercompany loans, advances or subordinated debt that require, among other 
things, the maintenance of a minimum net leverage ratio. As of December 31, 2019, the amount of restricted payment 
capacity under the CDW UK term loan was £154 million ($204 million at December 31, 2019). 

The senior secured term loan facility (the "Term Loan") has a variable interest rate, which has effectively been capped 
through the use of interest rate caps (see Note 8 (Financial Instruments)). The interest rate disclosed in the table above 
represents the variable interest rates in effect for December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. The Company is required 
to pay quarterly principal installments of $4 million with the remaining principal amount due at the maturity date. As of 
December 31, 2019, the amount of CDW's restricted payment capacity under the Term Loan was $1.8 billion. 

The Term Loan is collateralized by a second priority interest in substantially all inventory (excluding inventory to the 
extent  collateralized  under  the  inventory  financing  arrangements  as  described  in  Note  6  (Inventory  Financing 
Agreements)), deposits and accounts receivable, and by a first priority interest in substantially all other US assets. 

On October 11, 2019, CDW extended the maturity date of the existing Term Loan to October 2026. 

On April 3, 2018, the Company amended the Term Loan, reducing interest margins by 25 basis points. Borrowings under 
the Term Loan continue to bear interest at a variable rate. 

Unsecured Senior Notes 

The senior notes have a fixed interest rate, which is paid semi-annually. 

Debt Issuance and Extinguishments 

On September 26, 2019, the Company completed the issuance of $600 million aggregate principal amount of 4.25% 
Senior Notes due 2028 at par. The 2028 Senior Notes will mature on April 1, 2028 and bear interest at a rate of 4.25% 
per annum, payable semi-annually on April 1 and October 1 of each year, commencing on April 1, 2020. The net proceeds 
from the issuance of the 2028 Senior Notes were primarily used to redeem all of the remaining $525 million aggregate 
principal amount of the 2023 Senior Notes at a redemption price of 102.5% of the principal amount redeemed, plus 
accrued  and  unpaid  interest  to  the  date  of  redemption,  and  to  pay  fees  and  expenses  related  to  the  issuance  and 
redemption. The redemption date was October 12, 2019. On the same date, the indenture governing the 2023 Senior 
Notes was satisfied and discharged. 

Total Debt Maturities 

A summary of total debt maturities is as follows: 

Years ending December 31, 

Debt Maturities 

2020 
2021 
2022 
2023 
2024 
Thereafter 

Total debt maturities 

70 

  $ 

  $ 

34.1  
69.3  
65.9  
14.9  
589.9  
2,563.8  
3,337.9  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

Fair Value 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

The fair values of the Senior Notes were estimated using quoted market prices for identical liabilities that are traded in 
over-the-counter secondary markets that are not considered active. The fair value of the Term Loan was estimated using 
dealer quotes for identical liabilities in markets that are not considered active. The Senior Notes, Term Loan and CDW 
UK term loan are classified as Level 2 within the fair value hierarchy. The carrying value of the Revolving Loan and 
CDW UK revolving credit facility approximate fair value if there are outstanding borrowings. The approximate fair 
values  and  related  carrying  values  of  the  Company's  long-term  debt,  including  current  maturities  and  excluding 
unamortized discount and unamortized deferred financing costs, are as follows: 

Fair value 
Carrying value 

10.  

Income Taxes 

December 31, 

2019 

2018 

 $ 

3,447.5    $ 
3,337.9    

3,145.8  
3,226.5  

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ("TCJA") was enacted into law. TCJA changed several aspects of US 
federal tax law including reducing the US corporate income tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0% beginning on January 1, 2018. 
The Company's analysis and decisions on accounting for TCJA are complete. 

Income before income taxes was taxed under the following jurisdictions: 

Domestic 
Foreign 
Total 

Components of Income tax expense (benefit) consist of the following: 

Current: 

Federal 
State 
Foreign 
Total current 
Deferred: 

Domestic 
Foreign 

Total deferred 
Income tax expense 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

  $ 

  $ 

854.1     $ 
95.6    
949.7     $ 

762.3    $ 
78.2    
840.5    $ 

608.3  
52.4  
660.7  

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

  $ 

  $ 

224.7     $ 
56.1    
20.0    
300.8    

(83.0 )  
(4.9 )  
(87.9 )  
212.9     $ 

192.6     $ 
43.3    
17.7    
253.6    

(52.7 )  
(3.4 )  
(56.1 )  
197.5     $ 

258.9  
29.8  
21.3  
310.0  

(167.6 ) 
(4.8 ) 
(172.4 ) 
137.6  

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

The  reconciliation  between  the  statutory  tax  rate  expressed  as  a  percentage  of  income  before  income  taxes  and  the 
effective tax rate was as follows: 

Statutory federal income tax rate 
State taxes, net of federal effect 
Excess tax benefit of equity awards 
Effect of rates different than statutory 
Tax on foreign earnings 
Effect of TCJA on deferred taxes and 
repatriation tax 
Other 

Effective tax rate 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

 $ 

 $ 

199.4    
35.4    
(26.8 )  
0.8    
2.1    

— 
2.0    
212.9    

21.0 %   $ 
3.7  
(2.8 )   
0.1  
0.2  

— 
0.2  
22.4 %   $ 

176.5    
31.1    
(19.7 )  
0.6    
2.8    

(1.9 )  
8.1    
197.5    

21.0 %   $ 
3.7  
(2.3 )   
0.1  
0.3  

(0.2 )   
0.9  
23.5 %   $ 

231.1    
18.3    
(36.2 )  
(6.3 )  
1.0    

(75.5 )  
5.2    
137.6    

35.0 % 
2.8  
(5.5 ) 
(1.0 ) 
0.1  

(11.4 ) 
0.8  
20.8 % 

The tax effect of temporary differences that give rise to net deferred income tax liabilities is presented below: 

Deferred tax assets: 

Contract liabilities 
Equity compensation plans 
Net operating loss and credit carryforwards, net 
Payroll and benefits 
Rent 
Accounts receivable 
Other 

Total deferred tax assets 

Deferred tax liabilities: 

Acquisition-related intangibles 
Property and equipment 
International investments 
Other 

Total deferred tax liabilities 
Deferred tax asset valuation allowance 

Net deferred tax liabilities 

  $ 

December 31, 

2019 

2018 

40.7     $ 
21.1    
20.1    
9.6    
7.3    
7.0    
14.1    
119.9    

—  
17.7  
23.8  
9.3  
7.5  
6.5  
10.0  
74.8  

112.2    
27.0    
19.2    
3.3    
161.7    
16.8    
58.6     $ 

148.6  
20.0  
19.2  
11.7  
199.5  
17.2  
141.9  

  $ 

The  Company  has  international  income  tax  net  operating  losses  of  $6  million  that  do  not  expire  and  state  and 
international tax credit carryforwards of $20 million, which expire at various dates from 2021 through 2027. 

Due to the nature of the CDW UK acquisition, the Company has provided US income taxes of $19 million on the excess 
of  the  financial  reporting  value  of  the  investment  over  the  corresponding  tax  basis.  The  Company  is  indefinitely 
reinvested  in  its  UK  business,  and  therefore  will  not  provide  for  any  US  deferred  taxes  on  the  earnings  of  the  UK 
business. The Company is not permanently reinvested in its Canadian business and therefore has recognized deferred 
tax liabilities of $1 million as of December 31, 2019 related to Canada withholding taxes on earnings of its Canadian 
business. 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

In the ordinary course of business, the Company is subject to review by domestic and foreign taxing authorities, including 
the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS"). In general, the Company is no longer subject to audit by the IRS or state, local, or 
foreign taxing authorities for tax years through 2014. Various taxing authorities are in the process of auditing income 
tax returns of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Company does not anticipate that any adjustments from the audits 
would have a material impact on its Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Changes in the Company's unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 were as follows: 

Balance as of January 1 
Additions for tax positions related to current year 
Balance as of December 31 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

 $ 

  $ 

15.1     $ 
2.6    
17.7     $ 

—    $ 

15.1    
15.1    $ 

—  
—  
—  

As of December 31, 2019, the Company had $18 million of unrecognized tax benefits that, if recognized, would have 
decreased  income  taxes  and  the  corresponding  effective  income  tax  rate  and  increased  net  income.  The  impact  of 
recognizing these tax benefits, net of the federal income tax benefit related to unrecognized state income tax benefits, 
would be approximately $14 million. 
Leases 

11.  

The Company has operating leases primarily for real estate, data centers and equipment. Lease terms range from 1 year 
to 17 years. 

Supplemental Consolidated Balance Sheets information related to the Company's operating leases is as follows: 

Classification on the Consolidated Balance Sheets 

December 31, 2019 

Assets 

Liabilities 
Current 
Long-term 

Total lease liabilities 

  Operating lease right-of-use assets 

  Accrued expenses and other current liabilities - Other 
  Long-term operating lease liabilities 

Lease term and discount rate 

Weighted average remaining lease term (years) 
Weighted average discount rate 

The components of operating lease expense are as follows: 

Financial statement line item 

Cost of sales 
Selling and administrative expenses 

Total lease cost 

 $ 

 $ 

 $ 

131.8  

30.1  
131.1  
161.2  

December 31, 2019 

9.7 
4.78 % 

Twelve Months Ended 
December 31, 2019 

 $ 

 $ 

62.7  
30.6  
93.3  

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Maturities of operating lease liabilities are as follows: 

2020 
2021 
2022 
2023 
2024 
Thereafter 

Total lease payments 
Less: Interest 
Less: Lease incentives (1) 

Present value of lease liabilities 

 $ 

 $ 

  December 31, 2019 
 $ 

32.2  
27.9  
23.0  
19.9  
17.7  
156.6  
277.3  
(80.9 ) 
(35.2 ) 
161.2  

(1) Includes lease incentives that will be realized in 2020. 

