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Descartes Systems Group Inc.

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FY2015 Annual Report · Descartes Systems Group Inc.
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THE DESCARTES SYSTEMS GROUP INC. 
                        ANNUAL REPORT 

US GAAP FINANCIAL RESULTS FOR 2015 FISCAL YEAR 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS ........................ 3 
OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................................. 5 
CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS ............................................................................................................ 9 
QUARTERLY OPERATING RESULTS ..................................................................................................... 17 
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES .................................................................................................. 19 
COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND GUARANTEES ................................................................................. 22 
OUTSTANDING SHARE DATA ........................................................................................................... 24 
APPLICATION OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES .................................................................................. 24 
CHANGE IN / INITIAL ADOPTION OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES........................................................................ 27 
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES .......................................................................................................... 28 
TRENDS / BUSINESS OUTLOOK ........................................................................................................ 29 
CERTAIN FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS ............................................................................ 31 
MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING ................ 44 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS ..................................................................................................... 47 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS ....................................................................................... 48 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) ............................................................... 49 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY ......................................................................... 50 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS ....................................................................................... 51 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ................................................................................. 52 
CORPORATE INFORMATION ............................................................................................................. 81 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF 
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF 
OPERATIONS 

Our  Management’s  Discussion  and  Analysis  of  Financial  Condition  and  Results  of  Operations  (“MD&A”) 
contains references to Descartes using the words “we,” “us,” “our” and similar words and the reader is 
referred to using the words “you,” “your,” and similar words.  

This MD&A also refers to our fiscal years. Our fiscal year commences on February 1st of each year and 
ends on January 31st of the following year. Our fiscal year, which ended on January 31, 2015, is referred 
to as the “current fiscal year,” “fiscal 2015,” “2015” or using similar words. Our fiscal year, which ended 
on January 31, 2014,  is  referred to as  the “previous fiscal year,” “fiscal  2014,”  “2014” or  using similar 
words.  Other  fiscal  years  are  referenced  by  the  applicable  year  during  which  the  fiscal  year  ends.  For 
example,  2016  refers  to  the  annual  period  ending  January  31,  2016  and  the  “fourth  quarter  of  2016” 
refers to the quarter ending January 31, 2016.  

This  MD&A,  which  is  prepared  as  of  March  5,  2015,  covers  our  year  ended  January  31,  2015,  as 
compared  to  years  ended  January  31,  2014  and  2013.  You  should  read  the  MD&A  in  conjunction  with 
our  audited  consolidated  financial  statements  for  2015.  We  prepare  and  file  our  consolidated  financial 
statements  and  MD&A  in  United  States  (“US”)  dollars  and  in  accordance  with  US  generally  accepted 
accounting  principles  (“GAAP”).  All  dollar  amounts  we  use  in  the  MD&A  are  in  US  currency,  unless  we 
indicate otherwise. 

We  have  prepared  the  MD&A  with  reference  to  the  Form  51-102F1  MD&A  disclosure  requirements 
established under National Instrument 51-102 “Continuous Disclosure Obligations” (“NI 51-102”) of the 
Canadian Securities Administrators. 

Additional  information  about  us,  including  copies  of  our  continuous  disclosure  materials  such  as  our 
annual information form, is available on our website at http://www.descartes.com, through the EDGAR 
website at http://www.sec.gov or through the SEDAR website at http://www.sedar.com.  

Certain statements made in this Annual Report to Shareholders, including, but not limited to, statements 
in the “Trends / Business Outlook” section and statements regarding our expectations concerning future 
revenues and earnings,  including potential variances from period to period; our expectations regarding 
the cyclical nature of our business, including an expectation that our third quarter will be strongest for 
shipping volumes and our first quarter will be the weakest; mix of revenues between services revenues 
and  license  revenues  and  potential  variances  from  period  to  period;  our  plans  to  focus  on  generating 
services revenues yet to continue to allow customers to elect to license technology in lieu of subscribing 
to  services;  our  expected  loss  of  revenues  and  customers;  our  baseline  calibration;  our  ability  to  keep 
our operating expenses at a level below our baseline revenues; our future business plans and business 
planning  process;  allocation  of  purchase  price  for  completed  acquisitions;  our  expectations  regarding 
future  restructuring  charges  and  cost-reduction  activities;  expenses,  including  amortization  of 
intangibles  and  stock-based  compensation;  goodwill  impairment  tests  and  the  possibility  of  future 
impairment  adjustments;  capital  expenditures;  acquisition-related  costs;  our  liability  with  respect  to 
various  claims  and  suits  arising  in  the  ordinary  course;  any  commitments  referred  to  in  the 
“Commitments,  Contingencies  and  Guarantees”  section  of  this  MD&A;  our  intention  to  actively  explore 
future  business  combinations  and  other  strategic  transactions;  our  liability  under  indemnification 
obligations;  our  reinvestment  of  earnings  of  subsidiaries  back  into  such  subsidiaries;  the  sufficiency  of 
capital  to  meet  working  capital,  capital  expenditure,  debt  repayment  requirements  and  our  anticipated 
growth  strategy;  our  ability  to  raise  capital;  our  adoption  of  certain  accounting  standards  and  other 
matters  related  thereto  constitute  forward-looking information  for  the  purposes  of  applicable  securities 
laws (“forward-looking statements”). When used in this document, the words “believe,” “plan,” “expect,” 
“anticipate,”  “intend,”  “continue,”  “may,”  “will,”  “should”  or  the  negative  of  such  terms  and  similar 
expressions  are  intended  to  identify  forward-looking  statements.    These  forward-looking  statements 
are  based  on  certain  assumptions  including  the  following:  global  shipment  volumes  continuing  to 
increase  at  levels  consistent  with  the  average  growth  rates  of  the  global  economy;  countries 

3 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
continuing  to  implement  and  enforce  existing  and  additional  customs  and  security  regulations 
relating  to  the  provision  of  electronic  information  for  imports  and  exports;  Descartes’  continued 
operation of a secure and reliable business network; the stability of general economic and market 
conditions,  currency  exchange  rates,  and  interest  rates;  equity  and  debt  markets  continuing  to 
provide  Descartes  with  access  to  capital;  Descartes’  continued  ability  to  identify  and  source 
attractive  and  executable  business  combination  opportunities;  Descartes’  ability  to  develop 
solutions that keep pace with the continuing changes in technology, and our continued compliance 
with third party intellectual property  rights. These assumptions may prove to be inaccurate.  Such 
forward-looking statements also involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors 
that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Descartes, or developments in 
Descartes’  business  or  industry,  to  differ  materially  from  the  anticipated  results,  performance  or 
achievements  or  developments  expressed  or  implied  by  such  forward-looking  statements.   Such 
factors  include,  but  are  not  limited  to,  the  factors  discussed  under  the  heading  “Certain  Factors  That 
May  Affect  Future  Results”  in  this  MD&A  and  in  other  documents  filed  with  the  Securities  and 
Exchange Commission, the Ontario Securities Commission and other securities commissions across 
Canada from time to time. If any of such risks actually occur, they could materially adversely affect our 
business,  financial  condition  or  results  of  operations.  In  that  case,  the  trading  price  of  our  common 
shares  could  decline,  perhaps  materially.  Readers  are  cautioned  not  to  place  undue  reliance  upon  any 
such  forward-looking  statements,  which  speak  only  as  of  the  date  made.  Forward-looking  statements 
are  provided  for  the  purpose  of  providing  information  about  management’s  current  expectations  and 
plans  relating  to  the  future.  Readers  are  cautioned  that  such  information  may  not  be  appropriate  for 
other purposes. Except as required by  applicable  law, we do  not undertake or accept  any obligation or 
undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any 
change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which 
any such statements are based. 

4 

 
 
 
 
OVERVIEW 

Our 

and 

rate, 

audit 

solutions 

processes. 

shipments; 

logistics-intensive 

We  use  technology  and  networks  to  simplify 
complex  business  processes.  We  are  primarily 
focused on  logistics and  supply chain management 
business 
are 
predominantly  cloud-based  and  are  focused  on 
the  productivity,  performance  and 
improving 
security 
businesses. 
of 
Customers  use  our  modular,  software-as-a-service 
(“SaaS”)  solutions  to  route,  schedule,  track  and 
measure  delivery  resources;  plan,  allocate  and 
execute 
pay 
transportation  invoices;  file  customs  and  security 
documents  for  imports  and  exports;  research  and 
perform  trade  tariff  and  duty  calculations  and 
complete  numerous  other  logistics  processes  by 
participating  in  a  large,  collaborative  multi-modal 
logistics  community. Our  pricing  model  provides 
our  customers  with  flexibility  in  purchasing  our 
solutions  either  on  a  subscription,  transactional  or 
perpetual  license  basis.  Our  primary  focus  is  on 
serving  transportation  providers  (air,  ocean  and 
truck  modes),  logistics  service  providers  (including 
third-party  logistics  providers,  freight  forwarders 
and  customs  brokers)  and  distribution-intensive 
companies  where  delivery  is  either  a  key  or  a 
defining  part  of  their  own  product  or  service 
offering, or where there is an opportunity to reduce 
costs  and  improve  service  levels  by  optimizing  the 
use of their assets.  

The Market 
Logistics  is  the  management  of  the  flow  of 
resources  between  a  point  of  origin  and  a  point  of 
destination  –  processes  that  move  items  (such  as 
goods,  people,  information)  from  point  A  to  point 
B.  Supply  chain  management  is  broader  than 
logistics  and  includes  the  sourcing,  procurement, 
conversion 
for 
consumption by an enterprise. Logistics and supply 
chain  management  have  been  evolving  over  the 
past  several  years  as  companies  are  increasingly 
seeking  automation  and  real-time  control  of  their 
supply  chain  activities.  We  believe  companies  are 
looking  for  integrated  solutions  for  managing 
inventory  in  transit,  conveyance  units,  people  and 
business documents.  

resources 

storage 

and 

of 

We  believe  logistics-intensive  organizations  are 
seeking  new  ways  to  reduce  operating  costs, 
differentiate themselves, and improve margins that 
are  trending  downward.  Existing  global  trade  and 

5 

transportation  processes  are  often  manual  and 
complex  to  manage.  This  is  a  consequence  of  the 
growing  number  of  business  partners  participating 
in  companies’  global  supply  chains  and  a  lack  of 
standardized business processes. 

Additionally,  global  sourcing,  logistics  outsourcing, 
adoption  of  additional  customs  and  regulatory 
requirements  and  the  increased  rate  of  change  in 
day-to-day  business  requirements  are  adding  to 
the  overall  complexities  that  companies  face  in 
planning  and  executing  in  their  supply  chains. 
Whether  a  shipment  is  delayed  at  the  border,  a 
customer changes an order or a breakdown occurs 
on  the  road,  there  are  increasingly  more  issues 
that  can  significantly  impact  the  execution  of 
fulfillment schedules and associated costs.  

greater 

frequently 

end-customers 

These  challenges  are  heightened  for  suppliers  that 
have 
demanding 
narrower  order-to-fulfillment  periods,  lower  prices 
and 
and 
rescheduling  deliveries.  End  customers  also  want 
real-time  updates  on  delivery  status,  adding 
considerable  burden  to  supply  chain  management 
as  process  efficiency  is  balanced  with  affordable 
service.  

scheduling 

flexibility 

in 

In this market, manual, fragmented and distributed 
logistics  solutions  are  often  proving  inadequate  to 
address 
the  needs  of  operators.  Connecting 
manufacturers  and  suppliers  to  carriers  on  an 
individual, one-off basis  is too  costly, complex and 
risky  for  organizations  dealing  with  many  trading 
partners.  Further,  many  of  these  solutions  do  not 
to  efficiently 
provide 
accommodate varied processes for organizations to 
remain  competitive.  We  believe  this  presents  an 
opportunity  for  logistics  technology  providers  to 
unite  this  highly  fragmented  community  and  help 
customers improve efficiencies in their operations. 

flexibility 

required 

the 

As  the  market  continues  to  change,  we  have  been 
evolving to meet our customers’ needs. The rate of 
adoption  of  newer  logistics  and  supply  chain 
management  technologies  is  evolving,  but  a  large 
number of organizations still have manual business 
processes.  We  have  been  educating  our  prospects 
and  customers  on  the  value  of  connecting  to 
trading  partners  through  our  Global  Logistics 
Network  (“GLN”)  and  automating,  as  well  as 
standardizing,  multi-party  business  processes.  We 
believe that our customers are increasingly looking 
for a single source, neutral, network-based solution 
provider  who  can  help  them  manage  the  end-to-
end  shipment  process  –  from  the  booking  of  a 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
shipment,  to  the  tracking  of  that  shipment  as  it 
moves,  to  the  regulatory  compliance  filings  to  be 
made  during  the  move  and, 
finally,  to  the 
settlement and audit of the invoice.  

Its  capabilities  go  beyond 

logistics, 
motion. 
supporting 
transactions, 
regulatory  compliance  documents,  and  customer 
specific needs. 

commercial 

common 

and 

helps 

regulatory 

technology 

competitive.  Our 

filing  of  shipment 

initiatives  mandating 
Additionally, 
electronic 
information  with 
customs authorities require companies to automate 
aspects  of  their  shipping  processes  to  remain 
customs 
compliant 
compliance 
shippers, 
transportation  providers,  freight  forwarders  and 
other  logistics  intermediaries  to  securely  and 
tariff/duty 
electronically 
information with customs authorities and self-audit 
their  own  efforts.  Our  technology  also  helps 
carriers 
efficiently 
coordinate  with  customs  brokers  and  agencies  to 
expedite  cross-border  shipments.  While  many 
compliance initiatives started in the US, compliance 
is  quickly  becoming  a  global 
issue  with 
international shipments crossing several borders on 
the way to their final destinations.    

forwarders 

shipment 

freight 

and 

and 

file 

Solutions 
Descartes’  Logistics  Technology  Platform  unites  a 
growing  global  community  of  more  than  173,000 
parties,  allowing  them  to  transact  business  while 
leveraging  a  broad  array  of  applications  designed 
to  help 
thrive. 
Descartes’  Logistics  Technology  Platform  is  the 
simple, elegant synthesis of a network, applications 
and a community. 

logistics-intensive  businesses 

The  Logistics  Technology  Platform  fuses  our  GLN, 
an  extensive  logistics  network  covering  multiple 
transportation  modes,  with  a  broad  array  of 
modular,  interoperable  web  and  wireless  logistics 
management solutions. Designed to help accelerate 
increase  productivity  and 
time-to-value  and 
performance 
for  businesses  of  all  sizes,  the 
Logistics  Technology  Platform  leverages  the  GLN’s 
multimodal 
enable 
companies  to  quickly  and  cost-effectively  connect 
and collaborate.  

community 

logistics 

to 

Descartes’  GLN,  the  underlying  foundation  of  the 
Logistics Technology Platform, manages the flow of 
data  and  documents  that  track  and  control 
inventory,  assets  and  people  in  motion.  Designed 
expressly for logistics operations, it is native to the 
particularities of different transportation modes and 
country  borders.  As  a  state-of-the-art  messaging 
network  with  wireless  capabilities,  the  GLN  helps 
manage  business  processes  in  real-time  and  in-

The  GLN  extends  its  reach  using  interconnect 
agreements  with  other  general  and 
logistics-
specific  networks,  to  offer  companies  access  to  a 
wide  array  of  trading  partners.  With  the  flexibility 
in  unique  ways, 
to  connect  and  collaborate 
companies  can  effectively  route  or  transform  data 
to  and  from  partners  and  leverage  new  and 
existing  Descartes  solutions  on  the  network.  The 
GLN  allows  “low  tech”  partners  to  act  and  respond 
with  “high  tech”  capabilities  and  connect  to  the 
transient  partners  that  exist  in  many  logistics 
inherent  adaptability  creates 
operations.  This 
opportunities 
logistics  business 
processes  that  can  help  customers  differentiate 
themselves from their competitors. 

to  develop 

Descartes’  Logistics  Application  Suite  offers  a  wide 
array  of  modular,  cloud-based,  interoperable  web 
and  wireless  logistics  management  applications. 
These  solutions  embody  Descartes’  deep  domain 
expertise,  not  merely  “check  box”  functionality. 
These  solutions  deliver  value  for  a  broad  range  of 
intensive  organizations,  whether  they 
logistics 
purchase  transportation,  run  their  own 
fleet, 
operate  globally  or  locally,  or  work  across  air, 
ocean  or  ground 
transportation.  Descartes’ 
comprehensive suite of solutions includes: 

•  Routing, Mobile and Telematics; 
•  Transportation Management; 
•  Customs & Regulatory Compliance; 
•  Trade Data; 
•  Global Logistics Network Services; and 
•  Broker & Forwarder Enterprise Systems. 

solutions. 

applications 

are  modular 

Powered  by  the  Logistics  Technology  Platform, 
Descartes’ 
and 
interoperable  to  allow  organizations  the  flexibility 
to  deploy  them  quickly  within  an  existing  portfolio 
streamlined 
Implementation 
of 
because these solutions use web-native or wireless 
user  interfaces  and  are  pre-integrated  with  the 
GLN.  With  interoperable  and  multi-party  solutions, 
to  deliver 
Descartes’  solutions  are  designed 
functionality 
logistics 
operation’s  performance  and  productivity  both 
within  the  organization  and  across  a  complex 
network of partners. 

can  enhance  a 

that 

is 

Descartes’  GLN 
community  members  enjoy 
extended  command  of  operations  and  accelerated 

6 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
over 

comprises 

time-to-value  relative  to  many  alternative  logistics 
solutions.  Given  the  inter-enterprise  nature  of 
logistics,  quickly  gaining  access  to  partners  is 
paramount. For this reason, Descartes has focused 
on  growing  a  community  that  strategically  attracts 
and  retains  relevant  logistics  parties.  Descartes’ 
GLN 
200,000 
community 
organizations  collaborating 
in  more  than  160 
countries.  With  that  reach,  many  companies  find 
that  on  joining  the  GLN  community,  a  number  of 
their  trading  partners  are  already  members,  with 
existing  connection  to  the  GLN.  This  helps  to 
minimize  the  time  required  to  integrate  Descartes’ 
logistics  management  applications  and  to  begin 
realizing 
to 
continuing  to  expand  community  membership. 
Companies that join the GLN community or extend 
their  participation  find  a  single  place  where  their 
entire  logistics  network  can  exist  regardless  of  the 
range  of  transportation  modes,  the  number  of 
trading  partners  or  the  variety  of  regulatory 
agencies. 

results.  Descartes 

is  committed 

Sales and Distribution 
Our sales efforts are primarily directed towards two 
specific  customer  markets:  (a) 
transportation 
companies  and  logistics  service  providers;  and  (b) 
manufacturer,  retailer,  distributor  and  mobile 
service  providers  (“MRDMs”).  Our  sales  staff  is 
regionally  based  and  trained  to  sell  across  our 
solutions  to  specific  customer  markets.  In  North 
America  and  Europe,  we  promote  our  products 
primarily  through  direct  sales  efforts  aimed  at 
existing and potential users of our products. In the 
Asia  Pacific,  Indian  subcontinent,  Ibero-America 
and  African  regions,  we  focus  on  making  our 
channel  partners  successful.  Channel  partners  for 
our 
include 
distributors,  alliance  partners  and  value-added 
resellers.  

international 

operations 

other 

United by Design 
Descartes’  ‘United  By  Design’  strategic  alliance 
program  is  intended  to  ensure  complementary 
hardware,  software  and  network  offerings  are 
interoperable  with  Descartes’  solutions  and  work 
together  seamlessly  to  solve  multi-party  business 
problems.   