Supplemental cash flow information related to operating leases is as follows: 

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities 

Operating cash flows from operating leases 

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations 

Operating leases 

Disclosure related to periods prior to adoption of Topic 842 

Twelve Months Ended 
December 31, 2019 

 $ 

 $ 

88.0  

110.2  

For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 lease expense was $30 million and $29 million, respectively. 

The Company had the following future minimum lease payments under non-cancelable leases as of December 31, 2018: 

2019 
2020 
2021 
2022 
2023 
Thereafter 

  December 31, 2018 
 $ 

29.7  
27.0  
22.7  
19.5  
17.2  
148.6  
264.7  

Total future minimum lease payments 

 $ 

12.  

Stockholders' Equity 

Share Repurchase Program 

The Company has a share repurchase program under which it may repurchase shares of its common stock in the open 
market or through privately negotiated other transactions, depending on share price, market conditions and other factors. 
The share repurchase program does not obligate the Company to repurchase any dollar amount or number of shares, and 
repurchases may be commenced or suspended from time to time without prior notice. 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

During 2019, the Company repurchased 6.1 million shares of its common stock for $657 million. These repurchases 
occurred  under  the programs  announced  on August 3,  2017  and  February  7,  2019, by which  the  Board  of Directors 
authorized an increase to the Company's share repurchase program by $750 million and $1.0 billion, respectively. As of 
December 31, 2019, the Company has $679 million remaining under this program. 

13.  

Equity-Based Compensation 

Equity-based  compensation  expense,  which  is  recorded  in  Selling  and  administrative  expenses  in  the  Consolidated 
Statements of Operations was as follows: 

Equity-based compensation expense 
Income tax benefit(1) 

Equity-based compensation expense, net of tax 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

 $ 

 $ 

48.5    $ 
(9.8 )   
38.7    $ 

40.7    $ 
(9.9 )   
30.8    $ 

43.7  
(15.3 ) 
28.4  

(1) 

Represents equity-based compensation tax expense at the statutory tax rates. Excess tax benefits associated 
with equity awards are excluded from this disclosure and separately disclosed in Note 10 (Income Taxes). 

The total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested awards was $48 million as of December 31, 2019 and 
is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 1.8 years. 

2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan 

The 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan ("2013 LTIP") provides for the grant of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock 
options,  stock  appreciation  rights,  restricted  stock,  restricted  stock  units,  bonus  stock  and  performance  awards. The 
maximum aggregate number of shares that may be issued under the 2013 LTIP is 15,500,000 shares of the Company's 
common stock, in addition to the 3,798,508 shares of restricted stock granted in exchange for unvested Class B Common 
Units in connection with the Company's Initial Public Offering ("IPO"). As of December 31, 2019, 3,980,054 shares 
were  available  for  issuance  under  the  2013  LTIP,  which  was  approved  by  the  Company's  pre-IPO  shareholders. 
Authorized but unissued shares are reserved for issuance in connection with equity-based awards. 

Stock Options 

The exercise price of a stock option granted is equal to the fair value of the underlying stock on the date of the grant. 
Stock options have a contractual term of ten years and generally vest ratably over three years. To estimate the fair value 
of options granted, the Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model. The weighted-average assumptions used 
to value the stock options granted were as follows: 

Grant date fair value 
Volatility (1) 
Risk-free rate (2) 
Expected dividend yield 
Expected term (in years) (3) 

  $ 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

  $ 

19.26  
20.00 %  
2.53 %  
1.23 %  
6.0  

  $ 

14.80  
20.00 %  
2.75 %  
1.14 %  
6.0  

12.27  
22.00 % 
2.08 % 
1.09 % 
6.0 

(1) 

Based upon an assessment of the two-year and five-year historical and implied volatility for the Company's 
selected peer group, adjusted for the Company's leverage. 

(2) 

Based on a composite US Treasury rate. 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

(3) 

Calculated  using  the simplified  method,  which defines  the  expected  term  as  the  average  of  the  option's 
contractual term and the option's weighted-average vesting period. The Company utilizes this method as it has 
limited historical stock option data that is sufficient to derive a reasonable estimate of the expected stock option 
term. 

Stock option activity for the year ended December 31, 2019 was as follows: 

Options 

Outstanding at January 1, 2019 
Granted 
Forfeited/Expired 
Exercised(1) 

Outstanding at December 31, 2019 

Number of 
Options 
4,480,772    $ 
786,601    
(63,947 )   
(1,065,184 )   
4,138,242    $ 

Weighted-
Average 
Exercise Price   

Weighted-Average 
Remaining 
Contractual Term 
(years) 

Aggregate 
Intrinsic Value 

46.82      
96.24      
74.56      
32.80      
59.39    

43.61    
80.34    

6.17   $ 

4.99   $ 
7.72   $ 

345.3  

234.6  
109.5  

Vested and exercisable at December 31, 2019 
Expected to vest after December 31, 2019 

2,364,405    $ 
1,752,687    $ 

(1) 

The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
was $83 million, $47 million and $17 million, respectively. 

Restricted Stock Units ("RSUs") 

Restricted stock units represent the right to receive unrestricted shares of the Company's stock at the time of vesting. 
RSUs generally cliff-vest at the end of three years. The fair value of RSUs is equal to the closing price of the Company's 
common stock on date of grant. 

RSU activity for the year ended December 31, 2019 was as follows: 

Non-vested at January 1, 2019 
Granted (1) 
Vested (2) 
Forfeited 

Non-vested at December 31, 2019 

  Number of Units   

Weighted-Average 
Grant-Date Fair 
Value 

260,173    $ 
58,577    
(88,097 )   
(21,275 )   
209,378    $ 

59.56  
103.24  
44.62  
78.52  
75.56  

(1) 

(2) 

The weighted-average grant date fair value of RSUs granted during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 
and 2017 was $103.24, $73.95 and $58.90, respectively. 

The aggregate fair value of RSUs that vested during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was 
$4 million, $2 million and $18 million, respectively. 

Performance Share Units ("PSUs") 

Performance share units represent the right to receive unrestricted shares of the Company's stock at the time of vesting. 
PSUs are granted under the 2013 LTIP which cliff-vest at the end of three years.  The percentage of PSUs that shall vest 
will range from 0% to 200% of the number of PSUs granted based on the Company's performance against a cumulative 
adjusted free cash flow measure and cumulative non-GAAP net income per diluted share measure over a three-year 
performance period. 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

PSU activity for the year ended December 31, 2019 was as follows: 

Non-vested at January 1, 2019 
Granted (1) 
Attainment Adjustment (2) 
Vested (3) 

Forfeited 

Non-vested at December 31, 2019 

  Number of Units   

Weighted-Average 
Grant-Date Fair 
Value 

421,837    $ 
201,441    
129,498    
(350,816 )   
(20,055 )   
381,905    $ 

65.85  
101.33  
39.92  
52.16  
72.96  
87.78  

(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

The weighted-average grant date fair value of PSUs granted during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 
and 2017 was $101.33, $73.74 and $59.00, respectively. 

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the attainment on PSUs vested at December 31, 2018 was adjusted 
to reflect actual performance.  

The aggregate fair value of PSUs that vested during the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 was 
$18 million, $13 million and $20 million, respectively. 

Equity Awards Granted by Seller of CDW UK 

As part of the Company's acquisition of CDW UK, stock options were granted by one of the sellers of CDW UK to 
certain CDW UK coworkers. These equity awards had a weighted-average grant-date fair value of $35.93 per option. In 
2019 and 2018, 110,978 and 456,613 stock options vested and were exercised. In connection with the exercise of such 
options, the seller of CDW UK distributed shares of common stock to each participant and withheld the number of shares 
of common stock equal to the respective tax withholding for each participant. The seller of CDW UK then transferred 
such withheld shares to the Company to satisfy the tax withholding for participants. The Company was required to pay 
withholding  taxes  in  2019  and  2018  of  $6  million  and  $19  million  to  Her  Majesty's  Revenue  and  Customs  taxing 
authority for the exercise of these options. The amounts are reported as a financing activity in the Consolidated Statement 
of Cash Flows and as increases to Accumulated Deficit in the Consolidated Statement of Stockholders' Equity for the 
years ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018. 

14.  

Earnings Per Share 

The numerator for both basic and diluted earnings per share is Net income. The denominator for basic earnings per share 
is the weighted-average shares outstanding during the period. 

A  reconciliation  of  basic  weighted-average  shares  outstanding  to  diluted  weighted-average  shares  outstanding  is  as 
follows: 

Basic weighted-average shares outstanding 
Effect of dilutive securities (1) 
Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding (2) 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018 

2017 

145.1    
2.7    
147.8    

150.9    
2.7    
153.6    

155.4  
2.8  
158.2  

(1) 

The dilutive effect of outstanding stock options, restricted stock units, restricted stock, performance share units 
and Coworker Stock Purchase Plan units is reflected in the diluted weighted-average shares outstanding using 
the treasury stock method. 

77 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

(2) 

There were fewer than 0.1 million potential common shares excluded from diluted weighted-average shares 
outstanding for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, respectively, as their inclusion would have 
had an anti-dilutive effect. 

15.  

Coworker Retirement and Other Compensation Benefits 

Profit Sharing Plan and Other Savings Plans 

The Company has a profit-sharing plan that includes a salary reduction feature established under the Internal Revenue 
Code Section 401(k) covering substantially all coworkers in the US. In addition, coworkers outside the US participate 
in  other  savings  plans.  Company  contributions  to  the  profit  sharing  and  other  savings  plans  are  made  in  cash  and 
determined at the discretion of the Board of Directors. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, the 
amounts expensed for these plans were $38 million, $34 million and $20 million, respectively. 

Coworker Stock Purchase Plan 

The Company has a Coworker Stock Purchase Plan ("CSPP") that provides the opportunity for eligible coworkers to 
acquire shares of the Company's common stock at a 5% discount from the closing market price on the final day of the 
offering period. There is no compensation expense associated with the CSPP. 

16.  

Commitments and Contingencies 

The  Company  is  party  to  various  legal  proceedings  that  arise  in  the  ordinary  course  of  its  business,  which  include 
commercial, intellectual property, employment, tort and other litigation matters. The Company is also subject to audit 
by  federal,  state,  international,  national,  provincial  and  local  authorities,  and  by  various  partners,  group  purchasing 
organizations and customers, including government agencies, relating to purchases and sales under various contracts. In 
addition, the Company is subject to indemnification claims under various contracts. From time to time, certain customers 
of the Company file voluntary petitions for reorganization or liquidation under the US bankruptcy laws or similar laws 
of the jurisdictions for the Company's business activities outside of the US. In such cases, certain pre-petition payments 
received by the Company could be considered preference items and subject to return to the bankruptcy administrator. 

As of December 31, 2019, the Company does not believe that there is a reasonable possibility that any material loss 
exceeding the amounts already recognized for these proceedings and matters, if any, has been incurred. However, the 
ultimate resolutions of these proceedings and matters are inherently unpredictable. As such, the Company's consolidated 
financial statements could be adversely affected in any particular period by the unfavorable resolution of one or more of 
these proceedings or matters. 

17.  

Segment Information 

The Company's segment information is presented in accordance with a "management approach", which designates the 
internal reporting used by the Chief Operating Decision-Maker for deciding how to allocate resources and for assessing 
performance. 

The  Company  has three reportable  segments:  Corporate,  which  is  comprised  primarily  of  private  sector  business 
customers  with  more  than  250  employees  in  the  US,  Small  Business,  primarily  servicing  private  sector  business 
customers with up to 250 employees in the US, and Public, which is comprised of government agencies and education 
and healthcare institutions in the US. The Company has two other operating segments: CDW UK and CDW Canada, 
both of which do not meet the reportable segment quantitative thresholds and, accordingly, are included in an all other 
category ("Other"). 

The Company has centralized logistics and headquarters functions that provide services to the segments. The logistics 
function includes purchasing, distribution and fulfillment services to support the Corporate, Small Business and Public 
segments. As a result, costs and intercompany charges associated with the logistics function are fully allocated to all of 

78 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

these segments based on a percent of Net sales. The centralized headquarters function provides services in areas such as 
accounting, information technology, marketing, legal and coworker services. Headquarters function costs that are not 
allocated to the segments are included under the heading of "Headquarters" in the tables below. 

The Company allocates resources to and evaluates performance of its segments based on Net sales, Operating income 
and Non-GAAP Operating income. However, the Company has concluded that Operating income is the more useful 
measure in terms of discussion of operating results, as it is a GAAP measure. 

During  the  first  quarter  of  2019,  the  Company  evaluated  its  methodology  for  allocating  certain  depreciation  and 
amortization expenses to each of its segments. The evaluation resulted in a revision to the allocation of depreciation and 
amortization expenses from Headquarters to the Company's reportable segments, effective January 1, 2019. The prior 
period results have been recast to reflect these changes and present comparable information. 

Segment  information  for  Total  assets  and  capital  expenditures  is  not  presented,  as  such  information  is  not  used  in 
measuring segment performance or allocating resources between segments. 

Selected Segment Financial Information 

Information about the Company's segments for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 is as follows: 

  Corporate   

Small 
Business 

Public 

Other 

  Headquarters   

Total 

2019: 
Net sales 
Operating income (loss) 
Depreciation and amortization expense 

2018: 
Net sales 
Operating income (loss) 
Depreciation and amortization expense 

2017: 
Net sales 
Operating income (loss) 
Depreciation and amortization expense 

 $  7,499.0     $  1,510.3     $  6,864.8     $  2,158.3     $ 

585.1    
(86.9 )  

107.5    
(22.5 )  

475.0    
(56.3 )  

101.6    
(31.2 )  

(135.6 )  

—     $  18,032.4  
1,133.6  
(267.1 ) 

(70.2 )  

 $  6,842.5     $  1,359.6     $  6,154.7     $  1,883.7     $ 

530.4    
(88.2 )  

94.4    
(22.1 )  

405.0    
(51.2 )  

82.2    
(31.8 )  

—     $  16,240.5  
987.3  
(265.6 ) 

(124.7 )  
(72.3 )  

 $  6,172.8     $  1,220.5     $  5,906.5     $  1,533.1     $ 

480.9    
(90.1 )  

73.0    
(22.0 )  

367.7    
(51.5 )  

57.1    
(30.9 )  

—     $  14,832.9  
866.5  
(260.9 ) 

(112.2 )  
(66.4 )  

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Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Geographic Areas and Revenue Mix 

Geography(1) 
United States 
Rest of World 

Total Net sales 

Major Product and Services 
Hardware 
Software 
Services 
Other(2) 

Total Net sales 

Sales by Channel 
Corporate 
Small Business 
Government 
Education 
Healthcare 
Other 

Total Net sales 

Corporate 

  Small Business   

Public 

Other 

Total 

Year Ended December 31, 2019 

$ 

7,485.7    $ 
13.3    
7,499.0    

1,510.3    $ 
—    
1,510.3    

6,864.8    $ 
—    
6,864.8    

32.5    $ 
2,125.8    
2,158.3    

15,893.3  
2,139.1  
18,032.4  

5,955.5    
1,079.4    
393.8    
70.3    
7,499.0    

7,499.0    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
7,499.0    

1,263.2    
197.5    
28.4    
21.2    
1,510.3    

—    
1,510.3    
—    
—    
—    
—    
1,510.3    

5,584.8    
1,059.4    
199.3    
21.3    
6,864.8    

—    
—    
2,519.3    
2,411.6    
1,933.9    
—    
6,864.8    

1,559.7    
300.9    
286.1    
11.6    
2,158.3    

—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
2,158.3    
2,158.3    

14,363.2  
2,637.2  
907.6  
124.4  
18,032.4  

7,499.0  
1,510.3  
2,519.3  
2,411.6  
1,933.9  
2,158.3  
18,032.4  

Timing of Revenue Recognition 
Transferred at a point in time where 
CDW is principal 
Transferred at a point in time where 
CDW is agent 
Transferred over time where CDW is 
principal 
Total Net sales 

6,818.7 

1,423.1 

6,410.2 

1,900.6 

16,552.6 

446.1 

80.0 

248.5 

59.6 

834.2 

234.2 
7,499.0    $ 

7.2 
1,510.3    $ 

206.1 
6,864.8    $ 

198.1 
2,158.3    $ 

645.6 
18,032.4  

$ 

(1) 

Net sales by geography is generally based on the ship-to address with the exception of certain services that may 
be performed at, or on behalf of, multiple locations. Such service arrangements are categorized based on the 
bill-to address. 

(2) 

Includes items such as delivery charges to customers. 

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Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Geography(1) 
United States 
Rest of World 

Total Net sales 

Major Product and Services 
Hardware 
Software 
Services 
Other(2) 

Total Net sales 

Sales by Channel 
Corporate 
Small Business 
Government 
Education 
Healthcare 
Other 

Total Net sales 

Corporate 

  Small Business   

Public 

Other 

Total 

Year Ended December 31, 2018 

$ 

6,834.4    $ 
8.1    
6,842.5    

1,359.6    $ 
—    
1,359.6    

6,154.7    $ 
—    
6,154.7    

30.9    $ 
1,852.8    
1,883.7    

14,379.6  
1,860.9  
16,240.5  

5,462.1    
976.2    
336.9    
67.3    
6,842.5    

6,842.5    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
6,842.5    

1,134.6    
175.8    
28.1    
21.1    
1,359.6    

—    
1,359.6    
—    
—    
—    
—    
1,359.6    

5,010.4    
965.9    
161.8    
16.6    
6,154.7    

—    
—    
2,097.3    
2,327.4    
1,730.0    
—    
6,154.7    

1,492.0    
214.0    
169.0    
8.7    
1,883.7    

—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
1,883.7    
1,883.7    

13,099.1  
2,331.9  
695.8  
113.7  
16,240.5  

6,842.5  
1,359.6  
2,097.3  
2,327.4  
1,730.0  
1,883.7  
16,240.5  

Timing of Revenue Recognition 
Transferred at a point in time where 
CDW is principal 
Transferred at a point in time where 
CDW is agent 
Transferred over time where CDW is 
principal 
Total Net sales 

6,256.5 

1,281.3 

5,758.6 

1,687.6 

14,984.0 

389.1 

69.4 

211.5 

49.8 

719.8 

196.9 
6,842.5    $ 

8.9 
1,359.6    $ 

184.6 
6,154.7    $ 

146.3 
1,883.7    $ 

536.7 
16,240.5  

$ 

(1) 

Net sales by geography is generally based on the ship-to address with the exception of certain services that may 
be performed at, or on behalf of, multiple locations. Such service arrangements are categorized based on the 
bill-to address. 

(2) 

Includes items such as delivery charges to customers. 