‘United  By  Design’  is  intended  to  create  a  global 
ecosystem  of 
logistics-intensive  organizations 
working  together  to  standardize  and  automate 
in 
business  processes  and  manage  resources 
motion.  The  program  centers  on  Descartes’  Open 
Standard  Collaborative  Interfaces,  which  provide  a 
to 
wide  variety  of  connectivity  mechanisms 

integrate  a  broad  spectrum  of  applications  and 
services.   

Marketing 
Marketing materials are delivered through targeted 
programs  designed  to  reach  our  core  customer 
groups.  These  programs  include  trade  shows  and 
user group conferences, partner-focused marketing 
programs, and direct corporate marketing efforts. 

Fiscal 2015 Highlights 
On  April  1,  2014,  we  acquired  privately-held 
Computer  Management  USA,  Inc.  and  Computer 
Management  NA,  Inc.  (collectively,  “Computer 
Management”),  a  leading  US-based  provider  of 
security  filing  solutions  and  air  cargo  management 
solutions 
partners. 
Specifically,  Computer  Management’s  solutions 
help  air  carriers  to  improve  operational  efficiency 
filing  and  customs 
and  streamline  security 
clearance 
through 
coordination  with  ground  handlers  and  container 
freight  stations.  The  total  purchase  price  for  the 
acquisition was $6.7 million, net of cash acquired. 

processes, 

directly 

airlines 

their 

and 

and 

for 

(vi) 

(iv) 

preferred 

(v)  warrants;  and 

On April 16, 2014, we filed a final short-form base 
shelf prospectus, allowing us to offer and issue the 
following  securities:  (i)  common  shares;  (ii) 
preferred  shares;  (iii)  senior  or  subordinated 
subscription 
unsecured  debt 
securities; 
receipts; 
securities 
comprised  of  more  than  one  of  the  common 
shares, 
securities, 
shares, 
subscription  receipts  and/  or  warrants  offered 
together as a unit. These securities may be offered 
separately  or  together,  in  separate  series,  in 
amounts,  at prices  and on terms to be set forth  in 
one  or  more  shelf  prospectus  supplements.  The 
aggregate  initial  offering  price  of  securities  that 
may  be  sold  by  us  (or  certain  of  our  current  or 
future  shareholders)  pursuant  to  our  base  shelf 
prospectus  during  the  25-month  period  that  our 
base  shelf  prospectus,  including  any  amendments 
thereto, remains valid is limited to $250 million.  

debt 

On May  28,  2014, we  amended our revolving debt 
facility,  increasing  the  borrowing  limit  from  $50.0 
million  to  $77.0  million.  The  amended  facility  is 
comprised of a $75.0 million revolving facility, with 
drawn  amounts  to  be  repaid  in  equal  quarterly 
installments  over  a  period  of  five  years  from  the 
advance date,  and  a  $2.0 million revolving facility, 
with  no  fixed  repayment  date  on  drawn  amounts 
prior  to  the  end  of  the  term.  All  other  terms, 
including  security,  interest  rates  and  payment 
and 
frequency, 

representations,  warranties 

7 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
On  November  19,  2014,  we  acquired  all  the 
outstanding  shares  of  privately-held  Airclic  Inc. 
(“Airclic”),  a  leading  US-based  provider  of  mobile 
solutions  that  help  companies  reduce  the  cost  of 
delivering  goods  by  automating  traditional  paper-
based  processes.  Airclic's  cloud-based  mobile 
solutions  help  streamline  and  automate  complex 
'last  mile'  logistics  processes.  The  total  purchase 
price  for  the  acquisition  was  $29.6  million,  net  of 
cash  acquired,  which  was  funded  with  cash  on 
hand. 

On  December  5,  2014,  we  acquired  all  the 
outstanding shares of privately-held e-customs Inc. 
(“e-customs”),  a  leading  provider  of  electronic 
security  and  fiscal  customs  filing  solutions  in  the 
United  Kingdom  (“UK”).  e-customs'  cloud-based 
solution,  Webdecs,  provides  both  shippers  and 
logistics  service  providers  with  a  wide  range  of 
customs capabilities to cost effectively comply with 
UK fiscal filing and security filing requirements. The 
total  purchase  price  for  the  acquisition  was  $9.6 
million,  net  of  cash  acquired,  which  was  funded 
with 
contingent 
consideration  of  up  to  $1.2  million  in  cash  is 
payable if certain revenue performance targets are 
met by e-customs during 2016.  

cash  on  hand.  Additional 

a 

leading 

(“Pentant”), 

On  December  5,  2014,  we  acquired  all  the 
outstanding  shares  of  privately-held  Pentant 
UK-based 
Limited 
Community  System  Provider  offering  customs 
connectivity  and  import/export  inventory  control 
solutions  for  ocean,  truck  and  air  cargo.  Pentant 
provides  its  shipper  and  logistics  service  provider 
customers with a reliable and secure connection to 
both  CHIEF  (the  central  UK  Revenue  &  Customs 
system)  and  ICS  (the  European  Union  Import 
Control  System)  to  streamline  declaration,  cargo 
security  and  clearance  processes.  The 
total 
purchase price for the acquisition was $2.1 million, 
net  of  cash  acquired,  which  was  funded  with  cash 
on  hand.  Additional  contingent  consideration  of  up 
to $0.4 million in cash is payable if certain revenue 
performance  targets  are  met  by  Pentant  during 
2016.  

guarantees,  and  covenants  remain  substantially 
unchanged  from  the  original  agreement.  As  of 
October 31, 2014, all amounts previously borrowed 
under  the  revolving  debt  facility  have  been  repaid 
and the entire facility remains available for use. 

On May 29, 2014, Allan Brett was appointed as our 
Chief  Financial  Officer.  Mr. Brett  is  an  experienced 
public  company  executive  who  served  as  Chief 
Financial  Officer  of  Aastra  Technologies  Limited 
from June 1996 through to its January 2014 sale to 
Mitel Networks Corporation.  

At  our  annual  meeting  of  shareholders  on  May 29, 
2014,  our  shareholders  elected  two  new  directors 
to  our  board  of  directors,  being  Jane  O'Hagan,  a 
senior executive in the transportation industry with 
many  years  of  experience  in  the  railway  sector, 
and  Edward  J.  Ryan,  our  Chief  Executive  Officer.  
Following this meeting Eric Demirian was appointed 
Chair  of  our  Board  of  Directors  and  John  Walker 
was appointed Chair of our Audit Committee. 

On  May  30,  2014  we  acquired  all  outstanding 
membership  interests  of  privately-held  Customs 
Info,  LLC  (“Customs  Info”),  a  leading  US-based 
provider  of  trade  data  content  to  power  Global 
Trade  Management  (GTM)  systems  and  streamline 
global  trade  automation.  Customs  Info  provides 
comprehensive  trade  data  and  related  research 
tools  to  multi-national  shippers  to  help  them 
customs 
costs, 
reduce 
compliance,  and  accelerate  supply  chain  speed. 
The  total  purchase  price  for  the  acquisition  was 
$39.5  million,  net  of  cash  acquired,  which  was 
funded by $34.1 million in cash and approximately 
0.4  million  Descartes  common  shares  valued  at 
$5.4 million.  

operating 

improve 

included  the  exercise 

On July 2, 2014, we completed a public offering of 
common shares in the United States and Canada at 
a  price  of  $13.50  per  common  share  pursuant  to 
the  short-form  base  shelf  prospectus  and  related 
prospectus supplement filed  in connection with the 
offering.  The  total  offering  of  10,925,000  common 
shares 
full  by  the 
underwriters of the 15% over-allotment option, for 
aggregate  gross  proceeds  to  Descartes  of  $147.5 
to  Descartes  were 
million.  Net  proceeds 
approximately  $142.1  million  once  expenses 
associated  with 
the  offering  were  deducted 
inclusive  of  the  related  deferred  tax  benefit  on 
share  issuance  costs.  Excluding  share  issuance 
costs  payable  and  the  deferred  tax  benefit  on 
issuance costs, the net cash proceeds to Descartes 
were approximately $140.7 million. 

in 

8 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS  

The  following  table  shows,  for  the  fiscal  years  indicated,  our  results  of  operations  in  millions  of  dollars 
(except per share and weighted average share amounts): 

Year ended 

Total revenues 

Cost of revenues 

Gross margin 

Operating expenses 

Other charges 

Amortization of intangible assets 

Income from operations 

Investment income 

Interest expense 

Income before income taxes 

Income tax expense 

   Current 

   Deferred 

Net income 

EARNINGS PER SHARE 

BASIC 

DILUTED 

WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING (thousands) 

BASIC 

DILUTED 

OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION 

Total assets 

Non-current financial liabilities 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
126.9 

2014 
151.3 

170.9 

2015 

54.8 

116.1 

68.8 

2.9 

21.7 

22.7 

0.3 

(1.1) 

21.9 

2.8 

4.0 

15.1 

49.0 

102.3 

63.1 

6.5 

18.0 

14.7 

0.1 

(1.0)

13.8 

1.8 

2.4 

9.6 

42.4 

84.5 

50.8 

2.3 

14.2 

17.2 

- 

- 

17.2 

2.1 

(0.9)

16.0 

0.21 

0.21 

0.15 

0.15 

0.26 

0.25 

70,559 

71,584 

62,841 

64,370 

62,556 

63,860 

444.2 

- 

344.5 

31.8 

276.1 

- 

Total  revenues  consist  of  services  revenues  and  license  revenues.  Services  revenues  are 
principally comprised of the following: (i) ongoing transactional fees for use of our services and products 
by  our  customers,  which  are  recognized  as  the  transactions  occur;  (ii)  professional  services  revenues 
from  consulting,  implementation  and  training  services  related  to  our  services  and  products,  which  are 
recognized  as  the  services  are  performed;  (iii)  maintenance,  subscription  and  other  related  revenues, 
including  revenues  associated  with  maintenance  and  support  of  our  services  and  products,  which  are 
recognized ratably over the subscription period; and (iv) hardware revenues, which are recognized when 
hardware is shipped. License revenues are derived from perpetual licenses granted to our customers to 
use our software products. 

9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  following  table  provides  additional  analysis  of  our  services  and  license  revenues  (in  millions  of 
dollars and as a percentage of total revenues) generated over each of the periods indicated: 

Year ended 

Services revenues 
Percentage of total revenues 

License revenues 

Percentage of total revenues 
Total revenues 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
116.8 
92% 

2015 
159.1 
93% 

2014 
137.8 
91% 

11.8 

7% 
170.9 

13.5 

9% 
151.3 

10.1 

8% 
126.9 

Our  services  revenues  were  $159.1  million,  $137.8  million  and  $116.8  million  in  2015,  2014  and 
2013, respectively. The increase  in 2015 compared to 2014 was primarily due to the inclusion of  a full 
period of services revenues from the 2014 acquisitions of KSD Software Norway AS (“KSD”), Compudata 
AG (“Compudata”) and Impatex Freight Software Ltd. (“Impatex”) as well as services revenues from the 
fiscal  2015  acquisitions  of  Computer  Management,  Customs  Info,  Airclic,  e-customs  and  Pentant. 
Services  revenues  in  2015  were  negatively  impacted  by  the  weakening  of  the  euro,  Canadian  dollar, 
Norwegian krone and Swedish krona compared to the US dollar. 

The increase in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily attributable to the inclusion of services revenues 
from  the  2013  acquisitions  of  Infodis  B.V.  (“Infodis”),  Integrated  Export  Systems,  Ltd.  (“IES”),  and 
Exentra Transport Solutions Limited (“Exentra”), as well as services revenues from the 2014 acquisitions 
of  KSD,  Compudata,  and  Impatex.  These  increases  were  partially  offset  by  a  decrease  in  hardware 
revenue related to our telematics business. Services revenues in 2014 were positively impacted by the 
strengthening of the euro and negatively by the weakening of the Canadian dollar compared to the US 
dollar.  These  impacts  resulted  in  a  net  positive  impact  from  fluctuations  in  foreign  exchange  rates  in 
2014 compared to 2013. 

Our  license  revenues  were  $11.8  million,  $13.5  million  and  $10.1  million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013, 
respectively.  The  decrease  in  license  revenues  in  2015  compared  to  2014  was  primarily  due  to  the 
inclusion  of  a  significant  license  sale  made  to  one  specific  customer  in  the  first  quarter  of  2014.  The 
increase  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily  attributable  to  increased  license  revenues  from  the 
acquisition of KSD. While our sales focus has been on generating services revenues in our on-demand, 
SaaS business model, we have continued to see a market for licensing the products in our omni-channel 
retailing and home delivery logistics solutions. The amount of license revenues in a period is dependent 
on  our  customers’  preference  to  license  our  solutions  instead  of  purchasing  our  solutions  as  a  service 
and we anticipate variances from period to period. 

As  a  percentage  of  total  revenues,  our  services  revenues  were  93%,  91%  and  92%  in  2015,  2014 
and  2013,  respectively.  Our  high  percentage  of  services  revenues  reflects  our  emphasis  on  selling  to 
new customers and expanding product offerings to existing customers under our SaaS business model.  

10 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We  operate  in  one  business  segment  providing  logistics  technology  solutions.  The  following  table 
provides  additional  analysis  of  our  revenues  by  geographic  location  of  customer  (in  millions  of 
dollars and as a percentage of total revenues): 

Year Ended 

United States 
Percentage of total revenues 

Europe, Middle-East and Africa (“EMEA”), excluding  
Belgium and Netherlands 
Percentage of total revenues 

Canada 
Percentage of total revenues 

Netherlands 
Percentage of total revenues 

Belgium 
Percentage of total revenues 

Asia Pacific 
Percentage of total revenues 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
60.4 
48% 

2015 
72.8 
43% 

2014 
68.9 
46% 

44.1 
26% 

15.2 
9% 

14.9 
9% 

14.0 
7% 

8.9 
5% 

33.1 
22% 

14.4 
9% 

14.5 
9% 

14.9 
10% 

4.5 
3% 

16.9 
13% 

14.2 
11% 

12.4 
10% 

15.7 
12% 

6.2 
5% 

Americas, excluding Canada and United States 
Percentage of total revenues 
Total revenues 

1.0 
1% 
170.9 

1.0 
1% 
151.3 

1.1 
1% 
126.9 

Revenues from the United States were $72.8 million, $68.9 million and $60.4 million in 2015, 2014 
and  2013,  respectively.  The  increase  in  2015  compared  to  2014  was  primarily  attributable  to  the 
inclusion of United States-based revenue from the 2015 acquisitions of Computer Management, Customs 
Info and Airclic.  

The  increase  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily  attributable  to  the  inclusion  of  a  full  year  of 
United States-based revenue from the 2013 acquisition of IES. Also contributing to the increase in 2014 
was increased United States-based license revenues and maintenance revenues. The increase in United 
States-based  professional  services  revenues  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily  attributable  to  a 
few significant ongoing projects. 

Revenues from the EMEA region, excluding Belgium and Netherlands, were $44.1 million, $33.1 
million and $16.9 million in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The increase in 2015 compared to 2014 
was  primarily  due  to  the  inclusion  of  European-based  revenues  from  the  acquisitions  of  Compudata, 
Impatex  and  e-customs  as  well  as  increased  professional  services  revenues.  European-based  revenues 
for  2015  compared  to  2014  were  negatively  impacted  by  the  weakening  of  the  euro,  Norwegian  krone 
and Swedish krona compared to the US dollar. 