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Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Geography(1) 
United States 
Rest of World 

Total Net sales 

Major Product and Services 
Hardware 
Software 
Services 
Other(2) 

Total Net sales 

Sales by Channel 
Corporate 
Small Business 
Government 
Education 
Healthcare 
Other 

Total Net sales 

Corporate 

  Small Business   

Public 

Other 

Total 

Year Ended December 31, 2017 

$ 

6,167.4    $ 
5.4    
6,172.8    

1,220.5    $ 
—    
1,220.5    

5,906.5    $ 
—    
5,906.5    

25.5    $ 
1,507.6    
1,533.1    

13,319.9  
1,513.0  
14,832.9  

4,879.7    
910.4    
316.2    
66.5    
6,172.8    

6,172.8    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
6,172.8    

1,015.9    
159.7    
24.5    
20.4    
1,220.5    

—    
1,220.5    
—    
—    
—    
—    
1,220.5    

4,846.4    
908.3    
133.6    
18.2    
5,906.5    

—    
—    
2,109.8    
2,184.5    
1,612.2    
—    
5,906.5    

1,229.8    
167.0    
128.5    
7.8    
1,533.1    

—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
1,533.1    
1,533.1    

11,971.8  
2,145.4  
602.8  
112.9  
14,832.9  

6,172.8  
1,220.5  
2,109.8  
2,184.5  
1,612.2  
1,533.1  
14,832.9  

Timing of Revenue Recognition 
Transferred at a point in time where 
CDW is principal 
Transferred at a point in time where 
CDW is agent 
Transferred over time where CDW is 
principal 
Total Net sales 

5,640.9 

1,152.5 

5,559.4 

1,375.7 

13,728.5 

344.2 

59.4 

184.1 

27.9 

615.6 

187.7 
6,172.8    $ 

8.6 
1,220.5    $ 

163.0 
5,906.5    $ 

129.5 
1,533.1    $ 

488.8 
14,832.9  

$ 

(1) 

Net sales by geography is generally based on the ship-to address with the exception of certain services that may 
be performed at, or on behalf of, multiple locations. Such service arrangements are categorized based on the 
bill-to address. 

(2) 

Includes items such as delivery charges to customers. 

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Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

The  following  table  presents  Net  sales  by  major  category  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2019,  2018  and  2017. 
Categories are based upon internal classifications. 

Year Ended December 31, 

2019 

2018(1) 

2017(1) 

Net Sales 

Percentage 
of Total Net  
Sales 

  Net Sales 

Percentage 
of Total Net  
Sales 

Net Sales 

Percentage 
of Total Net  
Sales 

$ 

Notebooks/Mobile 
Devices 
Netcomm Products 
Desktops 
Video 
Enterprise and Data 
Storage (Including Drives) 
Other Hardware 

Total Hardware 

Software(2) 
Services(2) 
Other(3) 

Total Net sales 

4,631.7 
2,193.4    
1,598.2    
1,272.7    

1,146.0 
3,521.2    
14,363.2    

2,637.2    
907.6    
124.4    
$  18,032.4    

25.7 %  $ 
12.2  
8.9  
7.1  

4,062.2 
2,119.1    
1,322.2    
1,184.3    

25.0 %  $ 
13.0  
8.1  
7.3  

3,491.8 
2,021.6    
1,196.0    
1,070.0    

6.4 
19.5  
79.8  

1,102.5 
3,308.8    
13,099.1    

14.6  
5.0  
0.6  

2,331.9    
695.8    
113.7    
100.0 %   $  16,240.5    

6.8 
20.4  
80.6  

1,070.2 
3,122.2    
11,971.8    

14.4  
4.3  
0.7  

2,145.4    
602.8    
112.9    
100.0 %   $  14,832.9    

23.5 % 
13.6  
8.1  
7.2  

7.2 
21.0  
80.6  

14.5  
4.1  
0.8  

100.0 % 

(1) 

(2) 

Amounts have been reclassified for changes in individual product classifications to conform to the presentation 
for the year ended December 31, 2019. 

Certain software and services revenues are recorded on a net basis for accounting purposes. As a result, the 
category percentage of net revenues is not representative of the category percentage of gross profits. 

(3) 

Includes items such as delivery charges to customers. 

18.  

Supplemental Guarantor Information 

The  Senior  Notes  are  guaranteed  by  Parent  and  each  of  CDW  LLC's  direct  and  indirect,  100%  owned,  domestic 
subsidiaries (the "Guarantor Subsidiaries"). All guarantees by Parent and the Guarantor Subsidiaries are and were joint 
and several, and full and unconditional; provided that guarantees by the Guarantor Subsidiaries are subject to certain 
customary release provisions contained in the indentures governing the Senior Notes. CDW LLC's 100% owned foreign 
subsidiaries, CDW International Holdings Limited, which is comprised of CDW UK and CDW Canada (together the 
"Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries"), do not guarantee the Senior Notes. CDW LLC and CDW Finance Corporation, as co-
issuers, are 100% owned by Parent and each of the Guarantor Subsidiaries and the Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries are, 
directly or indirectly, 100% owned by CDW LLC. 

The  following  tables  set  forth  Condensed  Consolidating  Balance  Sheets  as  of  December  31,  2019  and  2018, 
Consolidating  Statements  of  Operations  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2019,  2018  and  2017,  Condensed 
Consolidating  Statements  of  Comprehensive  Income  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2019,  2018  and  2017,  and 
Condensed  Consolidating  Statements  of  Cash  Flows  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2019,  2018  and  2017,  in 
accordance with Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X. The consolidating financial information includes the accounts of CDW 
Corporation (the "Parent Guarantor"), which has no independent assets or operations, the accounts of CDW LLC (the 
"Subsidiary Issuer"), the combined accounts of the Guarantor Subsidiaries, the combined accounts of the Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries, and the accounts of CDW Finance Corporation (the "Co-Issuer") for the periods indicated. The information 
was prepared on the same basis as the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements. 

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CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet 

December 31, 2019 

Parent 
Guarantor 

Subsidiary 
Issuer 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer   

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

  Consolidated 

Assets 
Current assets: 

Cash and cash equivalents  $ 
Accounts receivable, net 
Merchandise inventory 
Miscellaneous receivables 
Prepaid expenses and other 

Total current assets 
Operating lease right-of-use 
assets 
Property and equipment, net 
Goodwill 
Other intangible assets, net 
Other assets 
Investment in and advances to 
subsidiaries 
Total Assets 

Liabilities and Stockholders' 
Equity 
Current liabilities: 

$ 

—     $ 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    

73.9     $ 
—    
—    
97.9    
22.1    
193.9    

— 
—    
—    
—    
1.4    

75.4 
73.3    
751.8    
242.9    
25.7    

—     $ 

2,517.0    
524.9    
265.9    
99.9    
3,407.7    

29.1 
259.0    
1,454.3    
177.6    
20.1    

3,342.9 

958.9 
960.3     $  4,705.9     $  5,347.8     $ 

— 

98.9     $  —     $ 
485.2    
86.3    
31.3    
49.6    
751.3    

—    
—    
—    
—    
—    

27.3 
30.8    
346.9    
173.6    
171.9    

— 

— 
—    
—    
—    
—    

— 

1,501.8     $  —     $ 

(18.8 )   $ 
—    
—    
—    
—    

(18.8 )  

— 
—    
—    
—    
(195.8 )  

154.0  
3,002.2  
611.2  
395.1  
171.6  
4,334.1  

131.8 
363.1  
2,553.0  
594.1  
23.3  

— 
(4,301.8 )  
(4,516.4 )   $  7,999.4  

$ 

—     $ 

46.5     $  1,525.7     $ 

281.6     $  —     $ 

(18.8 )   $  1,835.0  

Accounts payable-trade 
Accounts payable-
inventory financing 
Current maturities of long-
term debt 
Contract liabilities 
Accrued expenses and 
other current liabilities 

Total current liabilities 

Long-term liabilities: 

Debt 
Deferred income taxes 
Operating lease liabilities 
Other liabilities 

Total long-term 
liabilities 

Total stockholders' equity 

Total Liabilities and 
Stockholders' Equity 

0.1 

378.9 

50.9 

— 

— 
—    

— 
—    

—    
—    
—    
—    

14.9 
—    

12.4 
146.4    

291.3 
352.8    

559.1 
2,622.5    

3,229.5    
49.7    
84.9    
30.1    

—    
—    
22.9    
0.7    

— 
960.3    

3,394.2 
958.9    

23.6 
2,701.7    

— 

— 
—    

— 
—    

—    
—    
—    
—    

— 
—    

— 

— 
—    

— 

(18.8 )  

—    
(17.2 )  
—    
(178.6 )  

(195.8 )  

(4,301.8 )  

429.9 

34.1 
252.2  

940.2 
3,491.4  

3,283.2  
62.4  
131.1  
71.0  

3,547.7 
960.3  

6.8 
105.8    

89.8 
534.9    

53.7    
29.9    
23.3    
218.8    

325.7 
641.2    

$ 

960.3 

  $  4,705.9 

  $  5,347.8 

  $ 

1,501.8 

  $  — 

  $ 

(4,516.4 )   $  7,999.4 

84 

 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet 

December 31, 2018 

Parent 
Guarantor 

Subsidiary 
Issuer 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer   

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

  Consolidated 

Assets 
Current assets: 

Cash and cash equivalents  $ 
Accounts receivable, net 
Merchandise inventory 
Miscellaneous receivables 
Prepaid expenses and other 

Total current assets 
Property and equipment, net 
Goodwill 
Other intangible assets, net 
Other assets 
Investment in and advances to 
subsidiaries 
Total Assets 

Liabilities and Stockholders' 
Equity 
Current liabilities: 

$ 

—    $ 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
1.4    

176.0     $ 
—    
—    
110.6    
17.1    
303.7    
82.3    
751.8    
252.5    
49.8    

—     $ 

2,331.2    
387.4    
187.7    
93.8    
3,000.1    
52.0    
1,437.8    
300.0    
9.6    

46.7     $  —    $ 
—    
340.0    
—    
66.9    
—    
18.1    
—    
38.2    
—    
509.9    
—    
21.8    
—    
273.2    
—    
159.7    
—    
140.2    

(16.9 )   $ 
—    
—    
—    
—    

(16.9 )  
—    
—    
—    
(161.2 )  

205.8  
2,671.2  
454.3  
316.4  
149.1  
3,796.8  
156.1  
2,462.8  
712.2  
39.8  

  3,028.9 

973.8 
975.2    $  4,469.0     $  4,799.5     $ 

— 

— 

— 

1,104.8     $  —    $ 

(4,002.7 )  
— 
(4,180.8 )   $  7,167.7  

Accounts payable-trade 
Accounts payable-
inventory financing 
Current maturities of long-
term debt 
Contract liabilities 
Accrued expenses and 
other current liabilities 

Total current liabilities 

Long-term liabilities: 

Debt 
Deferred income taxes 
Other liabilities 

Total long-term 
liabilities 
Total stockholders' equity 

Total Liabilities and 
Stockholders' Equity 

$ 

—    $ 

39.2     $  1,387.9     $ 

166.9     $  —    $ 

(16.9 )   $  1,577.1  

— 

0.2 

406.1 

23.0 

— 

— 
—    

— 
—    

14.9 
—    

4.0 
95.6    

217.6 
271.9    

306.7 
2,200.3    

—     3,121.3    
55.9    
—    
46.1    
—    

4.3    
60.5    
5.7    

— 
975.2    

  3,223.3 
973.8    

70.5 
2,528.7    

6.4 
82.7    

68.8 
347.8    

57.7    
26.9    
172.2    

256.8 
500.2    

— 
—    

— 
—    

—    
—    
—    

— 
—    

— 

— 
—    

— 

(16.9 )  

—    
(1.4 )  
(159.8 )  

(161.2 )  

(4,002.7 )  

429.3 

25.3 
178.3  

593.1 
2,803.1  

3,183.3  
141.9  
64.2  

3,389.4 
975.2  

$ 

975.2 

 $  4,469.0 

  $  4,799.5 

  $ 

1,104.8 

  $  — 

 $ 

(4,180.8 )   $  7,167.7 

85 

 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Consolidating Statement of Operations 

Year Ended December 31, 2019 

Non-
Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer   

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

Subsidiary 
Issuer 

Parent 
Guarantor   
$  —     $ 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 
—     $  15,874.1     $ 
—    
—    

13,207.3    
2,666.8    

2,158.3     $  —     $ 
1,785.2    
373.1    

—    
—    

  Consolidated 
—     $  18,032.4  
14,992.5  
—    
3,039.9  
—    

Net sales 
Cost of sales 

Gross profit 
Selling and administrative 
expenses 
Advertising expense 

Operating income (loss) 
Interest (expense) income, net 
Other (expense) income, net 

Income (loss) before income taxes 
Income tax (expense) benefit 

Income (loss) before equity in 
earnings of subsidiaries 
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries 

Net income 

259.2 
12.4    
101.5    
(1.6 )  
(4.7 )  
95.2    
(15.1 )  

80.1 
—    

— 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    

— 
—    

— 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    

— 

(1,702.6 )  

80.1     $  —     $ 

(1,702.6 )   $ 

1,713.1 
193.2  
1,133.6  
(159.4 ) 
(24.5 ) 
949.7  
(212.9 ) 

736.8 
—  
736.8  

—    
—    

— 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    

136.4 
—    

(136.4 )  
(158.1 )  
(21.9 )  

(316.4 )  
87.4    

1,317.5 
180.8    
1,168.5    
0.3    
2.1    
1,170.9    
(285.2 )  

— 
736.8    
$  736.8     $ 

(229.0 )  
965.8    
736.8     $ 

885.7 
—    
885.7     $ 

86 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Consolidating Statement of Operations 

Year Ended December 31, 2018 

Net sales 
Cost of sales 

Gross profit 
Selling and administrative 
expenses 
Advertising expense 

Operating income (loss) 
Interest (expense) income, net 
Other income (expense), net 

Income (loss) before income taxes 
Income tax (expense) benefit 

Income (loss) before equity in 
earnings of subsidiaries 
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries 

Net income 

Parent 
Guarantor   
$  —    $ 
—    
—    

Subsidiary 
Issuer 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 
—     $  14,356.8     $ 
—    
—    

11,962.7    
2,394.1    

Non-
Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer   

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

1,883.7     $  —     $ 
1,570.9    
312.8    

—    
—    

  Consolidated 
—     $  16,240.5  
13,533.6  
—    
2,706.9  
—    

— 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
(0.4 )   

138.3 
—    

(138.3 )  
(146.7 )  
(0.2 )  

(285.2 )  
67.0    

1,176.8 
173.9    
1,043.4    
3.5    
0.7    
1,047.6    
(249.8 )  

(0.4 )   
643.4    
$  643.0     $ 

(218.2 )  
861.6    
643.4     $ 

797.8 
—    
797.8     $ 

222.0 
8.6    
82.2    
(5.4 )  
1.3    
78.1    
(14.3 )  

63.8 
—    

— 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    

— 
—    

— 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    

— 

(1,505.0 )  

63.8     $  —     $ 

(1,505.0 )   $ 

1,537.1 
182.5  
987.3  
(148.6 ) 
1.8  
840.5  
(197.5 ) 

643.0 
—  
643.0  

87 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Consolidating Statement of Operations 

Year Ended December 31, 2017 

Net sales 
Cost of sales 

$ 

Gross profit 
Selling and administrative expenses 
Advertising expense 

Operating income (loss) 
Interest (expense) income, net 
Other (expense) income, net 

Income (loss) before income taxes 
Income tax (expense) benefit 

Income (loss) before equity in 
earnings of subsidiaries 
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries 

Net income 

Parent 
Guarantor 

Subsidiary 
Issuer 

Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer   

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 
—    $  13,299.8    $ 
11,103.5    
—    
2,196.3    
—    
1,093.3    
127.2    
166.4    
—    
936.6    
(127.2 )   
4.1    
(148.3 )   
0.7    
(57.5 )   
941.4    
(270.2 )   

(333.0 )   
149.9    

—    $ 
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
—    
(0.9 )   

1,533.1    $  —    $ 
—    
1,279.2    
—    
253.9    
—    
189.5    
—    
7.3    
—    
57.1    
—    
(6.3 )   
—    
1.5    
—    
52.3    
—    
(16.4 )   

  Consolidated 
—    $  14,832.9  
—     12,382.7  
2,450.2  
—    
1,410.0  
—    
173.7  
—    
866.5  
—    
—    
(150.5 ) 
—    
(55.3 ) 
660.7  
—    
—    
(137.6 ) 

35.9 

—    

— 
—    
35.9     $  —     $ 

— 

(1,231.1 )   

(1,231.1 )   $ 

523.1 
—  
523.1  

(0.9 )   
524.0    
$  523.1    $ 

(183.1 )   
707.1    
524.0     $ 

671.2 

—    
671.2     $ 

88 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

Comprehensive income 

Comprehensive income 

Comprehensive income 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Condensed Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income 

Year Ended December 31, 2019 

Parent 
Guarantor   
$  749.6     $ 

Subsidiary 
Issuer 
749.6     $ 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer 

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

885.7     $ 

102.5     $  —     $ 

(1,737.8 )   $ 

  Consolidated 
749.6  

Condensed Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income 

Year Ended December 31, 2018 

Parent 
Guarantor   
$  608.3     $ 

Subsidiary 
Issuer 
608.7     $ 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer 
31.1     $  —     $ 

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

  Consolidated 
608.3  

(1,437.6 )   $ 

797.8     $ 

Condensed Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income 

Year Ended December 31, 2017 

Parent 
Guarantor   
$  567.0     $ 

Subsidiary 
Issuer 
567.9     $ 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer 
79.6     $  —     $ 

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

  Consolidated 
567.0  

(1,318.7 )   $ 

671.2     $ 

89 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows 

Year Ended December 31, 2019 

Net cash provided by (used in) 
operating activities 
Cash flows used in investing 
activities: 

Capital expenditures 
Acquisition of businesses, net of 
cash acquired 

Net cash used in investing activities 
Cash flows (used in) provided by: 
financing activities: 

Proceeds from borrowings under 
revolving credit facility 
Repayments of borrowings under 
revolving credit facility 
Repayments of long-term debt 
Proceeds from issuance of long-
term debt 

Payments to extinguish long-term 
debt 
Net change in accounts payable-
inventory financing 
Repurchases of common stock 
Payment of incentive 
compensation plan withholding 
taxes 
Dividend payments 
Capital contributions 
Other 
Distributions and advances from 
(to) affiliates 

Net cash (used in) provided by 
financing activities 
Effect of exchange rate changes on 
cash and cash equivalents 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and 
cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents – 
beginning of period 
Cash and cash equivalents – end of 
period 

Parent 
Guarantor   

Subsidiary 
Issuer 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

Non-
Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer   

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

  Consolidated 

$  — 

  $ 

14.8 

  $ 

927.8 

  $ 

97.1 

  $  — 

  $ 

(12.5 )   $  1,027.2 

—    

— 
—    

(61.5 )  

(160.4 )  

(14.4 )  

— 

(20.1 )  

(61.5 )  

(180.5 )  

(75.0 )  

(89.4 )  

— 

2,445.5 

— 
—    

(2,394.5 )  

(14.9 )  

— 

— 

— 

(657.2 )  

(21.4 )  

(183.4 )  
—    
—    

600.0 

(539.0 )  

— 
—    

— 
—    
(76.0 )  
35.5    

— 

— 
—    

— 

— 

(27.3 )  
—    

— 
—    
—    
(10.2 )  

— 

— 

(8.6 )  