The  increase  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily  attributable  to  the  inclusion  of  a  full  year  of 
European-based  revenues  from  the  2014  acquisition  of  KSD.  Revenues  in  2014  were  also  positively 
impacted by the inclusion of a full period of revenues from the 2013 acquisition of Exentra and a partial 
period  of  revenues  from  the  2014  acquisitions  of  Compudata  and  Impatex.  Revenues  from  the  EMEA 
region,  excluding  Belgium  and  Netherlands  also  benefited  from  increased  license  revenues  in  2014 
compared to 2013. 

11 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenues from Canada were $15.2 million, $14.4 million and $14.2 million in 2015, 2014 and 2013, 
respectively. The increase in 2015 compared to 2014 is principally due to increased license revenues in 
the  region.  Partially  offsetting  this  increase,  revenues  from  Canada  were  negatively  impacted  by  the 
weakening of the Canadian dollar compared to the US dollar. 

The increase in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily attributable to increased services revenues in the 
region.  Partially  offsetting  this  increase,  revenues  from  Canada  were  negatively  impacted  by  the 
weakening of the Canadian dollar compared to the US dollar. 

Revenues  from  Netherlands  were  $14.9  million,  $14.5  million  and  $12.4  million  in  2015,  2014  and 
2013, respectively. The increase  in 2015 compared to 2014 was primarily due to the inclusion of  a full 
period  of  Netherlands-based  revenues  from  the  2014  acquisition  of  KSD,  which  was  partially  offset  by 
the weakening of the euro as compared to the US dollar.  

The  increase  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily  attributable  to  the  inclusion  of  a  full  period  of 
Netherlands-based revenues from the 2013 acquisition of Infodis and a partial period of revenues from 
the 2014 acquisition of  KSD. Revenues from Netherlands were also positively  impacted  in  2014  by the 
strengthening of the euro compared to the US dollar. 

Revenues from Belgium were $14.0 million, $14.9 million and $15.7 million in 2015, 2014 and 2013, 
respectively.  The  decrease  in  2015  compared  to  2014  was  primarily  a  result  of  decreased  services 
revenues primarily a result of the weakening of the euro as compared to the US dollar.  

Revenues from the Asia Pacific region were $8.9 million, $4.5 million and $6.2 million in 2015, 2014 
and  2013,  respectively.  The  increase  in  2015  compared  to  2014  is  primarily  due  to  increased  license 
revenues in the region as well as increased services revenues associated with Descartes’ “Japan Ocean 
Advanced Filing Rule” solution which helps customers comply with Japan’s new advanced cargo security 
initiative. 

The decrease in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily attributable to a decrease in hardware revenues 
in the region related to our telematics business as well as decreased license revenues and professional 
services revenues in the Asia Pacific region. Partially offsetting this decrease was the inclusion of a full 
year of Asia Pacific based revenues from the 2013 acquisition of IES.  

Revenues from the Americas region, excluding Canada and the United States, were $1.0 million, 
$1.0  million  and  $1.1  million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013,  respectively.  Revenues  in  2015  are  consistent 
when compared to 2014.  

The decrease in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily attributable to a decrease in hardware revenues 
related to our telematics business in the region. 

12 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The following table provides analysis of cost of revenues (in millions of dollars) and the related gross 
margins for the years indicated: 

Year ended 

Services 
Services revenues 
Cost of services revenues 
Gross margin 

Gross margin percentage 

License 
License revenues 
Cost of license revenues 
Gross margin 

Gross margin percentage 

Total 
Revenues 
Cost of revenues 
Gross margin 

Gross margin percentage 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 

2015 

2014 

159.1 
53.0 
106.1 

67% 

11.8 
1.8 
10.0 

85% 

170.9 
54.8 
116.1 

68% 

137.8 
47.7 
90.1 

65% 

13.5 
1.3 
12.2 

90% 

151.3 
49.0 
102.3 

68% 

116.8 
41.1 
75.7 

65% 

10.1 
1.3 
8.8 

87% 

126.9 
42.4 
84.5 

67% 

Cost of services revenues consists of internal costs of running our systems and applications, hardware 
costs, and other personnel-related expenses incurred in providing professional service and maintenance 
work, including consulting and customer support. 

Gross margin percentage for services revenues was 67%, 65% and 65% in 2015, 2014 and 2013, 
respectively. The margin in 2015 was positively impacted by inclusion of the acquisitions of Compudata, 
Impatex, Computer Management, Airclic and e-customs which was partially offset by the inclusion of the 
acquisition of KSD, as well as the operating results of our telematics business, which operate at margins 
lower than our other services revenue streams. 

Gross margin in 2014 compared to 2013 was positively impacted by the inclusion of the acquisitions of 
IES  which  operates  at  margins  higher  than  our  other  service  revenue  streams.  We  also  realized 
synergies  with  regards  to  acquisitions  integrated  into  our  operations  in  2014  and  2013.  Offsetting  this 
increase were the lower margins associated with the acquisition of KSD and our telematics business. 

Cost of license revenues consists of costs related to our sale of third-party technology, such as third-
party map license fees and royalties. 

Gross margin  percentage  for license revenues was 85%,  90%  and  87%  in 2015,  2014 and  2013, 
respectively.  Our  gross  margin  on  license  revenues  is  dependent  on  the  proportion  of  our  license 
revenues  that  involve  third-party  technology.  Consequently,  our  gross  margin  percentage  for  license 
revenues is higher when a lower proportion of our license revenues attracts third-party technology costs, 
and vice versa. 

Operating  expenses  consisting  of  sales  and  marketing,  research  and  development  and  general  and 
administrative expenses, were $68.8 million, $63.1 million and $50.8 million for 2015, 2014 and 2013, 
respectively. The increase in 2015 compared to 2014 was primarily due to the inclusion of a full period 
of  operating  expenses  from  the  acquisition  of  KSD  and  operating  expenses  from  the  acquisitions  of 
Impatex, Compudata, Customs Info, Airclic and, to a  lesser  extent, Computer Management, e-customs 
and  Pentant.  Operating  expenses  in  2015  were  also  impacted  by  fees  to  value-added  resellers  and 

13 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
strategic marketing alliances associated with selling and marketing our solutions, particularly in the Asia 
Pacific  region.  These  increases  were  partially  offset  by  a  reduction  in  professional  fees  during  2015. 
Operating  expenses  in  2015  were  positively  impacted  by  the  weakening  of  the  Canadian  dollar,  euro 
Swedish krona and Norwegian krone compared to the US dollar.  

The increase in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily attributable to the inclusion of operating expenses 
from the 2014 acquisition of KSD as well as the 2013 acquisitions of Infodis, IES and Exentra, and to a 
lesser  extent  the  2014  acquisitions  of  Compudata  and  Impatex.  Operating  expenses  also  increased  in 
2014  compared  to  2013  related  to  compensation  costs  associated  with  deferred  share  units  (“DSUs”) 
and  stock-based  compensation  expense.  The  increase  in  DSU  compensation  costs  was  primarily 
attributable  to  mark-to-market  adjustments  to  reflect  the  appreciation  in  the  value  of  our  common 
shares  in  2014  compared  to  2013,  while  the  increase  in  stock-based  compensation  expense  was 
primarily attributable to performance share units (“PSUs”) and restricted share units (“RSUs”) granted in 
the  second  quarter  of  2013  and  first  quarter  of  2014.  Operating  expenses  in  2014  were  positively 
impacted by the weakening of the Canadian dollar and negatively impacted by the strengthening of the 
euro,  in  each  case,  compared  to  the  US  dollar.  These  impacts  resulted  in  a  net  positive  impact  on 
operating expenses from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates year over year. 

The  following  table  provides  additional  analysis  of  operating  expenses  (in  millions  of  dollars  and  as  a 
percentage of total revenues) for the periods indicated: 

Year ended 

Total revenues 

Sales and marketing expenses 
Percentage of total revenues 

Research and development expenses 
Percentage of total revenues 

General and administrative expenses 
Percentage of total revenues 

Total operating expenses 
Percentage of total revenues 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
126.9 

2015 
170.9 

2014 
151.3 

20.4 
12% 

28.1 
16% 

20.3 
12% 

68.8 
40% 

16.7 
11% 

25.9 
17% 

20.5 
14% 

63.1 
42% 

13.8 
11% 

21.3 
17% 

15.7 
12% 

50.8 
40% 

Sales  and  marketing  expenses  include  salaries,  commissions,  stock-based  compensation  and  other 
personnel-related  costs,  bad  debt  expenses,  travel  expenses,  advertising  programs  and  services,  and 
other promotional activities associated with selling and marketing our services and products. Sales and 
marketing  expenses  were  $20.4  million,  $16.7  million  and  $13.8  million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013, 
respectively.  Sales  and  marketing  expenses  as  a  percentage  of  total  revenues  were  12%  in  2015  and 
11%  in  each  of  2014  and  2013,  respectively.  The  increase  in  sales  and  marketing  expenses  in  2015 
compared  to  2014  was  primarily  due  to  the  inclusion  of  sales  and  marketing  expenses  from  the 
acquisitions  of  KSD,  Compudata,  Impatex,  Customs  Info  and  Airclic.  Sales  and  marketing  expenses  in 
2015  were  also  impacted  by  increased  fees  to  value-added  resellers  and  strategic  marketing  alliances 
associated  with  selling  and  marketing  our  solutions,  particularly  in  the  Asia  Pacific  region.  Sales  and 
marketing  expenses  in  2015  were  positively  impacted  by  the  weakening  of  the  Canadian  dollar,  euro 
Swedish krona and Norwegian krone compared to the US dollar. 

The  increase  in  sales  and  marketing  expenses  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily  attributable  to 
the  inclusion  of  sales  and  marketing  expenses  from  the  2014  acquisition  of  KSD,  since  the  date  of 
acquisition, as well as the 2013 acquisitions of Infodis, IES and Exentra. 

14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Research  and  development  expenses  consist  primarily  of  salaries,  stock-based  compensation  and 
other  personnel-related  costs  of  technical  and  engineering  personnel  associated  with  our  research  and 
product  development  activities,  as  well  as  costs  for  third-party  outsourced  development  providers.  We 
expensed  all  costs  related  to  research  and  development  in  2015,  2014  and  2013,  as  applicable. 
Research and development expenses were $28.1 million, $25.9 million and $21.3 million in 2015, 2014 
and  2013,  respectively.  Research  and  development  expenses  as  a  percentage  of  total  revenues  were 
16% in 2015 and 17% in each of 2014 and 2013. The increase in research and development expenses in 
2015 as compared to 2014 was primarily due to increased payroll and related costs from the acquisitions 
of  KSD,  Impatex,  Computer  Management,  Customs  Info  and  Airclic.  Research  and  development 
expenses in 2015 were positively impacted by the weakening of the Canadian dollar and euro compared 
to the US dollar. 

The  increase  in  research  and  development  expenses  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily 
attributable  to  increased  payroll  and  related  costs  from  the  inclusion  of  research  and  development 
expenses from the 2014 acquisition of KSD as well as the 2013 acquisitions of Infodis, IES and Exentra. 

General  and  administrative  expenses  consist  primarily  of  salaries,  stock-based  compensation  and 
other  personnel-related  costs  of  administrative  personnel,  as  well  as  professional  fees  and  other 
administrative  expenses. General  and administrative costs were  $20.3 million, $20.5 million  and $15.7 
million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013,  respectively.  General  and  administrative  expenses  as  a  percentage  of 
total revenues were 12%, 14% and 12% in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. The decrease in general 
and administrative expenses is primarily attributable to the weakening of the Canadian dollar compared 
to  the  US  dollar  and  a  reduction  in  professional  fees  in  2015.  This  decrease  was  partially  offset  by 
increased  general  and  administrative  expenses  from  the  acquisitions  of  KSD,  Compudata,  Impatex, 
Customs Info and Airclic.  

The  increase  in  general  and  administrative  expenses  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily 
attributable  to  the  inclusion  of  general  and  administrative  expenses  from  the  2014  acquisition  of  KSD, 
since  the  date  of  acquisition.  Operating  expenses  also  increased  in  2014  compared  to  2013  for 
compensation  costs  related  to  DSUs  and  stock-based  compensation  expense.  The  increase  in  DSU 
compensation costs is primarily attributable to the appreciation in the value of our common shares in the 
period,  while  the  increase  in  stock-based  compensation  expense  is  primarily  attributable  to  PSUs  and 
RSUs  granted  in  the  second  quarter  of  2013  and  first  quarter  of  2014.  We  also  incurred  increased 
professional  fees  in  2014  compared  to  2013,  primarily  related  to  investing  in  rationalization  of  our 
corporate structure, including strategic tax planning. 

Other charges consist primarily of acquisition-related costs with respect to completed and prospective 
acquisitions,  restructuring  charges  and  executive  departure  charges.    Other  charges  were  $2.9  million, 
$6.5  million  and  $2.3  million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013,  respectively.  Other  charges  were  comprised  of 
restructuring costs of $0.8 million, $1.9 million and $1.0 million in 2015,  2014  and 2013, respectively, 
acquisition-related  costs  of  $1.7  million,  $1.3  million  and  $1.4  million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013, 
respectively,  and  executive  departure  charges  of  $0.4  million,  $3.3  million  and  nil  in  2015,  2014  and 
2013, respectively. Acquisition-related costs primarily include advisory services, brokerage services and 
administrative  costs  with  respect  to  completed  and  prospective  acquisitions.  Restructuring  costs  relate 
to the integration of previously completed acquisitions and other cost-reduction activities. The decrease 
in other charges in 2015 compared to 2014 was primarily a result of a reduction in executive departure 
charges. Partially offsetting this decrease was an increase in acquisition-related costs due to the timing 
of acquisition activities. 

Amortization  of  intangible  assets  is  amortization  of  the  value  attributable  to  intangible  assets, 
including  customer  agreements  and  relationships,  non-compete  covenants,  existing  technologies  and 
trade names, in each case associated with acquisitions completed by us as of the end of each reporting 
period. Intangible assets with a finite life are amortized to income over their useful life. The amount of 
amortization  expense  in  a  fiscal  period  is  dependent  on  our  acquisition  activities  as  well  as  our  asset 

15 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
impairment tests. Amortization of intangible assets was $21.7 million, $18.0 million and $14.2 million in 
2015,  2014  and  2013,  respectively.  The  increase  in  amortization  expense  over  those  three  years 
primarily  arose  from  the  addition  of  businesses  that  we  acquired  during  that  period.  As  at  January  31, 
2015, the unamortized portion of all intangible assets amounted to $115.1 million. 

We test the carrying value of our finite life intangible assets for recoverability when events or changes in 
circumstances indicate that there may be evidence of impairment. We write down intangible assets with 
a finite life to fair value when the related undiscounted cash flows are not expected to allow for recovery 
of the carrying value. Fair value of intangible assets is determined by discounting the expected related 
cash flows. No finite life intangible asset impairment has been identified or recorded for any of the fiscal 
periods reported. 

Investment income was $0.3 million, $0.1 million and nil  in  2015, 2014 and  2013, respectively.  The 
increase  in  investment  income  was  primarily  attributable  to  changes  in  the  average  cash  and  cash 
equivalents balance during the periods. Investment income is reflective of current market rates. 

Interest expense was $1.1 million, $1.0 million and nil in 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Interest 
expense arises primarily due to the amount borrowed and outstanding on our revolving debt facility. As 
of January 31, 2015, all amounts previously borrowed under the revolving debt facility have been repaid 
and no amounts remain owing. 

Income tax expense is comprised of current and deferred income tax expense (recovery). Income tax 
expense for 2015, 2014 and 2013 was 31%, 30% and 7% of income before income taxes, respectively, 
with  current  income  tax  expense  being  13%,  13%  and  12%  of  income  before  income  taxes, 
respectively. 

Income  tax  expense  –  current  was  $2.8  million,  $1.8  million  and  $2.1  million  in  2015,  2014  and 
2013,  respectively.  The  increase  in  current  income  tax  expense  in  2015  as  compared  to  2014  is 
primarily  as  a  result  of  income  in  the  US,  Netherlands  and  EMEA  region  which  is  not  sheltered  by  loss 
carry-forwards.  

The decrease in current income tax expense in 2014 as compared to 2013 was primarily attributable to 
changes in the estimate of our uncertain tax positions. 

Income  tax  expense  (recovery)  –  deferred  was  $4.0  million,  $2.4  million  and  ($0.9)  million  in 
2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Deferred income tax expense increased in 2015 compared to 2014 
primarily due to a release of valuation allowance which decreased tax expense by $2.7 million in 2014, 
while only $1.2 million of valuation allowance was released in 2015.  

Deferred  income  tax  expense  increased  in  2014  compared  to  2013  primarily  due  to  a  release  of 
valuation allowance which decreased income tax expense by $4.0 million in 2013, while only $2.7 million 
of valuation allowance was released in 2014. 

Net  income  was  $15.1  million,  $9.6  million  and  $16.0  million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013,  respectively. 
The $5.5 million increase in 2015 compared to 2014 was primarily a result of a $13.8 million increase in 
gross margin and a $3.6 million decrease in other charges. Partially offsetting this increase was a $5.7 
million increase in operating expense, a $3.7 million increase in amortization of intangible assets and a 
$2.6 million increase in income tax expense.  

The $6.4 million decrease in 2014 compared to 2013 was primarily a result of a $12.3 million increase in 
operating expenses, a $4.2 million increase in other charges, a $3.8 million increase in amortization of 
intangible assets, a $3.0 million  increase  in income tax expense and a $1.0 million  increase  in  interest 
expense. This decrease was partially offset by a $17.8 million increase in gross margin. 

16 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
QUARTERLY OPERATING RESULTS 

The  following  table  provides  an  analysis  of  our  unaudited  operating  results  (in  thousands  of  dollars, 
except  per  share  and  weighted  average  number  of  share  amounts)  for  each  of  the  quarters  ended  on 
the date indicated.  

April 30,  July 31,  October 31,  January 31, 
2015 

2014 

2014 

2014 

Total 

2015 
Revenues 
Gross margin 
Operating expenses 
Net income 
Basic earnings per share 
Diluted earnings per share 
Weighted average shares outstanding 
(thousands): 
  Basic  
  Diluted  

40,836 
27,587 
16,418 
3,694 
0.06 
0.06 

42,680 
28,860 
17,284 
3,613 
0.05 
0.05 

43,057 
29,181 
17,236 
4,157 
0.06 
0.05 

44,287  170,860 
30,353  115,981 
68,814 
17,876 
15,059 
3,595 
0.21 
0.05 
0.21 
0.05 

63,667 
64,817 

67,559 
68,567 

75,324 
76,190 

75,460 
76,303 

70,559 
71,584 

April 30,  July 31,  October 31,  January 31, 
2014 

2013 

2013 

2013 

Total 

2014 
Revenues 
Gross margin 
Operating expenses 
Net income 
Basic earnings per share 
Diluted earnings per share 
Weighted average shares outstanding 
(thousands): 
  Basic  
  Diluted  

2013 
Revenues 
Gross margin 
Operating expenses 
Net income 
Basic earnings per share 
Diluted earnings per share 
Weighted average shares outstanding 
(thousands): 
  Basic  
  Diluted  

34,031 
23,475 
14,314 
2,807 
0.04 
0.04 

38,195 
25,244 
15,805 
1,740 
0.03 
0.03 

38,763 
26,015 
16,020 
2,183 
0.03 
0.03 

40,305  151,294 
27,517  102,251 
63,071 
16,932 
9,612 
2,882 
0.15 
0.05 
0.15 
0.04 

62,669 
64,024 

62,711 
64,183 

62,737 
64,301 

63,242 
64,658 

62,841 
64,370 

April 30,  July 31,  October 31,  January 31, 
2013 

2012 

2012 

2012 

Total 

29,862 
19,276 
11,357 
2,606 
0.04 
0.04 

30,537 
19,957 
11,569 
2,487 
0.04 
0.04 

32,685 
22,253 
13,581 
3,115 
0.05 
0.05 

33,799  126,883 
84,484 
22,998 
50,725 
14,218 
15,996 
7,788 
0.26 
0.12 
0.25 
0.12 

62,454 
63,836 

62,535 
63,869 

62,599 
63,793 

62,633 
63,910 

62,556 
63,860 

17 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenues  have  been  positively  impacted  by  the  eleven  acquisitions  that  we  have  completed  since  the 
beginning  of  2013.  In  addition,  over  the  past  three  fiscal  years  we  have  seen  increased  transactions 
processed over our GLN business document exchange as we help our customers comply with electronic 
filing requirements of US, Canadian, EU and Asia security and customs regulations. 

Our  services  revenues  continue  to  have  seasonal  trends.  In  the  first  fiscal  quarter  of  each  year,  we 
historically have seen lower shipment volumes by air and truck which impact the aggregate number of 
transactions flowing through our GLN business document exchange. In the second fiscal quarter of each 
year, we historically have seen an increase in ocean services revenues as ocean carriers are in the midst 
of  their  customer  contract  negotiation  period.  In  the  third  fiscal  quarter  of  each  year,  we  have 
historically seen shipment and transactional volumes at their highest. In the fourth fiscal quarter of each 
year,  the  various  international  holidays  impact  the  aggregate  number  of  shipping  days  in  the  quarter, 
and  historically  we  have  seen  this  adversely  impact  the  number  of  transactions  our  network  processes 
and, consequently, the amount of services revenues we receive. 

In  the  fourth  quarter  of  2015,  revenues  were  positively  impacted  by  the  acquisitions  of  Airclic,  e-
customs and Pentant. Net income was negatively impacted in the fourth quarter of 2015 by $1.4 million 
in  other  charges  associated  with  restructuring  and  acquisition-related  costs  related  to  completed  and 
prospective  acquisitions  and  $0.8  million  in  DSU  compensation  costs  primarily  attributable  to  mark-to-
market  adjustments  to  reflect  the  appreciation  in  the  value  of  our  common  shares  in  the  quarter.  A 
deferred income tax recovery of $1.3 million in the UK also favourably contributed to net income in the 
fourth quarter of 2015. 

In the third quarter of 2015, revenues and net income were positively impacted by the inclusion of a full 
quarter of operations from the acquisition of Customs Info. Net income was negatively impacted by $0.2 
million of other charges.  

In the second quarter of 2015, revenues and net income were positively impacted by the inclusion of a 
full  quarter  of  operations  from  the  acquisition  of  Computer  Management  as  well  as  a  partial  period  of 
operations from the acquisition of Customs Info. Net income was negatively impacted by $0.7 million of 
other charges as well as $0.4 million of interest expense related to the revolving debt facility.  

In the first quarter of 2015, revenues and net income were positively impacted by the inclusion of a full 
quarter of operations from the acquisitions of KSD, Compudata and Impatex, as well as a partial period 
of  operations  from  the  acquisition  of  Computer  Management.  Net  income  was  negatively  impacted  by 
$0.6  million  of  other  charges,  primarily  attributable  to  acquisition-related  costs  with  respect  to 
completed  and  prospective  acquisitions,  as  well  as  $0.4  million  of  interest  expense  related  to  amounts 
borrowed and outstanding on the revolving debt facility.  

In  2014,  revenues  and  net  income  were  positively  impacted  by  the  inclusion  of  a  full  period  of 
operations  from  our  fiscal  2013  acquisitions  of  Infodis,  IES  and  Exentra  as  well  as  the  inclusion  of  a 
partial  period  of  operations  from  our  fiscal  2014  acquisitions  of  Compudata  and  to  a  lesser  extent 
Impatex. While the acquisition of KSD contributed positively to fiscal 2014 revenues, it contributed a net 
loss  of  $1.7  million,  including  $1.7  million  of  restructuring  charges  and  $1.8  million  of  amortization  of 
intangible assets. License revenues and gross margin from license revenues were positively impacted by 
the  inclusion  of  significant  license  sales  to  three  specific  customers  during  2014.  Net  income  for  2014 
was negatively impacted by a $3.3 million charge related to the departure of our former Chairman and 
CEO  during  the  fourth  quarter  of  2014,  as  well  as  $1.1  million,  $0.6  million  and  $0.1  million  of 
restructuring  costs  during  the  second,  third  and  fourth  quarters  of  2014,  respectively.  Acquisition-
related  costs  with  respect  to  completed  and  prospective  acquisitions  of  $0.3  million,  $0.2  million,  $0.2 
million and $0.7 million in the first, second, third and fourth quarters of 2014, respectively, and interest 
expense on our revolving debt facility of $0.3 million in each of the second, third and fourth quarters of 
2014  reduced  net  income.  Net  income  was  also  negatively  impacted  by  $0.6  million  in  DSU  and  $0.4 
million in CRSU compensation costs, primarily attributable to mark-to-market adjustments to reflect an 

18 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
appreciation in the value of our common shares in the fourth quarter of 2014. A deferred tax recovery of 
$2.8 million in the UK and Canada favourably contributed to net income in the fourth quarter of 2014.  

In  2013,  revenues  and  net  income  were  impacted  by  the  acquisitions  of  Infodis,  IES  and  Exentra. 
License revenues and gross margin from license revenues in the third and fourth quarters of 2013 were 
higher  than  any  of  the  previous  quarters  presented  in  the  above  table  as  license  revenues  in  these 
periods included certain larger license sales. Net income was negatively impacted by $0.4 million, $0.7 
million  and  $0.3  million  of  acquisition-related  costs  with  respect  to  completed  and  prospective 
acquisitions expensed in the first, second and fourth quarters of 2013, respectively, and $0.4 million and 
$0.2 million of restructuring charges for the second and fourth quarters of 2013, respectively. A deferred 
income  tax  recovery  in  the  UK  of  $5.3  million  also  favourably  contributed  to  net  income  in  the  fourth 
quarter of 2013.  

Our weighted average shares outstanding has increased since the first quarter of 2013 due to the public 
offering  of  common  shares  completed  on  July  2,  2014,  common  shares  issued  in  relation  to  the 
acquisition  of  Customs  Info  and  common  shares  issued  pursuant  to  periodic  employee  stock  option 
exercises. 

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES 

Cash  and  cash  equivalents  include  short-term  deposits  with  original  maturities  of  three  months  or 
less. We had $118.1 million and $62.7 million in cash and cash equivalents as at January 31, 2015 and 
January  31,  2014,  respectively.  All  cash  and  cash  equivalents  were  held  in  interest-bearing  bank 
accounts or certificates of deposit, primarily with major Canadian, US and European banks.  

Debt facility. As of January 31, 2015, all amounts previously borrowed under the revolving debt facility 
have  been  repaid  and  no  amounts  remain  owing.  We  are  in  compliance  with  the  covenants  of  the 
revolving debt facility as of January 31, 2015. On May 28 2014, we amended our revolving debt facility, 
increasing the borrowing limit from $50.0 million to $77.0 million. The amended facility is comprised of a 
$75.0 million revolving facility, with drawn amounts to be repaid in equal quarterly installments over a 
period of five years from the advance date, and a $2.0 million revolving facility, with no fixed repayment 
date on drawn amounts prior to the end of the term. Borrowings under the credit agreement are secured 
by  a  first  charge  over  substantially  all  of  our  assets.  Depending  on  the  type  of  advance  under  the 
available  facilities,  interest  will  be  charged  on  advances  at  a  rate  of  either  i)  Canada  prime  rate  or  US 
base rate plus 0% to 1.5%; or ii) LIBOR plus 1.5% to 3%. Undrawn amounts are charged a standby fee 
of  between  0.3%  and  0.5%.  Interest  is  payable  monthly  in  arrears  under  both  facilities.  Standby  fees 
are payable quarterly in arrears. The revolving debt facility contains certain customary representations, 
warranties and guarantees, and covenants. 

Short-form  base  shelf  prospectus.  On  April  16,  2014,  we  filed  a  final  short-form  base  shelf 
prospectus,  allowing  us  to  offer  and  issue  the  following  securities:  (i)  common  shares;  (ii)  preferred 
shares;  (iii)  senior  or  subordinated  unsecured  debt  securities;  (iv)  subscription  receipts;  (v)  warrants; 
and (vi) securities comprised of more than one of the common shares, preferred shares, debt securities, 
subscription  receipts  and/  or  warrants  offered  together  as  a  unit.  These  securities  may  be  offered 
separately or together, in separate series, in amounts, at prices and on terms to be set forth in one or 
more shelf prospectus supplements. The aggregate initial offering price of securities that may be sold by 
us  (or  certain  of  our  current  or  future  shareholders)  pursuant  to  our  base  shelf  prospectus  during  the 
25-month  period  that  our  base  shelf  prospectus,  including  any  amendments  thereto,  remains  valid  is 
limited to $250 million.  

On July 2, 2014, we completed a public offering of common shares in the United States and Canada at a 
price  of  $13.50  per  common  share  pursuant  to  the  short-form  base  shelf  prospectus  and  related 
19 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
prospectus  supplement  filed  in  connection  with  the  offering.  The  total  offering  of  10,925,000  Common 
Shares included the exercise in full by the underwriters of the 15% overallotment option for aggregate 
gross  proceeds  to  Descartes  of  $147.5  million.  Net  proceeds  to  Descartes  were  approximately  $142.1 
million  once  expenses  associated  with  the  offering  were  deducted  inclusive  of  the  related  deferred  tax 
benefit on share issuance costs. Excluding share issuance costs payable and the deferred tax benefit on 
issuance costs, the net cash proceeds to Descartes were approximately $140.7 million. 

Working  capital.  As  at  January  31,  2015,  our  working  capital  (current  assets  less  current  liabilities) 
was $116.6 million. Current assets primarily include $118.1 million of cash and cash equivalents, $22.6 
million  of  current  trade  receivables  and  $8.7  million  of  deferred  tax  assets.  Current  liabilities  primarily 
include $16.7 million of accrued liabilities, $15.3 million of deferred revenue and $4.6 million of accounts 
payable.  Our  working  capital  has  increased  since  January  31,  2014  by  $50.7  million,  primarily  due  to 
cash  provided  by  operating  activities  and  cash  received  from  the  public  offering,  which  was  partially 
offset  by  repayment  of  the  revolving  debt  facility  and  cash  used  in  the  acquisitions  of  Computer 
Management, Customs Info, Airclic, e-customs and Pentant.  

Historically,  we  have  financed  our  operations  and  met  our  capital  expenditure  requirements  primarily 
through cash flows provided from operations, issuances of common shares and proceeds from debt. We 
anticipate that, considering the above, we have sufficient liquidity to fund our current cash requirements 
for working capital, contractual commitments, capital expenditures and other operating needs. We also 
believe that we have the ability to generate sufficient amounts of cash and cash equivalents in the long 
term  to  meet  planned  growth  targets  and  to  fund  strategic  transactions.  Should  additional  future 
financing  be  undertaken,  the  proceeds  from  any  such  transaction  could  be  utilized  to  fund  strategic 
transactions  or  for  general  corporate  purposes.  We  expect,  from  time  to  time,  to  continue  to  consider 
select strategic transactions to create value  and  improve performance, which may  include acquisitions, 
dispositions,  restructurings,  joint  ventures  and  partnerships,  and  we  may  undertake  further  financing 
transactions,  including  draws  on  our  revolving  debt  facility  or  equity  offerings,  in  connection  with  any 
such potential strategic transaction. 

If any of our non-Canadian subsidiaries have earnings, our intention is that these earnings be reinvested 
in the subsidiary indefinitely. Of the $118.1 million of cash and cash equivalents as at January 31, 2015, 
$109.1  million  was  held  by  our  foreign  subsidiaries,  most  significantly  in  the  United  States  with  lesser 
amounts held in other countries in the EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. To date, we have not encountered 
legal or practical restrictions on the abilities of our subsidiaries  to repatriate money to Canada, even if 
such restrictions may exist in respect of certain foreign jurisdictions where we have subsidiaries. In the 
future,  if  we  elect  to  repatriate  the  unremitted  earnings  of  our  foreign  subsidiaries  in  the  form  of 
dividends,  or  if  the  shares  of  the  foreign  subsidiaries  are  sold  or  transferred,  then  we  would  likely  be 
subject to additional Canadian income taxes, net of the impact of any available foreign tax credits, which 
could  result  in  a  higher  effective  tax  rate.  However,  since  we  currently  anticipate  investing  outside  of 
Canada, it is our current intent to permanently reinvest unremitted earnings in our foreign subsidiaries. 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
 
The  table  set  forth  below  provides  a  summary  of  cash  flows  for  the  periods  indicated  in  millions  of 
dollars: 

Year ended 

Cash provided by operating activities 
Additions to capital assets 
Settlement of acquisition earn-out 
Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired 
Proceeds from borrowing on debt facility 
Payment of debt issuance costs 
Repayments of debt 
Issuance of common shares, net of issuance costs 
Settlement of stock options 
Effect of foreign exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents 
Net change in cash and cash equivalents 
Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 
Cash and cash equivalents, end of period 

2015 
49.5 
(2.7) 
- 
(82.2) 
20.0 
(0.4) 
(63.3) 
140.7 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
30.3 
(3.5)
(0.6)
(54.1)
- 
- 
(0.1)
0.7 
(1.5)
0.9 
(27.9)
65.5 
37.6 

2014 
42.6 
(2.4)
- 
(58.7)
46.3 
(0.7)
(3.7)
3.6 
(1.4)
(0.5)
25.1 
37.6 
62.7 

(0.4) 
(5.8) 
55.4 
62.7 
118.1 

Cash  provided  by  operating  activities  was  $49.5  million,  $42.6  million  and  $30.3  million  for  2015, 
2014  and  2013,  respectively.  For  2015,  the  $49.5  million  of  cash  provided  by  operating  activities 
resulted from $15.1 million of net income, plus adjustments for $30.5 million of non-cash items included 
in  net  income  and  plus  $3.9  million  of  cash  generated  from  changes  in  our  operating  assets  and 
liabilities. For 2014, the $42.6 million of cash provided by operating activities resulted from $9.6 million 
of  net  income,  plus  adjustments  for  $26.3  million  of  non-cash  items  included  in  net  income  and  plus 
$6.7 million of cash generated from changes in our operating assets and liabilities. For 2013, the $30.3 
million  of  cash  provided  by  operating  activities  resulted  from  $16.0  million  of  net  income,  plus 
adjustments  for  $17.7  million  of  non-cash  items  included  in  net  income  and  less  $3.4  million  of  cash 
used from changes in our operating assets and liabilities. Cash provided by operating activities increased 
in 2015 compared to 2014, primarily due to net income adjusted for non-cash expenses which increased 
$9.7 million. 

The  increase  in  cash  provided  by  operating  activities  in  2014  compared  to  2013  was  primarily 
attributable  to  decreased  net  operating  assets  which  generated  $10.1  million  of  cash  in  2014.  This 
decrease was primarily related to collection of trade and other receivables as well as increased accrued 
liabilities. 

Additions to capital assets were $2.7 million, $2.4 million and $3.5 million in 2015, 2014 and 2013, 
respectively. Additions to capital assets were greater in 2013 as compared to 2014 and 2015 primarily 
due to investments in the phased implementation of a new ERP system.  