— 

— 

26.0 
—    

— 
—    
76.0    
(0.3 )  

862.0 

(112.0 )  

(709.8 )  

(50.8 )  

— 

— 

— 

— 

(55.4 )   

(747.3 )   

42.3 

— 

(102.1 )  

176.0 

— 

— 

— 

2.2 

52.2 

46.7 

—    

— 
—    

— 

— 
—    

— 

— 

— 
—    

— 
—    
—    
—    

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

—    

— 
—    

(236.3 ) 

(95.1 ) 

(331.4 ) 

— 

2,445.5 

— 
—    

(2,394.5 ) 

(23.5 ) 

— 

— 

— 
—    

— 
—    
—    
—    

600.0 

(539.0 ) 

(1.3 ) 

(657.2 ) 

(21.4 ) 

(183.4 ) 
—  
25.0  

10.6 

— 

10.6 

(749.8 ) 

— 

2.2 

(1.9 )  

(51.8 ) 

(16.9 )  

205.8 

$  — 

  $ 

73.9 

  $ 

— 

  $ 

98.9 

  $  — 

  $ 

(18.8 )   $ 

154.0 

90 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows 

Year Ended December 31, 2018 

Net cash provided by (used in) 
operating activities 
Cash flows used in investing 
activities: 

Capital expenditures 

Net cash used in investing activities 
Cash flows (used in) provided by 
financing activities: 

Proceeds from borrowings 
under revolving credit facility 
Repayments of borrowings 
under revolving credit facility 
Repayments of long-term debt 
Net change in accounts payable-
inventory financing 
Repurchases of common stock 
Payment of incentive 
compensation plan withholding 
taxes 
Dividend payments 
Repayment of intercompany 
loan 
Other 
Distributions and advances from 
(to) affiliates 

Net cash (used in) provided by 
financing activities 
Effect of exchange rate changes on 
cash and cash equivalents 
Net increase in cash and cash 
equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents—
beginning of period 
Cash and cash equivalents—end of 
period 

Parent 
Guarantor   

Subsidiary 
Issuer 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer   

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

  Consolidated 

$  — 

  $ 

(85.7 )   $  1,073.6 

  $ 

75.0 

  $  — 

  $ 

(157.0 )   $ 

905.9 

—    
—    

(40.8 )  

(40.8 )  

(34.5 )  

(34.5 )  

(10.8 )  

(10.8 )  

— 

640.0 

— 
—    

— 

(522.3 )  

(33.9 )  

(139.4 )  

— 
—    

(640.0 )  

(14.9 )  

(0.8 )  
—    

— 
—    

— 
34.6    

— 

— 
—    

(74.7 )  
—    

— 
—    

47.5 

(4.4 )  

46.7 

(46.7 )  

(6.7 )  

8.1 
—    

— 
—    

(47.5 )  

(0.4 )  

695.6 

169.9 

(1,007.5 )  

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

188.8 

(1,039.1 )  

(46.5 )  

— 

62.3 

113.7 

— 

— 

— 

(3.4 )  

14.3 

32.4 

—    
—    

— 

— 
—    

— 
—    

— 
—    

— 
—    

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

—    
—    

— 

— 
—    

— 
—    

— 
—    

— 
—    

142.0 

(86.1 ) 

(86.1 ) 

686.7 

(686.7 ) 

(21.6 ) 

(67.4 ) 

(522.3 ) 

(33.9 ) 

(139.4 ) 

— 
29.8  

— 

142.0 

(754.8 ) 

— 

(3.4 ) 

(15.0 )  

61.6 

(1.9 )  

144.2 

$  — 

  $ 

176.0 

  $ 

— 

  $ 

46.7 

  $  — 

  $ 

(16.9 )   $ 

205.8 

91 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows 

Year Ended December 31, 2017 

Net cash provided by (used in)  
operating activities 
Cash flows used in investing 
activities: 

Capital expenditures 

Net cash used in investing activities 
Cash flows (used in) provided by 
financing activities: 

Proceeds from borrowings 
under revolving credit facility 
Repayments of borrowings 
under revolving credit facility 
Repayments of long-term debt 
Proceeds from issuance of long-
term debt 
Payments to extinguish long-
term debt 
Net change in accounts payable-
inventory financing 
Repurchases of common stock 
Payment of incentive 
compensation plan withholding 
taxes 
Dividend payments 
Repayment of intercompany 
loan 
Other 
Distributions and advances from 
(to) affiliates 

Net cash (used in) provided by 
financing activities 
Effect of exchange rate changes on 
cash and cash equivalents 
Net decrease in cash and cash 
equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents – 
beginning of period 
Cash and cash equivalents – end of 
period 

Parent 
Guarantor   

Subsidiary 
Issuer 

Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

Non-Guarantor 
Subsidiaries 

  Co-Issuer   

Consolidating 
Adjustments 

  Consolidated 

$ 

0.6 

  $ 

(71.1 )   $ 

788.5 

  $ 

52.3 

  $  — 

  $ 

7.4 

  $ 

777.7 

—    
—    

(55.2 )  

(55.2 )   

(6.3 )  

(6.3 )   

(19.6 )  

(19.6 )   

—    
—    

—    
—    

(81.1 ) 

(81.1 ) 

— 

1,501.5 

— 
—    

(1,501.5 )  

(14.9 )  

— 

2,083.0 

— 

(2,121.3 )  

— 

(534.0 )  

(49.6 )  

(106.9 )  

— 
—    

(0.2 )  
—    

— 
—    

— 
14.1    

— 

— 
—    

— 

— 

(78.4 )  
—    

— 
—    

34.3 

(4.0 )  

59.2 

(59.2 )  
—    

— 

— 

(5.4 )  
—    

— 
—    

(34.3 )  

(1.1 )  

689.9 

56.6 

(737.2 )  

— 

(0.6 )   

17.3 

(785.3 )   

(40.8 )   

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

2.6 

(109.0 )  

(3.1 )  

(5.5 )  

222.7 

3.1 

37.9 

— 

— 
—    

— 

— 

— 
—    

— 
—    

— 
—    

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

— 

1,560.7 

— 
—    

(1,560.7 ) 

(14.9 ) 

— 

2,083.0 

— 

(2,121.3 ) 

— 
—    

— 
—    

— 
—    

(9.3 )  

(84.0 ) 

(534.0 ) 

(49.6 ) 

(106.9 ) 

— 
9.0  

— 

(9.3 )   

(818.7 ) 

— 

2.6 

(1.9 )  

(119.5 ) 

— 

263.7 

$  — 

  $ 

113.7 

  $ 

— 

  $ 

32.4 

  $  — 

  $ 

(1.9 )   $ 

144.2 

92 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

CDW CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(dollars in millions, except per share data, unless otherwise noted) 

19.  

Selected Quarterly Financial Results (unaudited) 

Net sales: 
Corporate 

Small Business 

Public: 

Government 
Education 
Healthcare 
Total Public 

Other 
Net sales 
Gross profit 
Operating income 
Net income 
Basic(1) 
Diluted(1) 

Net sales: 
Corporate 

Small Business 

Public: 

Government 
Education 
Healthcare 
Total Public 

Other 
Net sales 
Gross profit 
Operating income 
Net income 
Basic(1) 
Diluted(1) 

Year Ended December 31, 2019 

First Quarter 

  Second Quarter    Third Quarter    Fourth Quarter 

  $ 

1,736.2     $ 

1,883.9     $ 

1,913.5     $ 

1,965.4  

355.6    

377.4    

386.2    

391.1  

  $ 

488.4    
400.4    
441.9    
1,330.7    
535.4    
3,957.9     $ 
672.1    
228.9    
152.9    
1.04    
1.02    

578.4    
773.6    
488.1    
1,840.1    
528.5    
4,629.9     $ 
773.8    
300.3    
196.6    
1.35    
1.33    

793.4    
807.0    
500.5    
2,100.9    
507.1    
4,907.7     $ 
816.5    
320.6    
201.7    
1.39    
1.37    

659.1  
430.6  
503.4  
1,593.1  
587.3  
4,536.9  
777.5  
283.8  
185.6  
1.29  
1.27  

Year Ended December 31, 2018 

First Quarter 

  Second Quarter    Third Quarter    Fourth Quarter 

  $ 

1,565.8     $ 

1,733.8     $ 

1,706.5     $ 

1,836.4  

327.6    

329.5    

340.0    

362.5  

  $ 

418.5    
397.2    
414.3    
1,230.0    
483.0    
3,606.4     $ 
603.9    
204.1    
127.0    
0.83    
0.82    

493.5    
712.1    
429.8    
1,635.4    
487.4    
4,186.1     $ 
695.6    
265.5    
173.0    
1.14    
1.12    

639.3    
793.1    
442.7    
1,875.1    
451.6    
4,373.2     $ 
713.6    
274.8    
183.7    
1.22    
1.20    

546.0  
425.0  
443.2  
1,414.2  
461.7  
4,074.8  
693.8  
242.9  
159.3  
1.07  
1.05  

(1)  

Basic  and  diluted  net  income  per  share  are  computed  independently  for  each  of  the  quarters  presented. 
Therefore, the sum of quarterly basic and diluted per share information may not equal annual basic and diluted 
net income per share. 

93 

 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
 
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
   
   
  
   
 
   
   
   
   
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

SCHEDULE II – VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS 
Years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
(dollars in millions) 

Allowance for doubtful accounts: 

Year Ended December 31, 2019 
Year Ended December 31, 2018 
Year Ended December 31, 2017 

Balance at 
Beginning  
of Period 

Charged to 
Costs and  
Expenses 

  Deductions   

Balance at 
End of  
Period 

 $ 

7.0    $ 
6.2    
5.9    

2.2    $ 
2.0    
2.1    

(1.3 )   $ 
(1.2 )   
(1.8 )   

7.9  
7.0  
6.2  

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 

None. 