Settlement  of  acquisition  earn-out  of  $0.6  million  in  2013  reflects  a  partial  payout  of  the  earn-out 
adjustment  in  respect  of  our  August  17,  2007  acquisition  of  Global  Freight  Exchange  Limited.  Specific 
performance  targets  were  met  during  the  period  ending  August  17,  2011,  resulting  in  an  additional 
amount payable to the former owners.  

Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired was $82.2 million, $58.7 million and $54.1 million 
in  2015,  2014  and  2013,  respectively.  In  2015,  the  $82.2  million  was  related  to  the  acquisitions  of 
Computer  Management,  Customs  Info,  Airclic,  e-customs  and  Pentant.  In  2014,  the  $58.7  million  was 
related to the acquisitions of KSD, Compudata and Impatex. For 2013, the $54.1 million was related to 
the acquisitions of Infodis, IES and Exentra.  

21 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Proceeds from borrowing on debt facility of $20.0 million, $46.3 million and nil in 2015, 2014 and 
2013,  respectively,  were  a  result  of  borrowing  on  our  revolving  debt  facility  to  finance  our  2014 
acquisitions of KSD, Compudata and Impatex and 2015 acquisition of Customs Info.  

Payment  of  debt  issuance  costs  of  $0.4  million,  $0.7  million  and  nil  in  2015,  2014  and  2013, 
respectively, relate to costs paid in establishing and amending the terms of the revolving debt facility. 

Repayments  of  debt  of  $63.3  million,  $3.7  million  and  $0.1  million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013, 
respectively,  relate  to  principle  repayments  on  our  revolving  debt  facility  and  repayment  of  debt 
acquired from the acquisitions of KSD and Customs Info.  

Issuance of common shares, net of issuance costs of $140.7 million, $3.6 million and $0.7 million 
in  2015,  2014  and  2013,  respectively.  The  increase  in  2015  was  primarily  a  result  of  the  public  share 
offering.  The  $3.7  million  in  2014  and  $0.7  million  in  2013  was  a  result  of  the  exercise  of  employee 
stock options.    

Settlement  of  stock  options  of  $0.4  million,  $1.4  million  and  $1.5  million  in  2015,  2014  and  2013, 
respectively,  was  a  result  of  the  settlement  of  tandem  stock  appreciation  rights  exercised  upon  the 
surrender of stock options. 

COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND GUARANTEES  

Commitments 
To  facilitate  a  better  understanding  of  our  commitments,  the  following  information  is  provided  (in 
millions of dollars) in respect of our operating and capital lease obligations: 

  Less than 
1 year 

1-3 years  4-5 years  More than 
 5 years 

Operating lease obligations 
Capital lease obligations 
Total 

4.8 
0.3 
5.1 

5.2 
0.2 
5.4 

1.4 
- 
1.4 

- 
- 
- 

Total 

11.4 
0.5 
11.9 

Lease Obligations 
We  are  committed  under  non-cancelable  operating  leases  for  business  premises,  computer  equipment 
and  vehicles  with  terms  expiring  at  various  dates  through  2020.  We  are  also  committed  under  non-
cancelable  capital  leases  for  computer  equipment  expiring  at  various  dates  through  2018.  The  future 
minimum amounts payable under these lease agreements are outlined in the table above.  

Other Obligations 
Deferred Share Unit and Cash-Settled Restricted Share Unit Plans 
As described in Note 2 to these consolidated financial statements, we maintain DSU and CRSU plans for 
our directors and employees. Any payments made pursuant to these plans are settled in cash. For DSUs 
and CRSUs, the units vest over time and the liability recognized at any given consolidated balance sheet 
date reflects only those units vested at that date that have not yet been settled in cash. As such, we had 
an  unrecognized  aggregate  liability  for  the  unvested  CRSUs  of  $0.7  million  for  which  no  liability  was 
recorded  on  our  consolidated  balance  sheet  at  January  31,  2015,  in  accordance  with  ASC  Topic  718, 
“Compensation  –  Stock  Compensation”.  As  at  January  31,  2015  there  were  no  unvested  DSUs.  The 
ultimate liability for any payment of DSUs and CRSUs is dependent on the trading price of our common 
shares. 

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contingencies 
We are subject to a variety of other claims and suits that arise from time to time in the ordinary course 
of our business. The consequences of these matters are not presently determinable but, in the opinion 
of  management  after  consulting  with  legal  counsel,  the  ultimate  aggregate  liability  is  not  currently 
expected to have a material effect on our results of operations or financial position. 

Product Warranties 
In  the  normal  course  of  operations,  we  provide  our  customers  with  product  warranties  relating  to  the 
performance  of  our  hardware,  software  and  network  services.  To  date,  we  have  not  encountered 
material  costs  as  a  result  of  such  obligations  and  have  not  accrued  any  liabilities  related  to  such 
obligations in our consolidated financial statements. 

Business combination agreements 
In respect of our acquisition of Customs Info in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, up to $3.9 million in 
cash  may  have  become  payable  had  certain  revenue  performance  targets  been  met  by  Customs  Info 
during the calendar year 2014. The revenue performance targets were not met during the performance 
period and as a result no amount is payable related to the contingent consideration. 

In respect of our acquisition of e-customs in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, up to approximately $1.2 
million (GBP 0.8 million) in cash may become payable if certain revenue performance targets are met by 
e-customs during 2016. 

In  respect  of  our  acquisition  of  Pentant  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2015,  up  to  approximately  $0.4 
million (GBP 0.3 million) in cash may become payable if certain revenue performance targets are met by 
Pentant during 2016. 

Guarantees 
In the normal course of business we enter into a variety of agreements that may contain features that 
meet the definition of a guarantee under ASC Topic 460, “Guarantees”. The following lists our significant 
guarantees: 

Intellectual property indemnification obligations 
We  provide  indemnifications  of  varying  scope  to  our  customers  against  claims  of  intellectual  property 
infringement  made  by  third  parties  arising  from  the  use  of  our  products. In  the  event  of  such  a  claim, 
we are generally obligated to defend our customers against the claim and we are liable to pay damages 
and  costs  assessed  against  our  customers  that  are  payable  as  part  of  a  final  judgment  or  settlement. 
These  intellectual  property  infringement  indemnification  clauses  are  not  generally  subject  to  any  dollar 
limits  and  remain  in  force  for  the  term  of  our  license  and  services  agreements  with  our  customers, 
where license terms are typically perpetual. To date, we have not encountered material costs as a result 
of such indemnifications. 

Other indemnification agreements 
In  the  normal  course  of  operations,  we  enter  into  various  agreements  that  provide  general 
indemnifications.  These  indemnifications  typically  occur  in  connection  with  purchases  and  sales  of 
assets,  securities  offerings  or  buy-backs,  service  contracts,  administration  of  employee  benefit  plans, 
retention  of  officers  and  directors,  membership  agreements,  customer  financing  transactions,  and 
leasing transactions. In addition, our corporate  by-laws provide for  the  indemnification of our directors 
and  officers.  Each  of  these  indemnifications  requires  us,  in  certain  circumstances,  to  compensate  the 
counterparties  for  various  costs  resulting  from  breaches  of  representations  or  obligations  under  such 
arrangements,  or  as  a  result  of  third  party  claims  that  may  be  suffered  by  the  counterparty  as  a 
consequence  of  the  transaction.  We  believe  that  the  likelihood  that  we  could  incur  significant  liability 
under these obligations is remote. Historically, we have not made any significant payments under such 
indemnifications. 

In  evaluating  estimated  losses  for  the  guarantees  or  indemnities  described  above,  we  consider  such 
factors  as  the  degree  of  probability  of  an  unfavorable  outcome  and  the  ability  to  make  a  reasonable 
23 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
estimate of the amount of loss. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential 
amount payable under such guarantees or indemnities as many of these arrangements do not specify a 
maximum  potential  dollar  exposure  or  time  limitation.  The  amount  also  depends  on  the  outcome  of 
future  events  and  conditions,  which  cannot  be  predicted.  Given  the  foregoing,  to  date,  we  have  not 
accrued any liability in our financial statements for the guarantees or indemnities described above. 

OUTSTANDING SHARE DATA 

We have an unlimited number of common shares authorized for issuance. As of March 5, 2015, we had 
75,480,492 common shares issued and outstanding. 

On July 2, 2014, we completed a public offering of common shares in the United States and Canada at a 
price  of  $13.50  per  common  share  pursuant  to  the  short-form  base  shelf  prospectus  and  related 
prospectus  supplement  filed  in  connection  with  the  offering.  The  total  offering  of  10,925,000  common 
shares included the exercise in full by the underwriters of the 15% over-allotment option, for aggregate 
gross  proceeds  to  Descartes  of  $147.5  million.  Net  proceeds  to  Descartes  were  approximately  $142.1 
million  once  expenses  associated  with  the  offering  were  deducted  inclusive  of  the  related  deferred  tax 
benefit on share issuance costs. Excluding share issuance costs payable and the deferred tax benefit on 
issuance costs, the net cash proceeds to Descartes were approximately $140.7 million. 

As  of  March  5,  2015,  there  were  953,264  options  issued  and  outstanding,  and  217,264  remaining 
available for grant under all stock option plans. As of March 5, 2015, there were 174,258 performance 
share units (“PSUs”) and 175,592 restricted share units (“RSUs”) issued and outstanding, and 438,289 
remaining available for grant under all performance and restricted share unit plans. 

On November 30, 2004, we announced that our board of directors had adopted a shareholder rights plan 
(the “Rights Plan”) to ensure the fair treatment of shareholders in connection with any take-over offer, 
and  to  provide  our  board  of  directors  and  shareholders  with  additional  time  to  fully  consider  any 
unsolicited  take-over  bid.  We  did  not  adopt  the  Rights  Plan  in  response  to  any  specific  proposal  to 
acquire control of the company. The Rights Plan was approved by the TSX and was originally approved 
by our shareholders on May 18, 2005. The Rights Plan took effect as of November 29, 2004. On May 29, 
2008, our shareholders approved certain amendments to the Rights Plan and approved the Rights Plan 
continuing  in  effect.  At  our  annual  shareholders  meeting  held  on  May  29,  2014,  our  shareholders 
approved certain amendments to the Rights Plan and approved the Rights Plan continuing in effect. The 
Rights  Plan  will  expire  at  the  termination  of  our  annual  shareholders’  meeting  in  calendar  year  2017 
unless its continued existence is ratified by the shareholders before such expiration. We understand that 
the  Rights  Plan  is  similar  to  plans  adopted  by  other  Canadian  companies  and  approved  by  their 
shareholders. 

APPLICATION OF CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES 

Our  consolidated  financial  statements  included  herein  and  accompanying  notes  are  prepared  in 
accordance  with  GAAP.  Preparing  financial  statements  requires  management  to  make  estimates  and 
assumptions  that  affect  the  reported  amounts  of  assets,  liabilities,  revenues  and  expenses.  These 
estimates  and  assumptions  are  affected  by  management’s  application  of  accounting  policies.  Estimates 
are deemed critical when a different estimate could have reasonably been used or where changes in the 
estimates are reasonably likely to occur from period to period and would materially impact our financial 
condition or results of operations. Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 2 to the fiscal 
2015 consolidated financial statements.  

24 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our  management  has  discussed  the  development,  selection  and  application  of  our  critical  accounting 
policies  with  the  audit  committee  of  the  board  of  directors.  In  addition,  the  board  of  directors  has 
reviewed the accounting policy disclosures in this MD&A.  

The  following  discusses  the  critical  accounting  estimates  and  assumptions  that  management  has  made 
under these policies and how they affect the amounts reported in the fiscal 2015 consolidated financial 
statements: 

Revenue recognition 
We  recognize  revenue  when  it  is  realized  or  realizable  and  earned.  We  consider  revenue  realized  or 
realizable  and earned when there exists persuasive evidence of an  arrangement, the product has been 
delivered  or  the  services  have  been  provided  to  the  customer,  the  sales  price  is  fixed  or  determinable 
and collectability is reasonably assured.  

In recognizing revenue, we make estimates and assumptions on factors such as the probability of collection 
of the receivable from the customer, the amount of revenue to allocate to individual elements in a multiple 
element  arrangement,  the  selling  price  and  other  matters.  We  make  these  estimates  and  assumptions 
using our past experience, taking into account any other current information that may be relevant. These 
estimates  and  assumptions  may  differ  from  the  actual  outcome  for  a  given  customer  which  could  impact 
operating results in a future period. 

Impairment of long-lived assets 
We test long-lived assets, such as capital assets and finite life intangible assets, for recoverability when 
events  or  changes  in  circumstances  indicate  that  there  may  be  an  impairment.  An  impairment  loss  is 
recognized when the  estimate of undiscounted future cash flows  generated by  such assets is  less  than 
the carrying amount. Measurement of the impairment loss is based on the present value of the expected 
future cash flows. Our impairment analysis contains estimates due to the inherently speculative nature 
of forecasting long-term estimated cash flows and determining the ultimate useful lives of assets. Actual 
results will differ, which could materially impact our impairment assessment. 

Goodwill 
We  test  for  impairment  of  goodwill  at  least  annually  during  our  third  quarter  of  each  year  and  at  any 
other  time  if  any  event  occurs  or  circumstances  change  that  would  more  likely  than  not  reduce  our 
enterprise value below our carrying amount. Our operations are analyzed by management and our chief 
operating  decision  maker  as  being  part  of  a  single  industry  segment  providing  logistics  technology 
solutions.  Accordingly,  our  goodwill  impairment  assessment  is  based  on  the  allocation  of  goodwill  to  a 
single reporting unit.  

We  will  perform  further  quarterly  analysis  of  whether  any  event  has  occurred  that  would  more  likely 
than not reduce our enterprise value below our carrying amounts and, if so, we will perform a goodwill 
impairment test between the annual dates. Any future impairment adjustment will be recognized as an 
expense in the period that the adjustment is identified.  

Application  of  the  goodwill  impairment  test  requires  judgment,  including  the  identification  of  reporting 
units, assigning assets and liabilities to reporting units, assigning goodwill to reporting units, assessing 
qualitative  factors  and  determining  the  fair  value  of  each  reporting  unit.  Significant  judgments  are 
required  to  estimate  the  fair  value  of  reporting  units  and  include  estimating  future  cash  flows, 
determining  appropriate  discount  rates  and  other  assumptions.  Changes  in  these  estimates  and 
assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and/or goodwill impairment for each 
reporting unit. 

Stock-based compensation plans 
Stock Options 
We maintain stock option plans for directors, officers, employees and other service providers. Options to 
purchase  our  common  shares  are  granted  at  an  exercise  price  equal  to  the  fair  market  value  of  our 

25 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
common shares. This fair market value is determined using the closing price of our common shares on 
the TSX on the day immediately preceding the date of the grant.   

Employee  stock  options  generally  vest  over  a  five-year  period  starting  from  the  grant  date  and  expire 
seven years from the grant date. Directors’ and officers’ stock options generally have quarterly vesting 
over  a  three-  to  five-year  period.  We  issue  new  shares  from  treasury  upon  the  exercise  of  a  stock 
option.  

The  fair  value  of  employee  stock  option  grants  that  are  ultimately  expected  to  vest  are  amortized  to 
expense in our consolidated statement of operations based on the straight-line attribution method. The 
fair  value  of  stock  option  grants  is  calculated  using  the  Black-Scholes  Merton  option-pricing  model. 
Expected volatility is based on historical volatility of our common stock and other factors. The risk-free 
interest rates are based on Government of Canada average bond yields for a period consistent with the 
expected  life  of  the  option  in  effect  at  the  time  of  the  grant.  The  expected  option  life  is  based  on  the 
historical life of our granted options and other factors. 

Performance & Restricted Share Units 
We  maintain  a  performance  and  restricted  share  unit  plan  effective  pursuant  to  which  certain  of  our 
employees are eligible to receive grants of performance share units and restricted share units.  

PSUs  vest  at  the  end  of  a  three-year  performance  period.  The  ultimate  number  of  PSUs  that  vest  is 
based  on  the  total  shareholder  return  (“TSR”)  of  our  Company  relative  to  the  TSR  of  companies 
comprising a peer index group. TSR is calculated based on the weighted-average closing price of shares 
for the five  trading days preceding the  beginning and  end of  the performance  period. The fair value of 
PSUs is expensed to stock-based compensation expense over the vesting period. PSUs expire ten years 
from the grant date. New shares are issued from treasury upon the redemption of a PSU. 

PSUs are measured at fair value estimated using a Monte Carlo Simulation approach. Expected volatility 
is  based  on  historical  volatility  of  our  common  stock  and  other  factors.  The  risk-free  interest  rates are 
based on the Government of Canada average bond yields for a period consistent with the expected life 
of PSUs at the time of the grant. The expected PSU life is based on the historical life of our stock options 
and other factors. 

RSUs vest annually over a three-year period starting from the grant date and expire ten years from the 
grant date. We issue new shares from treasury upon the redemption of an RSU. 

RSUs are measured at fair value based on the closing price of our common shares for the day preceding 
the  date  of  the  grant  and  will  be  expensed  to  stock-based  compensation  expense  over  the  vesting 
period.  