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures 

The Company's management, with the participation of the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has 
evaluated the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) or 
Rule 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act")) as of the end of the period covered 
by this report. Based on such evaluation, the Company's management, including the Company's Chief Executive Officer and 
Chief Financial Officer, has concluded that, as of the end of such period, the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were 
effective in recording, processing, summarizing, and reporting, on a timely basis, information required to be disclosed by the 
Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act, and that information is accumulated and communicated 
to the Company's management, including the Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to 
allow timely discussions regarding required disclosure. 

Management's Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting 

Management  is  responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining  adequate  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  as  defined  in 
Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting 
may not prevent or detect misstatements and can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation 
and presentation. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may 
become  inadequate  because  of  changes  in  conditions,  or  that  the  degree  of  compliance  with  policies  or  procedures  may 
deteriorate. 

Management  assessed  the  effectiveness of  the  Company's  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as of December 31, 2019. 
Management  based  this  assessment  on  the  criteria  set  forth  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the Treadway 
Commission (COSO) in "Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013 framework)." 

Based on its assessment, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2019, the Company's internal control over financial 
reporting is effective. 

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited the Consolidated Financial Statements of the 
Company and the Company's internal control over financial reporting and has included their reports herein. 

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting 

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 that 
have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. 

94 

 
 
 
 
 
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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of CDW Corporation and subsidiaries 

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting 

We have audited CDW Corporation and subsidiaries' internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on 
criteria  established  in  Internal  Control-Integrated  Framework  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the 
Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, CDW Corporation and subsidiaries (the Company) 
maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, based on the 
COSO criteria. 

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) 
(PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, and the related consolidated 
statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders' equity and cash flows for each of the three years in the period 
ended December 31, 2019, and the related notes and the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15 (a) (2) and 
our report dated February 28, 2020 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon. 

Basis for Opinion 

The  Company's  management  is  responsible  for  maintaining  effective  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  and  for  its 
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management's Annual 
Report  on  Internal  Control  Over  Financial  Reporting.  Our  responsibility  is  to  express  an  opinion  on  the  Company's  internal 
control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required 
to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and 
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB. 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the 
audit  to  obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether  effective  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  was  maintained  in  all 
material respects. 

Our  audit  included  obtaining  an  understanding  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  assessing  the  risk  that  a  material 
weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and 
performing  such  other  procedures  as  we  considered  necessary  in  the  circumstances.  We  believe  that  our  audit  provides  a 
reasonable basis for our opinion. 

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

A  company's  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  is  a  process  designed  to  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  the 
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally 
accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that 
(1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions 
of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation 
of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the 
company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide 
reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's 
assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. 

Because  of  its  inherent  limitations,  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or  detect  misstatements. Also, 
projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because 
of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP 
Chicago, Illinois 
February 28, 2020 

95 

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Item 9B. Other Information 

None. 

96 

 
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Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

PART III

We have adopted The CDW Way Code, our code of business conduct and ethics, that is applicable to all of our coworkers and 
directors. A copy of The CDW Way Code is available on our website at www.cdw.com. Within The CDW Way Code is a Financial 
Integrity Code of Ethics that sets forth an even higher standard applicable to our executives, officers, members of our internal 
disclosure committee and all managers and above in our finance department. We intend to disclose any substantive amendments 
to, or waivers from, The CDW Way Code by posting such information on our website or by filing a Form 8-K, in each case to the 
extent such disclosure is required by the rules of the SEC or Nasdaq.

See  Part  I  -  "Information  about  our  Executive  Officers"  for  the  biographical  information  of  our  executive  officers,  which  is 
incorporated by reference in this Item 10. Other information required under this Item 10 is incorporated herein by reference to our 
definitive proxy statement for our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders on May 21, 2020 ("2020 Proxy Statement"), which we 
will file with the SEC on or before April 29, 2020.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

Information required under this Item 11 is incorporated herein by reference to the 2020 Proxy Statement.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Information required under this Item 12 is incorporated herein by reference to the 2020 Proxy Statement.

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Information required under this Item 13 is incorporated herein by reference to the 2020 Proxy Statement.

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Information required under this Item 14 is incorporated herein by reference to the 2020 Proxy Statement.

97

Table of Contents 

PART IV 
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 

(a)

Financial Statements and Schedules

The following documents are filed as part of this report:

(1)

Consolidated Financial Statements:

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2019 and 2018 
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 

Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017 
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

(2)

Financial Statement Schedules:

Schedule II – Valuation and Qualifying Accounts 

Page 

48 
50 
51 

52 
53 
54 
55 

Page 

94 

All  other  schedules  are  omitted  since  the  required  information  is  not  present  or  is  not  present  in  amounts 
sufficient  to  require  submission  of  the  schedule,  or  because  the  information  required  is  included  in  the 
Consolidated Financial Statements or notes thereto. 

(b)

Exhibits

Exhibit 
Number 

3.1 

 3.1.1 

 3.1.2 

3.2 

3.3 

3.4 

3.5 

3.6 

3.7 

Description 

Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of CDW Corporation, previously filed as Exhibit 
3.1 with CDW Corporation’s Amendment No. 2 to Form S-1 filed on June 14, 2013 and incorporated herein 
by reference. 

Certificate of Amendment to Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of CDW Corporation, 
previously filed as Exhibit 3.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on May 19, 2016 and incorporated 
herein by reference. 

Certificate of Amendment to Fifth Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of CDW Corporation 
previously filed as Exhibit 3.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on May 25, 2018 and incorporated 
herein by reference. 

Amended and Restated By-Laws of CDW Corporation, previously filed as Exhibit 3.1 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on December 23, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Articles of Organization of CDW LLC, previously filed as Exhibit 3.3 with CDW Corporation’s Form S-4 
filed on September 7, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of CDW LLC, previously filed as Exhibit 3.4 
with CDW Corporation’s Form S-4 filed on September 7, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Certificate of Incorporation of CDW Finance Corporation, previously filed as Exhibit 3.5 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form S-4 filed on September 7, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Amended and Restated By-Laws of CDW Finance Corporation, previously filed as Exhibit 3.1 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form 10-Q filed on May 8, 2015 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Articles of Organization of CDW Technologies LLC, previously filed as Exhibit 3.7 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form 10-K filed on February 25, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference. 

98 

Table of Contents 

Exhibit 
Number 

Description 

3.8 

3.9 

3.10 

3.11 

3.12 

3.13* 

3.14* 

4.1* 

4.2 

4.3 

4.4 

4.5 

4.6 

4.7 

4.8 

4.9 

10.1 

Operating Agreement of CDW Technologies LLC, previously filed as Exhibit 3.8 with CDW Corporation’s 
Form 10-K filed on February 25, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Articles of Organization of CDW Direct, LLC, previously filed as Exhibit 3.9 with CDW Corporation’s Form 
S-4 filed on September 7, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference.

Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of CDW Direct, LLC, previously filed as 
Exhibit 3.10 with CDW Corporation’s Form S-4 filed on September 7, 2010 and incorporated herein by 
reference. 

Articles of Organization of CDW Government LLC, previously filed as Exhibit 3.11 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form S-4 filed on September 7, 2010 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of CDW Government LLC, previously filed 
as Exhibit 3.12 with CDW Corporation’s Form S-4 filed on September 7, 2010 and incorporated herein by 
reference. 

Articles of Organization of CDW Logistics LLC. 

Limited Liability Company Agreement of CDW Logistics LLC. 

Description of CDW Corporation’s Common Stock. 

Specimen Common Stock Certificate, previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 with CDW Corporation’s Amendment 
No. 3 to Form S-1 filed on June 25, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Base Indenture, dated as of December 1, 2014, by and among CDW LLC, CDW Finance Corporation, the 
guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association as trustee, previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 with 
CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on December 1, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference. 

First Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 1, 2014, by and among CDW LLC, CDW Finance 
Corporation, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association as trustee, previously filed as 
Exhibit 4.2 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on December 1, 2014 and incorporated herein by 
reference. 

Form of 5.5% Senior Note (included as Exhibit B to Exhibit 4.4), previously filed as Exhibit 4.3 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on December 1, 2014 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Third Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March 2, 2017, by and among CDW LLC, CDW Finance 
Corporation, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association, as trustee, previously filed as 
Exhibit 4.2 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on March 2, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Form of 5.0% Senior Note (included as Exhibit A to Exhibit 4.6), previously filed as Exhibit 4.3 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on March 2, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Fourth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of September 26, 2019, by and among the CDW LLC, CDW 
Finance Corporation, the guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank National Association as trustee, previously 
filed as Exhibit 4.2 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on September 26, 2019 and incorporated herein 
by reference. 

Form of 4.250% Senior Note (included as Exhibit A to Exhibit 4.8) previously filed as Exhibit 4.3 with the 
CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on September 26, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Second Amended and Restated Revolving Loan Credit Agreement, dated March 31, 2017, by and among 
CDW LLC, the lenders party thereto, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, Wells Fargo 
Commercial Distribution Finance, LLC, as floorplan funding agent, and the joint lead arrangers, joint 
bookrunners, co-collateral agents, co-syndication agents and co-documentation agents party thereto, 
previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on March 31, 2017 and 
incorporated herein by reference. 