Deferred Share Unit Plan 
Our  board  of  directors  adopted  a  deferred  share  unit  plan  effective  as  of  June  28,  2004,  pursuant  to 
which non-employee directors are eligible to receive grants of deferred share units, each of which has an 
initial value equal to the weighted-average closing price of our common shares for the five trading days 
preceding  the  grant  date.  The  plan  allows  each  director  to  choose  to  receive,  in  the  form  of  DSUs,  all, 
none  or  a  percentage  of  the  eligible  director’s  fees  which  would  otherwise  be  payable  in  cash.  If  a 
director has invested less than the minimum amount of equity in Descartes, as prescribed from time to 
time  by  the  board  of  directors  then  the  director  must  take  at  least  50%  of  the  base  annual  fee  for 
serving as a director in the form of DSUs. Each DSU fully vests upon award but is distributed only when 
the director ceases to be a member of the board of directors. Vested units are settled in cash based on 
our common share price when conversion takes place.  

Cash-Settled Restricted Share Unit Plan 
Our  board  of  directors  adopted  a  cash-settled  restricted  share  unit  plan  effective  as  of  May  23,  2007, 
pursuant to which certain of our employees and outside directors are eligible to receive grants of CRSUs, 

26 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
each of which has an initial value equal to the weighted-average closing price of our common shares for 
the  five  trading  days  preceding  the  date  of  the  grant.  The  CRSUs  generally  vest  based  on  continued 
employment and have annual vesting over three- to five-year periods. Vested units  are settled  in cash 
based  on  our  common  share  price  when  conversion  takes  place,  which  is  within  30  days  following  a 
vesting date and in any event prior to December 31st of the calendar year of a vesting date. 

Income Taxes 
We have provided for income taxes based on information that is currently available to us. Tax filings are 
subject to audits, which could materially change the amount of current and deferred income tax assets 
and liabilities. We record deferred tax assets on our consolidated balance sheet for tax benefits that we 
currently  expect  to  realize  in  future  periods.  Over  recent  years,  we  have  determined  that  there  was 
sufficient positive evidence such that it was more likely than not that we would utilize all or a portion of 
deferred  tax  assets  in  certain  jurisdictions,  to  offset  taxable  income  in  future  periods. This  positive 
evidence included that we have earned cumulative income, after permanent differences, in each of these 
jurisdictions  in  at  least  the  current  and  two  preceding  tax  years.  As  such,  over  recent  years,  we  have 
reduced  our  valuation  allowances  by  amounts  which  represent  the  amount  of  tax  loss  carry  forwards 
that we project will be used to offset taxable income in these jurisdictions over the foreseeable future. In 
making  the  projection  for  the  period,  we  made  certain  assumptions,  including  the  following:  (i)  that 
there will be continued customer migration from technology platforms owned by foreign jurisdictions to 
a technology  platform owned by  another entity in our corporate group; and (ii) that tax rates in these 
jurisdictions will be consistent over the period of projection. Any further change to increase or decrease 
the valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets would result in an income tax expense or income tax 
recovery, respectively, on the consolidated statements of operations. 

Business Combinations 
In connection with business acquisitions that we have completed, we identify and estimate the fair value 
of net assets acquired, including certain identifiable intangible assets (other than goodwill) and liabilities 
assumed  in  the  acquisitions. Any excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value of the net 
assets  acquired  is  assigned  to  goodwill.  Intangible  assets  include  customer  agreements  and 
relationships,  non-compete  covenants,  existing  technologies  and  trade  names.  Our  initial  allocation  of 
purchase price is generally preliminary in nature and may not be final for up to one year from the date 
of  acquisition.  Changes  to  the  estimate  and  assumptions  used  in  determining  our  purchase  price 
allocation may result in material differences depending on the size of the acquisition completed. 

Inventory 
Finished goods inventories are stated at the lower of cost and market value. Market value is the current 
replacement cost of the inventory. The cost of finished goods is determined on the basis of average cost 
of units.  

The  valuation  of  inventory,  including  the  determination  of  obsolete  or  excess  inventory,  requires 
management to estimate the future demand for our products within specified time horizons. We perform 
an  assessment  of  inventory  which  includes  a  review  of,  among  other  factors,  demand  requirements, 
product  life  cycle  and  development  plans,  product  pricing  and  quality  issues.  If  the  demand  for  our 
products indicates we are no longer able to sell inventories above cost or at all, we write down inventory 
to net realizable value or excess inventory is written off.  

CHANGE IN / INITIAL ADOPTION OF ACCOUNTING POLICIES 

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements 
In March 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standard Update 
2013-05,  “Foreign  Currency  Matters”  (“ASU  2013-05”).  ASU  2013-05  provides  clarification  on  the 
accounting  treatment  of  currency  translation  adjustment  for  entities  that  cease  to  have  a  controlling 
financial  interest  in  a  foreign  subsidiary.  ASU  2013-05  is  effective  for  interim  and  annual  periods 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
beginning after December 15, 2013, which is our fiscal year that commenced on February 1, 2014. The 
adoption of this amendment has not had a material impact on our results of operations or disclosures. 

In July 2013, the  FASB  issued ASU  2013-11,  “Income Taxes” (“ASU  2013-11”). ASU  2013-11 provides 
clarification on the presentation of unrecognized tax benefits when a net operating loss carryforward, a 
similar  tax  loss,  or  a  tax  credit  carryforward  exists.  ASU  2013-11  is  effective  for  quarterly  and  annual 
periods  beginning  after  December  15,  2013,  which  is  our  fiscal  year  that  commenced  on  February  1, 
2014.  The  adoption  of  this  amendment  has  not  had  a  material  impact  on  our  results  of  operations  or 
disclosures.   

Recently issued accounting pronouncements 
In  May  2014,  the  FASB  issued  Accounting  Standard  Update  2014-09,  “Revenue  from  Contracts  with 
Customers”  (“ASU  2014-09”).  ASU  2014-09  amends  the  number  of  requirements  that  an  entity  must 
consider  in  recognizing  revenue  and  requires  improved  disclosures  to  help  readers  of  financial 
statements better understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue recognized.  ASU 
2014-09  is  effective  for  interim  and  annual  periods  beginning  after  December  15,  2016,  which  will  be 
our fiscal year beginning February 1, 2017. Early adoption is not permitted. The Company will adopt this 
guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018 and is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption will 
have on its results of operations, financial position and disclosures.  

In  August  2014,  the  FASB  issued  Accounting  Standard  Update  2014-15,  “Presentation  of  Financial 
Statements  –  Going  Concern  (Subtopic  2015-40)”  (“ASU  2014-15”).  ASU  2014-15  requires  an  entity’s 
management to evaluate whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the 
entity’s  ability  to  continue  as  a  going  concern  within  one  year  after  the  date  that  the  financial 
statements  are  issued.  ASU  2014-15  is  effective  for  condensed  and  annual  periods  beginning  after 
December  15,  2016,  which  will  be  our  fiscal  year  beginning  February  1,  2017.  Early  adoption  is 
permitted. The Company will adopt this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. The adoption of this 
amendment is not expected to have a material impact on our results of operations or disclosures. 

In  February  2015,  the  FASB  issued  Accounting  Standard  Update  2015-02,  “Consolidation  (Topic  810): 
Amendments  to  the  Consolidation  Analysis”  (“ASU  2015-02”).  ASU  2015-02  amends  the  analysis that  an 
entity  must  perform  to  determine  whether  it  should  consolidate  certain  types  of  legal  entities.  ASU 
2015-02 is effective for condensed and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, which will be 
our  fiscal  year  beginning  February  1,  2016.  Early  adoption  is  permitted.  The  Company  will  adopt  this 
guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 and is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption will 
have on its results of operations, financial position and disclosures. 

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 

Under  the  supervision  and  with  the  participation  of  our  management,  including  our  Chief  Executive 
Officer  and  Chief  Financial  Officer,  management  evaluated  our  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  (as 
defined in National Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in Issuers’ Annual and Interim Filings) 
as  of  January  31,  2015.  Based  upon  that  evaluation,  our  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Chief  Financial 
Officer concluded that the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.  

Under  the  supervision  and  with  the  participation  of  our  management,  including  our  Chief  Executive 
Officer  and  Chief  Financial  Officer,  management  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  our  internal  control  over 
financial  reporting  (as  defined  in  National  Instrument  52-109  Certification  of  Disclosure  in  Issuers’ 
Annual and Interim Filings) as of January 31, 2015, based on criteria established in “Internal Control – 
Integrated  Framework  (2013),  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway 
Commission”.  Based  on  the  assessment,  our  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Chief  Financial  Officer 
concluded that, as of January 31, 2015, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.  

28 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2015, no changes were made to the Company’s internal control 
over  financial  reporting  that  have  materially  affected,  or  are  reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  the 
Company’s internal control over financial reporting. 

TRENDS / BUSINESS OUTLOOK 

This  section  discusses  our  outlook  for  fiscal  2016  and  in  general  as  of  the  date  of  this  MD&A,  and 
contains forward-looking statements. 

Our  business  may  be  impacted  from  time  to  time  by  the  general  cyclical  and  seasonal  nature  of 
particular modes of transportation and the freight market in general, as well as the industries that such 
markets  serve.  Factors  which  may  create  cyclical  fluctuations  in  such  modes  of  transportation,  or  the 
freight  market  in  general,  include:  legal  and  regulatory  requirements;  timing  of  contract  renewals 
between our customers and their own customers; seasonal-based tariffs; vacation periods applicable to 
particular shipping or receiving nations; weather-related events or natural disasters that impact shipping 
in particular geographies; availability of credit to support shipping operations; economic downturns; and 
amendments  to  international  trade  agreements.  As  many  of  our  services  are  sold  on  a  “per  shipment” 
basis, we anticipate that our business will continue to reflect the general cyclical and seasonal nature of 
shipment volumes with our third quarter being the strongest quarter for shipment volumes, compared to 
our  first  quarter  being  the  weakest  quarter  for  shipment  volumes.  Historically,  in  our  second  fiscal 
quarter, we have seen an increase in ocean services revenues as ocean carriers are in the midst of their 
customer contract negotiation period.    

In  2015,  our  services  revenues  comprised  93%  of  our  total  revenues,  with  the  balance  being  license 
revenues.  We  expect  that  our  focus  in  2016  will  remain  on  generating  services  revenues,  primarily  by 
promoting the use of our GLN (including customs compliance services) and the migration of customers 
using  our  legacy  license-based  products  to  our  services-based  architecture.  We  anticipate  maintaining 
the flexibility to license our products to those customers who prefer to buy the products in that fashion 
and the composition of our revenues in any one quarter between services revenues and license revenues 
will be impacted by the buying preferences of our customers.  

We have significant contracts with our license customers for ongoing support and maintenance, as well 
as  significant  service  contracts  which  provide  us  with  recurring  services  revenues.  In  addition,  our 
installed  customer  base  has  historically  generated additional  new  license  and  services  revenues  for  us. 
Service contracts are generally renewable at a customer’s option, and there are generally no mandatory 
payment obligations or obligations to license additional software or subscribe for additional services. For 
2015,  based  on  our  historic  experience,  we  anticipate  that  over  a  one-year  period  we  may  lose 
approximately  4% to 6% of our aggregate recurring revenues  in the ordinary course. There can be no 
assurance  that  we  will  be  able  to  replace  such  lost  revenue  with  new  revenue  from  new  customer 
relationships or from existing customers.  

We internally measure and manage our “baseline calibration,” a non-GAAP financial measure, which we 
define as the difference between our “baseline revenues” and “baseline operating expenses”. We define 
our  “baseline  revenues,”  a  non-GAAP  financial  measure,  as  our  visible,  recurring  and  contracted 
revenues.  Baseline  revenues  are  not  a  projection  of  anticipated  total  revenues  for  a  period  as  they 
exclude any anticipated or expected new sales for a period beyond the date that the baseline revenues 
are measured. We define our “baseline operating expenses,” a non-GAAP financial measure, as our total 
expenses  less  interest,  taxes,  depreciation  and  amortization,  stock-based  compensation  (for  which  we 
include related costs and taxes), acquisition-related costs and restructuring charges. Baseline operating 
expenses  are  not  a  projection  of  anticipated  total expenses  for  a  period  as  they  exclude  any  expenses 
associated  with  anticipated  or  expected  new  sales  for  a  period  beyond  the  date  that  the  baseline 
expenses  are  measured.  Our  baseline  calibration  is  not  a  projection  of  net  income  for  a  period  as 
determined  in  accordance  with  GAAP,  or  adjusted  earnings  before  interest,  taxes,  depreciation  and 
29 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
amortization for a period as it excludes anticipated or expected new sales for a period beyond the date 
that the baseline calibration is measured, excludes any costs of goods sold or other expenses associated 
with  such  new  sales,  and  excludes  the  expenses  identified  as  excluded  in  the  definition  of  “baseline 
operating  expenses,”  above.  We  calculate  and  disclose  “baseline  revenues,”  “baseline  operating 
expenses” and “baseline calibration” because management uses these metrics in determining its planned 
levels of expenditures for a period. These metrics are estimates and not projections, nor actual financial 
results,  and  are  not  indicative  of  current  or  future  performance.  These  metrics  do  not  have  a 
standardized meaning prescribed by  GAAP and are unlikely to be comparable to similarly-titled metrics 
used  by  other  companies  and  are  not  a  replacement  or  proxy  for  any  GAAP  measure.  At  February  1, 
2016, using foreign exchange rates of $0.80 to CAD $1.00, $1.13 to EUR 1.00 and $1.54 to £1.00, we 
estimated that our baseline revenues for the first quarter of 2016  are approximately $42.0 million  and 
our  baseline  operating  expenses  are  approximately  $31.5  million.  We  consider  this  to  be  our  baseline 
calibration  of  approximately  $10.5  million  for  the  first  quarter  of  2016,  or  approximately  25%  of  our 
baseline revenues as at February 1, 2016.  

Periodically  we  incur  restructuring  charges  as  we  continue  to  re-calibrate  our  business  through  the 
implementation  of  cost-reduction  initiatives  and  further  accelerate  integration  activity  for  acquired 
companies.  In  2015,  we  incurred  $0.8  million  in  restructuring  charges  and  we  expect  to  incur  $0.3 
million in additional charges pursuant to established restructuring and integration plans in 2016.  

We  estimate  that  amortization  expense  for  existing  intangible  assets  will  be  $21.7  million  for  2016, 
$20.3  million  for  2017,  $15.5  million  for  2018,  $13.3  million  for  2019,  $12.7  million  for  2020,  $9.8 
million for 2021 and $21.8 million thereafter, assuming that no impairment of existing intangible assets 
occurs in the interim and subject to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.   

We anticipate that stock-based compensation expense in 2016 will be approximately $0.9 million to $1.1 
million,  subject  to  any  necessary  adjustments  resulting  from  reconciling  estimated  stock-based 
compensation forfeitures to actual stock-based compensation forfeitures. 

We  performed  our  annual  goodwill  impairment  tests  in  accordance  with  ASC  Topic  350,  “Intangibles  – 
Goodwill and Other” (“ASC Topic 350”), during our third quarter of 2015 and determined that there was 
no  evidence  of  impairment.  We  are  currently  scheduled  to  perform  our  next  annual  impairment  test 
during  the  third  quarter  of  fiscal  2016.  We  will  continue  to  perform  quarterly  analyses  of  whether  any 
event  has  occurred  that  would  more  likely  than  not  reduce  our  enterprise  value  below  our  carrying 
amounts and, if so, we will perform a goodwill impairment test between the annual dates. The likelihood 
of  any  future  impairment  increases  if  our  public  market  capitalization  is  adversely  impacted  by  global 
economic,  capital  market  or  other  conditions  for  a  sustained  period  of  time.  Any  future  impairment 
adjustment will be recognized as an expense in the period that such adjustment is identified. 

In  2015,  capital  expenditures  were  $2.7  million  or  2%  of  revenues,  as  we  continue  to  invest  in 
computing  equipment  and  software  to  support  our  network  and  build  out  our  infrastructure.  We 
anticipate  that  we  will  incur  up  to  $4.0  million  in  capital  expenditures  in  2016  primarily  related  to 
investments in our network infrastructure. 

We  conduct  business  in  a  variety  of  foreign  currencies  and,  as  a  result,  our  foreign  operations  are 
subject to foreign exchange fluctuations. Our businesses operate in their local currency environment and 
use  their  local  currency  as  their  functional  currency.  Assets  and  liabilities  of  foreign  operations  are 
translated  into  US  dollars  at  the  exchange  rate  in  effect  at  the  balance  sheet  date.  Revenues  and 
expenses  of  foreign  operations  are  translated  using  daily  exchange  rates.  Translation  adjustments 
resulting  from  this  process  are  accumulated  in  other  comprehensive  income  (loss)  as  a  separate 
component  of  shareholders’  equity.  Transactions  incurred  in  currencies  other  than  the  functional 
currency  are  converted  to  the  functional  currency  at  the  transaction  date.  All  foreign  currency 
transaction gains and losses are included in net income. Some of our cash is held in foreign currencies. 
We currently have no specific hedging program in place to address fluctuations in international currency 
exchange  rates.  We  can  make  no  accurate  prediction  of  what  will  happen  with  international  currency 

30 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
exchange  rates  going  forward.  However,  if  the  US  dollar  is  weak  in  comparison  to  foreign  currencies, 
then  we  anticipate  this  will  increase  the  expenses  of  our  business  and  have  a  negative  impact  on  our 
results of operations. In such cases we may need to undertake cost-reduction activities to maintain our 
calibration. By way of illustration, 50% of our revenues in 2015 were in US dollars, 22% in euro, 9% in 
Canadian dollars, and the balance in mixed currencies, while 35% of our operating expenses were in US 
dollars, 23% in Canadian dollars, 23% in euro, and the balance in mixed currencies. 

As  at  March  5,  2015,  we  had  209,727  outstanding  DSUs  and  96,123  outstanding  CRSUs.  CRSUs  are 
notional share units granted to directors, officers and employees that, when vested, are settled in cash 
by Descartes using the fair market value of Descartes’ common shares at the vesting date. DSUs, which 
have only been granted to non-executive directors, vest upon award but are only paid at the completion 
of  the  applicable  director’s  service  to  Descartes.  CRSUs  generally  vest  and  are  paid  over  a  period  of 
three-  to  five-years.  Our  liability  to  pay  amounts  for  DSUs  and  CRSUs  is  determined  using  the  fair 
market  value  of  Descartes’  common  shares  at  the  applicable  balance  sheet  date.  Increases  in  the  fair 
market value of Descartes’ common shares between reporting periods will require us to record additional 
expense  in  a  reporting  period;  while  decreases  in  the  fair  market  value  of  Descartes’  common  shares 
between  reporting  periods  will  require  us  to  record  an  expense  recovery.  For  CRSUs  and  DSUs,  the 
amount of  any expense  or recovery is  based on  the number of vested  units outstanding  and our  stock 
price. Because the expense is subject to fluctuations in our stock price, we are not able to predict these 
expenses or expense recoveries and, accordingly, they are outside our calibration. 

In 2015, we recorded a net deferred income tax expense of $4.0 million primarily as a result of income 
that  is  sheltered  by  loss  carry-forwards  and  other  tax  attributes.  The  amount  of  any  tax  expense  or 
recovery in a period will depend on the amount of taxable income, if any, we generate in a jurisdiction, 
our  then  current  effective  tax  rate  in  that  jurisdiction,  and  estimations  of  our  ability  to  utilize  deferred 
tax  asset  balances  in  the  future.  We  can  provide  no  assurance  as  to  the  timing  or  amounts  of  any 
income tax expense or recovery, nor can we provide any assurance that our current valuation allowance 
for deferred tax assets will not need to be adjusted further. 

Our  tax  expense  for  a  period  is  difficult  to  predict  as  it  depends  on  many  factors,  including  the  actual 
jurisdictions in which income is earned, the tax rates in those jurisdictions, the amount of deferred tax 
assets relating to the jurisdictions and the valuation allowances relating to those tax assets.  

We  intend  to  continue  to  actively  explore  business  combinations  to  add  complementary  services, 
products and customers to our existing businesses.  We also intend to continue to focus our acquisition 
activities on companies that are targeting the same customers as us and processing similar data and, to 
that end, we listen to our customers’ suggestions as they relate to acquisition opportunities. Depending 
on the size and scope of any business combination, or series of business combinations, we may need to 
raise  additional  debt  or  equity  capital.  However,  there  can  be  no  assurance  that  we  will  be  able  to 
undertake such a financing transaction.  

Certain  future  commitments  are  set  out  above  in  the  section  of  this  MD&A  called  “Commitments, 
Contingencies  and  Guarantees”.  We  believe  that  we  have  sufficient  liquidity  to  fund  our  current 
operating and working capital requirements, including the payment of these commitments. 

CERTAIN FACTORS THAT MAY AFFECT FUTURE RESULTS 

Any  investment  in  us  will  be  subject  to  risks  inherent  to  our  business.  Before  making  an  investment 
decision,  you  should  carefully  consider  the  risks  described  below  together  with  all  other  information 
included  in  this  report.  The  risks  and  uncertainties  described  below  are  not  the  only  ones  facing  us. 
Additional risks and uncertainties that we are not aware of or have not focused on, or that we currently 

31 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
deem  immaterial,  may  also  impair  our  business  operations.  This  report  is  qualified  in  its  entirety  by 
these risk factors. 

If any of the risks actually occur, they could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, 
liquidity or results of operations. In that case, the trading price of our  securities could decline  and  you 
may lose all or part of your investment. 

We  may  have  difficulties  identifying,  successfully  integrating  or  maintaining  or  growing  our 
acquired businesses.  
Businesses  that  we  acquire  may  sell  products  or  operate  services  that  we  have  limited  experience 
operating  or  managing.  We  may  experience  unanticipated  challenges  or  difficulties  identifying  suitable 
acquisition  candidates,  integrating  their  businesses  into  our  company,  maintaining  these  businesses  at 
their  current  levels  or  growing  these  businesses.  Factors  that  may  impair  our  ability  to  identify, 
successfully integrate, maintain or grow acquired businesses may include, but are not limited to:  

•  Challenges  identifying  suitable  businesses  to  buy  and  negotiating  the  acquisition  of  those 

businesses on acceptable terms; 

•  Challenges completing the acquisitions within our expected time frames and budgets; 
•  Challenges in integrating acquired businesses with our business;  
• 
• 

Loss of customers of the acquired business;  
Loss  of  key  personnel  from  the  acquired  business,  such  as  former  executive  officers  or  key 
technical personnel;  

•  Non-compatible business cultures;  
• 

For  regulatory  compliance  businesses,  changes  in  government  regulations  impacting 
electronic  regulatory  filings  or  import/export  compliance,  including  changes  in  which 
government agencies are responsible for gathering import and export information;  

•  Difficulties  in  gaining  necessary  approvals  in  international  markets  to  expand  acquired 

businesses as contemplated;  

•  Our  inability  to  obtain  or  maintain  necessary  security  clearances  to  provide  international 

shipment management services;  

•  Our failure to make appropriate capital investments in infrastructure to facilitate growth; and  
•  Other risk factors identified in this report.  

We may fail to properly respond to any of these risks, which may have a material adverse effect on our 
business results. 

Investments  in  acquisitions  and  other  business  initiatives  involve  a  number  of  risks  that 
could harm our business.  
We have in the past acquired, and in the future expect to seek to acquire, additional products, services, 
customers,  technologies  and  businesses  that  we  believe  are  complementary  to  ours.  For  example,  in 
2015  we  acquired  Computer  Management,  Customs  Info  and  Airclic.  In  2014  we  acquired  KSD, 
Compudata  and  Impatex.  In  2013  we  acquired  Infodis,  IES  and  Exentra.  We  are  unable  to  predict 
whether  or  when  we  will  be  able  to  identify  any  appropriate  products,  technologies  or  businesses  for 
acquisition, or the likelihood that any potential acquisition will be available on terms acceptable to us or 
will be completed. We also, from time to time, take on investments in other business initiatives, such as 
the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system.  

Acquisitions  and  other  business  initiatives  involve  a  number  of  risks,  including:  diversion  of 
management’s  attention  from  current  operations;  additional  demands  on  resources,  systems, 
procedures and controls; and disruption of our ongoing business. Acquisitions  specifically  involve risks, 
including: difficulties in integrating and retaining all or part of the acquired business, its customers and 
its personnel; assumption of disclosed and undisclosed liabilities; dealing with unfamiliar laws, customs 
and practices  in foreign  jurisdictions;  and  the effectiveness of the  acquired company’s internal controls 
and  procedures.  In  addition,  we  may  not  identify  all  risks  or  fully  assess  risks  identified  in  connection 
with an investment. As well, by investing in such initiatives, we may deplete our cash resources or dilute 
our shareholder base by issuing additional shares. Furthermore, for acquisitions, there is a risk that our 

32 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
valuation  assumptions,  customer  retention  expectations  and  our  models  for  an  acquired  product  or 
business  may  be  erroneous  or  inappropriate  due  to  foreseen  or  unforeseen  circumstances  and  thereby 
cause  us  to  overvalue  an  acquisition  target.  There  is  also  a  risk  that  the  contemplated  benefits  of  an 
acquisition or other  investment may not materialize as planned or may not materialize within  the time 
period  or  to  the  extent  anticipated.  The  individual  or  combined  effect  of  these  risks  could  have  a 
material adverse effect on our business.  

Our  existing  customers  might  cancel  contracts  with  us,  fail  to  renew  contracts  on  their 
renewal  dates,  and/or  fail  to  purchase  additional  services  and  products,  and  we  may  be 
unable to attract new customers.  
We depend on our installed customer base for a significant portion of our revenues. We have significant 
contracts with our license customers for ongoing support and maintenance, as well as significant service 
contracts  that  provide  recurring  services  revenues  to  us,  such  as  our  contract  to  operate  the  U.S. 
Census  Bureau’s  Automated  Export  System,  AESDirect.  In  addition,  our  installed  customer  base  has 
historically  generated  additional  new  license  and  services  revenues  for  us.  Service  contracts  are 
generally renewable at a customer’s option, and there are generally no mandatory payment obligations 
or obligations to license additional software or subscribe for additional services.  

If our customers fail to renew their service contracts, fail to purchase additional services or products, or 
we  are  unable  to  attract  new  customers,  then  our  revenues  could  decrease  and  our  operating  results 
could be adversely affected. Factors influencing such contract terminations could include changes in the 
financial circumstances of our customers, dissatisfaction with our products or services, our retirement or 
lack  of  support  for  our  legacy  products  and  services,  our  customers  selecting  or  building  alternate 
technologies  to  replace  us,  the  cost  of  our  products  and  services  as  compared  to  the  cost  of  products 
and  services offered by  our competitors, our ability to attract, hire and  maintain  qualified personnel  to 
meet customer needs, consolidating activities in the market, and changes in our customers’ business or 
in regulation impacting our customers’ business that may no longer necessitate the use of our products 
or  services,  general  economic  or  market  conditions,  or  other  reasons.  Further,  our  customers  could 
delay  or  terminate  implementations  or  use  of  our  services  and  products  or  be  reluctant  to  migrate  to 
new  products.  Such  customers  will  not  generate  the  revenues  we  may  have  anticipated  within  the 
timelines anticipated, if at all, and may be less likely to invest in additional services or products from us 
in the future. We may not be able to adjust our expense levels quickly enough to account for any such 
revenue  losses.  In  addition,  loss  of  one  or  more  of  our  key  customers  could  adversely  impact  our 
competitive position in the marketplace and hurt our credibility and ability to attract new customers. 

System  or  network  failures  or  information  security  breaches  in  connection  with  our  services 
and products could reduce our sales, impair our reputation, increase costs or result in liability 
claims, and seriously harm our business.  
Any disruption to our services and products, our own information systems or communications networks 
or  those  of  third-party  providers  on  which  we  rely as  part  of  our  own  product  offerings  could  result  in 
the inability of our customers to receive our products for an indeterminate period of time. Our ability to 
deliver  our  products  and  services  depends  on  the  development  and  maintenance  of  internet 
infrastructure  by  third  parties.  This  includes  maintenance  of  reliable  networks  with  the  necessary 
security,  speed,  data  capacity  and  bandwidth.  While  our  services  are  designed  to  operate  without 
interruption,  we  have  experienced,  and  may  in  the  future  experience,  interruptions  and  delays  in 
services  and  availability  from time to time. In the event of a catastrophic event with respect to one or 
more  of  our  systems,  we  may  experience  an  extended  period  of  system  unavailability,  which  could 
negatively impact our relationship with customers. Our services and products may not function properly 
for reasons which may include, but are not limited to, the following: 

Interruption in the supply of power;  

•  System or network failure;  
•  Software errors, failures and crashes; 
• 
•  Virus proliferation;  
•  Communications failures; 
• 
• 

Information or infrastructure security breaches;  
Insufficient investment in infrastructure;  

33 

 
 
 
 
 
 
•  Earthquakes,  fires,  floods,  natural  disasters,  or  other  force  majeure  events  outside  our 

control; and  

•  Acts of war, cyber-attacks, denial-of-service attacks and/or terrorism.  

In  addition,  any  disruption  to  the  availability  of  customer  information,  or  any  compromise  to  the 
integrity  or  confidentiality  of  customer  information  in  our  systems  or  networks,  or  the  systems  or 
networks of third parties on which we rely, could result in our customers being unable to effectively use 
our  products  or  services  or  forced  to  take  mitigating  actions  to  protect  their  information.  Back-up  and 
redundant  systems  may  be  insufficient  or  may  fail  and  result  in  a  disruption  of  availability  of  our 
products or services to our customers or the integrity or availability of our customers’ information.  

Any  disruption  to  our  services  or  compromise  of  customer  information  could  impair  our  reputation  and 
cause  us  to  lose  customers  or  revenue,  or  face  litigation,  necessitate  customer  service  or  repair  work 
that would involve substantial costs and distract management from operating our business. Such issues 
could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. 

Changes  in  the  value  of  the  U.S.  dollar,  as  compared  to  the  currencies  of  other  countries 
where we transact business, could harm our operating results and financial condition.  
Historically, the largest percentage of our revenues has been denominated in U.S. dollars. However, the 
majority of our international expenses, including the wages of our non-U.S. employees and certain key 
supply  agreements,  have  been  denominated  in  Canadian  dollars,  euros  and  other  foreign  currencies. 
Therefore,  changes  in  the  value  of  the  U.S.  dollar  as  compared  to  the  Canadian  dollar,  the  euro  and 
other foreign currencies may materially affect our operating results. We generally have not implemented 
hedging  programs  to  mitigate  our  exposure  to  currency  fluctuations  affecting  international  accounts 
receivable,  cash  balances  and  inter-company  accounts.  We  also  have  not  hedged  our  exposure  to 
currency  fluctuations  affecting  future  international  revenues  and  expenses  and  other  commitments. 
Accordingly, currency exchange rate fluctuations have caused, and may continue to cause, variability in 
our  foreign  currency  denominated  revenue  streams,  expenses,  and  our  cost  to  settle  foreign  currency 
denominated liabilities.  

Changes  in  government  filing  requirements  for  global  trade  may  adversely  impact  our 
business.  
Our  regulatory  compliance  services  help  our  customers  comply  with  government  filing  requirements 
relating to global trade. The services that we offer may be impacted, from time to time, by changes in 
these  requirements.  Changes  in  requirements  that  impact  electronic  regulatory  filings  or  import/export 
compliance, including changes adding or reducing filing requirements, changes in enforcement practices 
or  changes  in  the  government  agency  responsible  for  such  requirements  could  adversely  impact  our 
business, results of operations and financial condition.  

Disruptions in the movement of freight could negatively affect our revenues.  
Our  business  is  highly  dependent  on  the  movement  of  freight  from  one  point  to  another  since  we 
generate transaction revenues as freight is moved by, to or from our customers. If there are disruptions 
in the movement of freight or proper reporting, whether as a result of labor disputes, weather or natural 
disaster, or caused by terrorists, political  instability, or security  activities,  contagious illness outbreaks, 
or otherwise, then the traffic volume on our Global Logistics Network will be impacted and our revenues 
will be adversely affected. As these types of freight disruptions are generally unpredictable, there can be 
no  assurance  that  our  business,  results  of  operations  and  financial  condition  will  not  be  adversely 
affected by such events.  

General economic conditions may affect our results of operations and financial condition.  
Demand for our products depends in large part upon the level of capital and operating expenditures by 
many of our customers. Decreased capital and operational spending could have a material adverse effect 
on the demand for our products and our business, results of operations, cash flow and overall financial 
condition.  Disruptions  in  the  financial  markets  may  adversely  impact  the  availability  of  credit  already 
arranged  and  the  availability  and  cost  of  credit  in  the  future,  which  could  result  in  the  delay  or 
cancellation  of  projects  or  capital  programs  on  which  our  business  depends.  In  addition,  disruptions  in 
34 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
the  financial  markets  may  also  have  an  adverse  impact  on  regional  economies  or  the  world  economy, 
which could negatively impact the capital and operating expenditures of our customers. These conditions 
may  reduce  the  willingness  or  ability  of  our  customers  and  prospective  customers  to  commit  funds  to 
purchase our products and services, or their ability to pay for our products and services after purchase.  

If we fail to attract and retain key personnel, it would adversely affect our ability to develop 
and effectively manage our business.  
Our  performance  is  substantially  dependent  on  the  performance  of  our  highly  qualified  management, 
technical  expertise,  and  sales  and  marketing  personnel,  which  we  regard  as  key  individuals  to  our 
business. We do not maintain life insurance policies on any of our employees that list Descartes as a loss 
payee.  Our  success  is  highly  dependent  on  our  ability  to  identify,  hire,  train,  motivate,  promote,  and 
retain key individuals. Significant competition exists for management and skilled personnel. If we fail to 
cross  train  key  employees,  particularly  those  with  specialized  knowledge  it  could  impair  our  ability  to 
provide  consistent  and  uninterrupted  service  to  our  customers.  If  we  are  not  able  to  attract,  retain  or 
establish an effective  succession  planning program for key individuals it could have a material adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and the price of our common shares.  

We have in the past, and may in the future, make changes to our executive management team or board 
of directors. There can be no assurance that any such changes and the resulting transition will not have 
a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and the price of our 
common shares.  

We may have exposure to greater than anticipated tax liabilities or expenses.  
We are subject to income and non-income taxes in various jurisdictions and our tax structure is subject 
to  review  by  both  domestic  and  foreign  taxation  authorities  and  currently  has  tax  audits  open  in  a 
number of jurisdictions  in which we operate. On  a quarterly basis we assess the status of these  audits 
and the potential for adverse outcomes to determine whether a provision for income and other taxes is 
appropriate.  The  timing  of  the  resolution  of  income  tax  audits  is  highly  uncertain,  and  the  amounts 
ultimately paid, if any, upon resolution of the issues raised by the taxing authorities may differ from any 
amounts  that  we  accrue  from  time  to  time.  The  actual  amount  of  any  change  could  vary  significantly 
depending  on  the  ultimate  timing  and  nature  of  any  settlements.  We  cannot  currently  provide  an 
estimate of the range of possible outcomes.  