99 

Table of Contents 

Exhibit 
Number 
10.2 

10.3 

10.4 

10.5 

 10.6 

10.7§ 

 10.8§ 

 10.9§ 

 10.10§ 

 10.11§ 

 10.12§ 

 10.13§ 

 10.14§ 

 10.15§ 

 10.16§ 

Description 

Amended and Restated Term Loan Agreement, dated as of August 17, 2016, by and among CDW LLC, the 
lenders from time to time party thereto, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and 
the joint lead arrangers, joint bookrunners, syndication agent and co-documentation agents party thereto, 
previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on August 18, 2016 and 
incorporated herein by reference. 

First Amendment to Amended and Restated Term Loan Agreement, dated as of February 28, 2017, among 
CDW, the lenders party thereto, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and the 
other loan parties party thereto, previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on 
March 2, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Second Amendment to Amended and Restated Term Loan Agreement, dated as of April 3, 2018, among 
CDW LLC, the lenders party thereto, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and 
the other loan parties party thereto, previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 10-Q 
filed on May 3, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Third Amendment to Amended and Restated Term Loan Agreement, dated as of October 11, 2019, among 
CDW LLC, the lenders party thereto, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent and collateral agent, and 
the other loan parties party thereto, previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 10-Q 
filed on October 31, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Second Amended and Restated Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, dated April 29, 2013, by and among 
CDW LLC, the guarantors party thereto and Barclays Bank PLC, as collateral agent, previously filed as 
Exhibit 10.2 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on May 1, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Compensation Protection Agreement, effective as of January 1, 2020, by and among CDW Corporation, 
CDW LLC and Christine A. Leahy, previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed 
on March 11, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Form of Compensation Protection Agreement (executive officers other than Christine A. Leahy), previously 
filed as Exhibit 10.2 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on March 11, 2019 and incorporated herein by 
reference. 

Form of Noncompetition Agreement under the Compensation Protection Agreement, previously filed as 
Exhibit 10.3 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on March 14, 2016 and incorporated herein by 
reference. 

Letter Agreement, dated as of September 13, 2011, by and between CDW Direct, LLC and Christina M. 
Corley, previously filed as Exhibit 10.31 with CDW Corporation’s Form 10-K filed on March 9, 2012 and 
incorporated herein by reference. 

Form of Indemnification Agreement by and between CDW Corporation and its directors and executive 
officers, previously filed as Exhibit 10.32 with CDW Corporation’s Amendment No. 2 to Form S-1 filed on 
June 14, 2013 and incorporated herein by reference. 

CDW Corporation Amended and Restated 2013 Senior Management Incentive Plan, previously filed as 
Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 10-Q filed on May 5, 2016 and incorporated herein by 
reference. 

Amended and Restated 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan of CDW Corporation, previously filed as Exhibit 
10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 8-K filed on May 19, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Amended and Restated CDW Corporation Coworker Stock Purchase Plan, previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 
with CDW Corporation’s Form 10-Q filed on November 3, 2016 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Form of Stock Option Agreement (executive officers) under the CDW Corporation Amended and Restated 
2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan, previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s Form 10-K filed 
on March 1, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Form of Stock Option Agreement (other than executive officers) under the CDW Corporation Amended and 
Restated 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan, previously filed as Exhibit 10.22 with CDW Corporation’s Form 
10-K filed on March 1, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference.

100 

Table of Contents 

Exhibit 
Number 

 10.17§ 

 10.18§ 

 10.19§ 

 10.20§* 

 10.21§ 

 10.22§ 

21.1* 

23.1* 

31.1* 

31.2* 

32.1** 

Description 

Form of Performance Share Unit Award Agreement (executive officers) under the CDW Corporation 
Amended and Restated 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan, previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Form of Performance Share Unit Award Agreement (other than executive officers) under the CDW 
Corporation Amended and Restated 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan, previously filed as Exhibit 10.24 with 
CDW Corporation’s Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2018 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Form of Performance Share Award Agreement (executive officers) under the CDW Corporation Amended 
and Restated 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan, previously filed as Exhibit 10.1 with CDW Corporation’s 
Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2017 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Notice and Agreement under the CDW Corporation Amended and 
Restated 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan. 

Form of Non-Employee Director Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the CDW Corporation 
Amended and Restated 2013 Long-Term Incentive Plan, previously filed as Exhibit 10.25 with CDW 
Corporation’s Form 10-K filed on February 27, 2019 and incorporated herein by reference. 

Letter Agreement, dated as of February 12, 2018, by and between CDW Limited and Collin B. Kebo, 
previously filed as Exhibit 10.28 with CDW Corporation’s Form 10-K filed on March 1, 2018 and 
incorporated herein by reference. 

List of subsidiaries. 

Consent of Ernst & Young LLP. 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) under the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934. 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a) under the Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934. 
Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350. 

32.2** 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350. 

101.INS*

XBRL Instance Document 

101.SCH*

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document 

101.CAL*

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document 

101.DEF*

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document 

101.LAB*

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document 

101.PRE*

Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document 

104* 

Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) 

*
** 
§

Filed herewith
These items are furnished and not filed. 
A  management  contract  or  compensatory  arrangement  required  to  be  filed  as  an  exhibit  pursuant  to  Item  601  of
Regulation S-K.

101 

Table of Contents

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

None.

102

Table of Contents 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this 
report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. 

SIGNATURES 

Date:  February 28, 2020 

CDW CORPORATION 

By: 

/s/ Christine A. Leahy 

Christine A. Leahy 
President and Chief Executive Officer 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons 
on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. 

103 

Table of Contents 

Signature 

Title 

Date 

/s/ Christine A. Leahy 
Christine A. Leahy 

President and Chief Executive Officer 
(principal executive officer) and Director 

/s/ Collin B. Kebo 
Collin B. Kebo 

/s/ Neil B. Fairfield 
Neil B. Fairfield 

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 
(principal financial officer) 

Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer 
(principal accounting officer) 

February 28, 2020 

February 28, 2020 

February 28, 2020 

/s/ David W. Nelms 

Non-Executive Chairman of the Board 

February 28, 2020 

David W. Nelms 

/s/ Virginia C. Addicott 

Director 

Virginia C. Addicott 

/s/ Steven W. Alesio 

Director 

Steven W. Alesio 

/s/ Barry K. Allen 

Director 

Barry K. Allen 

/s/ James A. Bell 

Director 

James A. Bell 

/s/ Benjamin D. Chereskin  Director 

Benjamin D. Chereskin 

February 28, 2020 

February 28, 2020 

February 28, 2020 

February 28, 2020 

February 28, 2020 

/s/ Lynda M. Clarizio 

Director 

February 28, 2020 

Lynda M. Clarizio 

/s/ Paul J. Finnegan 
Paul J. Finnegan 

/s/ Joseph R. Swedish 
Joseph R. Swedish 

/s/ Donna F. Zarcone 
Donna F. Zarcone 

Director 

Director 

Director 

February 28, 2020 

February 28, 2020 

February 28, 2020 

104 

COMPANY INFORMATION

Principal Location
CDW Corporation
75 Tri-State International 
Lincolnshire, IL 60069
(847) 465-6000

Auditors
Ernst & Young LLP
155 North Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606-1787

Common Stock Listing
The company’s common stock is listed on Nasdaq under 
the trading symbol CDW.

Transfer Agent, Registrar and Dividend Disbursing Agent
Computershare
P.O. Box 505000
Louisville, KY 40233-5000
Email: web.queries@computershare.com
Telephone:   (800) 736-3001 (toll free)

(781) 575-3100 (toll number)

Investor Relations Contact
Brittany A. Smith
Vice President, Investor Relations and Financial Planning  
and Analysis
(847) 968-0238
investorrelations@cdw.com

Upon written request to Investor Relations, we will provide, 
free of charge, a copy of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year 
ended December 31, 2019.

CDW’s Annual Report, Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, proxy 
statement and other filings with the Securities and  
Exchange Commission, can be accessed on  
investor.cdw.com under SEC filings.

Media Relations Contact
Sara Granack 
Vice President, Corporate Communications & Reputation
(847) 419-7411
saragra@cdw.com

Forward-looking Statements
Statements in this annual report that are not statements 
of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the 
meaning of the federal securities laws, including without limitation 
statements regarding the future financial performance of CDW. 
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause 
actual results to differ materially from those described in such 
statements. Important factors that could cause actual results 
to differ materially from CDW’s expectations, or cautionary 
statements, are disclosed under the section entitled “Risk  
Factors” included in CDW’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for  
the year ended December 31, 2019 (the “Form 10-K”) and in  
CDW’s subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with  
the Securities and Exchange Commission. Refer to page 3 of 
the Form 10-K for additional information. CDW undertakes 
no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking 
statement as a result of new information, future events or 
otherwise, except as required by law. 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Non-GAAP operating income, Non-GAAP operating income 
margin, Non-GAAP net income, and Non-GAAP net income per 
diluted share are not based on generally accepted accounting 
principles in the United States (“non-GAAP”). CDW believes 
these non-GAAP financial measures provide helpful information 
with respect to the underlying operating performance of CDW’s 
business, as they remove the impact of items that management 
believes are not reflective of underlying operating performance.  
A reconciliation of Non-GAAP operating income to operating 
income is included on page 30 of the Form 10-K, and a 
reconciliation of Non-GAAP net income (which is divided by  
fully diluted, weighted-average common shares outstanding of 
147.8 million in 2019, 153.6 million in 2018, 158.2 million in 2017, 
166.0 million in 2016, 171.8 million in 2015 and 172.8 million in 2014 
to arrive at Non-GAAP net income per diluted share for those 
periods) to net income is included on page 31 of the Form 10-K. 
Reconciliations for these financial measures are also included  
on the investor relations section of the company website at  
www.cdw.com. Non-GAAP measures used by CDW may differ 
from similar measures used by other companies, even when 
similar terms are used to identify such measures.

CDW CORPORATION  

CDW Corporation
75 Tri-State International 
Lincolnshire, IL 60069