The  determination  of  our  worldwide  provision  for  income  taxes  and  other  tax  liabilities  requires 
significant  judgment.  In  the  ordinary  course  of  a  global  business,  there  are  many  transactions  and 
calculations  where  the  ultimate  tax  outcome  is  uncertain.  Any  audit  of  our  tax  filings  could  materially 
change  the  amount  of  current  and  deferred  income  tax  assets  and  liabilities.  We  have  recorded  a 
valuation allowance against a portion of our net deferred tax assets. If we achieve a consistent level of 
profitability, the likelihood of further reducing our deferred tax valuation allowance for some portion of 
the losses incurred in prior periods in one of our jurisdictions will increase. We calculate our current and 
deferred  tax  provision  based  on  estimates  and  assumptions  that  could  differ  from  the  actual  results 
reflected  in  income  tax  returns  filed  during  subsequent  years.  Adjustments  based  on  filed  returns  are 
generally  recorded  in  the  period  when  the  tax  returns  are  filed  and  the  global  tax  implications  are 
known.  Our  estimate  of  the  potential  outcome  for  any  uncertain  tax  issue  is  based  on  a  number  of 
assumptions.  Any  further  changes  to  the  valuation  allowance  for  our  deferred  tax  assets  would  also 
result in an income tax recovery or income tax expense, as applicable, on the consolidated statements 
of operations in the period in which the valuation allowance is changed.  

Changes  to  earnings  resulting  from  past  acquisitions  may  adversely  affect  our  operating 
results.  
Under  ASC  Topic  805,  “Business  Combinations”,  we  allocate  the  total  purchase  price  to  an  acquired 
company’s  net  tangible  assets,  intangible  assets  and  in-process  research  and  development  based  on 
their values as of the date of the acquisition (including certain assets and liabilities that are recorded at 
fair  value)  and  record  the  excess  of  the  purchase  price  over  those  values  as  goodwill.  Management’s 
estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable but which are inherently 

35 

 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
uncertain. After we complete an acquisition, the following factors, among others, could result in material 
charges that would adversely affect our operating results and may adversely affect our cash flows:  

Impairment of goodwill or intangible assets;  

• 
•  A reduction in the useful lives of intangible assets acquired;  
• 

Identification  of  assumed  contingent  liabilities  after  we  finalize  the  purchase  price  allocation 
period;  

•  Charges  to  our  operating  results  to  eliminate  certain  pre-merger  activities  that  duplicate 

those of the acquired company or to reduce our cost structure; and  

•  Charges to our operating results resulting from revised estimates to restructure an acquired 

company’s operations after we finalize the purchase price allocation period.  

Routine  charges  to  our  operating  results  associated  with  acquisitions  include  amortization  of  intangible 
assets,  acquisition-related  costs  and  restructuring  charges.  Acquisition-related  costs  primarily  include 
advisory  services,  brokerage  services  and  administrative  costs  with  respect  to  completed  and 
prospective acquisitions. 

We expect to continue to incur additional costs associated with combining the operations of our acquired 
companies,  which  may  be  substantial.  Additional  costs  may  include  costs  of  employee  redeployment, 
relocation  and  retention,  including  salary  increases  or  bonuses,  accelerated  stock-based  compensation 
expenses  and  severance  payments,  reorganization  or  closure  of  facilities,  taxes,  and  termination  of 
contracts that provide redundant or conflicting services. These costs would be accounted for as expenses 
and would decrease our net income and earnings per share for the periods in which those adjustments 
are made.  

Our  success  depends  on  our  ability  to  continue  to  innovate  and  to  create  new  solutions  and 
enhancements to our existing products 
We may not be able to develop and introduce new solutions and enhancements to our existing products 
that respond to new technologies or shipment regulations on a timely basis. If we are unable to develop 
and sell new products and new features for our existing products that keep pace with rapid technological 
and  regulatory  change  as  well  as  developments  in  the  transportation  logistics  industry,  our  business, 
results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.  We intend to continue to invest 
significant  resources  in  research  and  development  to  enhance  our  existing  products  and  services  and 
introduce  new  high-quality  products  that  customers  will  want.  If  we  are  unable  to  predict  or  quickly 
react  to  user  preferences  or  changes  in  the  transportation  logistics  industry,  or  its  regulatory 
requirements, or if we are unable to modify our products and services on a timely basis or to effectively 
bring new products to market, our sales may suffer. 

In addition, we may  experience difficulties with software or hardware development, design, integration 
with  third-party  software  or  hardware,  or  marketing  that  could  delay  or  prevent  our  introduction, 
deployment or implementation of new solutions and enhancements. The introduction of new solutions by 
competitors, the emergence of new industry standards or the development of entirely new technologies 
to replace existing offerings could render our existing or future solutions obsolete. 

We may not have sufficient resources to make the necessary investments in software development and 
our  technical  infrastructure,  and  we  may  experience  difficulties  that  could  delay  or  prevent  the 
successful  development,  introduction  or  marketing  of  new  products  or  enhancements.  In  addition,  our 
products  or  enhancements  may  not  meet  increasingly  complex  customer  requirements  or  achieve 
market acceptance at the rate we expect, or at all. Any failure by us to anticipate or respond adequately 
to  technological  advancements,  customer  requirements  and  changing  industry  standards,  or  any 
significant  delays  in  the  development,  introduction  or  availability  of  new  products  or  enhancements, 
could undermine our current market position and negatively impact our  business, results of operations 
or financial condition. 

36 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
As  we  continue  to  increase  our  international  operations  we  increase  our  exposure  to 
international business risks that could cause our operating results to suffer.  
While our headquarters are in Canada, we currently have direct operations in the U.S., Europe and the 
Asia Pacific region. We anticipate that these  international operations will  continue to require significant 
management attention and financial resources to localize our services and products for delivery in these 
markets,  to  develop  compliance  expertise  relating  to  international  regulatory  agencies,  and  to  develop 
direct  and  indirect  sales  and  support  channels  in  those  markets.  We  face  a  number  of  risks  associated 
with  conducting  our  business  internationally  that  could  negatively  impact  our  operating  results.  These 
risks include, but are not limited to:  

• 

Longer collection time from foreign clients, particularly in the Europe, Middle-East and Africa 
region and the Asia Pacific region;  

•  Difficulty in repatriating cash from certain foreign jurisdictions;  
• 

Language barriers, conflicting international business practices, and other difficulties related to 
the management and administration of a global business;  
Increased  management,  travel,  infrastructure  and  legal  compliance  costs  associated  with 
having international operations; 

• 

•  Difficulties  and  costs  of  staffing  and  managing  geographically  disparate  direct  and  indirect 

operations;  

•  Volatility or fluctuations in foreign currency and tariff rates;  
•  Multiple, and possibly overlapping, tax structures;  
•  Complying with complicated and widely differing global laws and regulations in areas such as 

employment, tax, privacy and data protection;  

•  Trade restrictions;  
•  Enhanced security procedures and requirements relating to certain jurisdictions; 
•  The need to consider characteristics unique to technology systems used internationally;  
•  Economic or political instability in some markets; and 
•  Other risk factors set out herein. 

We  are  dependent  on  certain  key  vendors  for  our  inventory  of  telematics  units,  which  could 
impede our development and expansion.  
We currently have relationships with  a small number of mobile asset unit vendors over which we have 
no  operational  or  financial  control  and  no  influence  in  how  these  vendors  conduct  their  businesses. 
Suppliers  of  mobile  asset  units  could  among  other  things,  extend  delivery  times,  raise  prices  and  limit 
supply due to their  own  shortages  and  business requirements. Interruption in  the supply of equipment 
from  these  vendors  could  delay  our  ability  to  maintain,  grow  and  expand  our  telematics  solutions 
business.  If  our  relationships  with  any  of  these  unit  vendors  were  to  terminate,  there  is  no  guarantee 
that  our  remaining  unit  vendors  would  be  able  to  handle  the  increased  equipment  supply  required  to 
maintain  and  grow  our  expansive  networks  at  our  desired  rates.    There  is  also  no  guarantee  that 
business relationships with other key unit vendors could be entered into on terms desirable or favorable 
to  us,  if  at  all.    Fewer  key  vendors  might  mean  that  existing  or  potential  customers  are  unable  to 
meaningfully  communicate  using  our  Global  Logistics  Network,  which  may  cause  existing  and  potential 
customers to move to competitors’ products.  Such equipment supply issues could adversely affect our 
business, results of operations and financial condition. 

Increases  in  fuel  prices  and  other  transportation  costs  may  have  an  adverse  effect  on  the 
businesses of our customers resulting in them spending less money with us.  
Our customers are all involved, directly or indirectly, in the delivery of goods from one point to another, 
particularly  transportation  providers  and  freight  forwarders.  As  the  costs  of  these  deliveries  become 
more  expensive,  whether  as  a  result  of  increases  in  fuel  costs  or  otherwise,  our  customers  may  have 
fewer  funds  available  to  spend  on  our  products  and  services.  There  can  be  no  assurance  that  these 
companies  will  be  able  to  allocate  sufficient  funds  to  use  our  products  and  services.  In  addition,  rising 
fuel costs may cause  global or geographic-specific reductions in the number of shipments being made, 
thereby impacting the number of transactions being processed by our Global Logistics Network and our 
corresponding network revenues.  

37 

 
 
 
 
 
 
If we need additional capital in the future and are unable to obtain it or can only obtain it on 
unfavorable  terms,  our  operations  may  be  adversely  affected,  and  the  market  price  for  our 
securities could decline.  
Historically, we have financed our operations primarily through cash flows from our operations, the sale 
of our equity securities and borrowing under our revolving debt facility. In addition to our current cash 
and cash equivalents and available debt facilities, we may need to raise additional debt or equity capital 
to  fund  expansion  of  our  operations,  to  enhance  our  services  and  products,  or  to  acquire  or  invest  in 
complementary products, services, businesses or technologies. However, there can be no assurance that 
we  will  be  able  to  undertake  incremental  financing  transactions.  If  we  raise  additional  funds  through 
further  issuances  of  convertible  debt  or  equity  securities,  our  existing  shareholders  could  suffer 
significant dilution and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences and privileges 
superior to those attaching to our common shares. Our current revolving debt facility contains, and any 
debt  financing  secured  by  us  in  the  future  could  contain  restrictive  covenants  relating  to  our  capital-
raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to 
obtain  additional  capital  and  to  pursue  business  opportunities,  including  potential  acquisitions.  In 
addition,  we  may  not  be  able  to  obtain  additional  financing  on  terms  favorable  to  us,  if  at  all.  If 
adequate funds are not available on terms favorable or at all, our operations and growth strategy may 
be adversely affected and the market price for our common shares could decline.  

We  may  not  be  able  to  compensate  for  downward  pricing  pressure  on  certain  products  and 
services by increased volumes of transactions or increased prices elsewhere in our business, 
ultimately resulting in lower revenues.  
Some of our  products  and services are  sold to  industries where there  is downward pricing  pressure on 
the particular product or service due to competition, general industry conditions or other causes.  If we 
cannot  offset  any  such  downward  pricing  pressure,  then  the  particular  customer  may  generate  less 
revenue for our business or we may have less aggregate revenue. This could have an adverse impact on 
our operating results.  

Concerns  about  the  environmental  impacts  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  global  climate 
change  may  result  in  environmental  taxes,  charges,  regulatory  schemes,  assessments  or 
penalties, which could restrict or negatively impact our operations or reduce our profitability.  
The impacts of human activity on global climate change have attracted considerable public and scientific 
attention, as well as the attention of the U.S. and other governments. Efforts are being made to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, including those from automobiles and other modes 
of  transportation.  The  added  cost  of  any  environmental  regulation,  taxes,  charges,  assessments  or 
penalties levied or imposed on our customers in light of these efforts could result in additional costs for 
our  customers,  which  could  lead  them  to  reduce  use  of  our  services.  There  are  also  a  number  of 
legislative and environmental regulatory initiatives internationally that could restrict or negatively impact 
our  operations  or  increase  our  costs.  Additionally,  environmental  regulation,  taxes,  charges, 
assessments or penalties could be levied or imposed directly on us. Any enactment of laws or passage of 
regulations  regarding  greenhouse  gas  emissions  by  Canada,  the  U.S.,  or  any  other  jurisdiction  we 
conduct our business in, could adversely affect our operations and financial results.  

The  general  cyclical  and  seasonal  nature  of  the  freight  market  may  have  a  material  adverse 
effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.  
Our  business  may  be  impacted  from  time  to  time  by  the  general  cyclical  and  seasonal  nature  of 
particular modes of transportation and the freight market in general, as well as the cyclical and seasonal 
nature of the industries that such markets serve. Factors which may create cyclical fluctuations in such 
modes  of  transportation  or  the  freight  market  in  general  include  legal  and  regulatory  requirements, 
timing  of  contract  renewals  between  our  customers  and  their  own  customers,  seasonal-based  tariffs, 
vacation  periods  applicable  to  particular  shipping  or  receiving  nations,  weather-related  events  that 
impact  shipping  in  particular  geographies  and  amendments  to  international  trade  agreements.  Since 
some of our revenues from particular products  and services are  tied to the volume of shipments  being 
processed, adverse fluctuations in the volume of global shipments or shipments in any particular mode 

38 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
of  transportation  may  adversely  affect  our  revenues.  Declines  in  shipment  volumes  in  the  U.S.  or 
internationally likely would have a material adverse effect on our business. 

From  time  to  time,  we  may  be  subject  to  litigation  or  dispute  resolution  that  could  result  in 
significant costs to us and damage to our reputation.  
From time to time, we may be subject to litigation or dispute resolution relating to any number or type 
of claims, including claims for damages related to undetected errors or malfunctions of our services and 
products or their  deployment, claims related to  previously-completed  acquisition transactions or  claims 
relating to applicable securities laws. Litigation may seriously harm our business because of the costs of 
defending  the  lawsuit,  diversion  of  employees’  time  and  attention  and  potential  damage  to  our 
reputation.  

Further,  our  services  and  products  are  complex  and  often  implemented  by  our  customers  to  interact 
with  third-party  technology  or  networks.  Claims  may  be  made  against  us  for  damages  properly 
attributable to those third-party technologies or networks, regardless of our lack of responsibility for any 
failure resulting in a loss, even if our services and products perform in accordance with their functional 
specifications. We may also have disputes with key suppliers for damages incurred which, depending on 
resolution  of  the  disputes,  could  impact  the  ongoing  quality,  price  or  availability  of  the  services  or 
products  we  procure  from  the  supplier.  Limitation  of  liability  provisions  in  certain  third-party  contracts 
may  not  be  enforceable  under  the  laws  of  some  jurisdictions.  As  a  result,  we  could  be  required  to  pay 
substantial  amounts  of  damages  in  settlement  or  upon  the  determination  of  any  of  these  types  of 
claims, and incur damage to our reputation and products. The likelihood of such claims and the amount 
of damages we may be required to pay may increase as our customers increasingly use our services and 
products for critical business functions, or rely on our services and products as the systems of record to 
store data for use by other customer applications. Our insurance may not cover potential claims, or may 
not  be  adequate  to  cover  all  costs  incurred  in  defense  of  potential  claims  or  to  indemnify  us  for  all 
liability that may be imposed. A claim brought against us that is uninsured or underinsured could result 
in unanticipated costs, thereby harming our operating results and leading analysts or potential investors 
to  lower  their  expectations  of  our  performance,  which  could  reduce  the  trading  price  of  our  common 
shares. 

We may not remain competitive. Increased competition could seriously harm our business.  
The market for supply chain technology is highly competitive and subject to rapid technological change. 
We  expect  that  competition  will  increase  in  the  future.  To  maintain  and  improve  our  competitive 
position, we must continue to develop and introduce in a timely and cost effective manner new products, 
product features and network services to keep pace with our competitors. We currently face competition 
from  a  large  number  of  specific  market  entrants,  some  of  which  are  focused  on  specific  industries, 
geographic regions or other components of markets we operate in.  

Current  and  potential  competitors  include  supply  chain  application  software  vendors,  customers  that 
undertake  internal  software  development  efforts,  value-added  networks  and  business  document 
exchanges,  enterprise  resource  planning  software  vendors,  regulatory  filing  companies,  and  general 
business application software vendors. Many of our current and potential competitors may have one or 
more of the following relative advantages:  

Larger installed base of customers;  

•  Established relationships with existing customers or prospects that we are targeting;  
•  Superior product functionality and industry-specific expertise;  
•  Broader range of products to offer and better product life cycle management;  
• 
•  Greater financial, technical, marketing, sales, distribution and other resources;  
•  Better performance;  
• 
•  Greater investment in infrastructure;  
•  Greater worldwide presence;  
•  Early adoption of, or adaptation to changes in, technology; or  
• 
Longer operating history; and/or greater name recognition.  

Lower cost structure and more profitable operations;  

39 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Further, current and potential competitors have established, or may establish, cooperative relationships 
and  business  combinations  among  themselves  or  with  third  parties  to  enhance  their  products,  which 
may  result  in  increased  competition.  In  addition,  we  expect  to  experience  increasing  price  competition 
and  competition  surrounding  other  commercial  terms  as  we  compete  for  market  share.  In  particular, 
larger  competitors  or  competitors  with  a  broader  range  of  services  and  products  may  bundle  their 
products, rendering our products more expensive and/or less functional. As a result of these and other 
factors, we may be unable to compete successfully with our existing or new competitors.  

If we are unable to generate broad market acceptance of our services, products and pricing, 
serious harm could result to our business.  
We  currently  derive  substantially  all  of  our  revenues  from  our  federated  network  and  global  logistics 
technology  solutions  and  expect  to  do  so  in  the  future.  Broad  market  acceptance  of  these  types  of 
services and products, and their related pricing, is therefore critical to our future success. The demand 
for, and market acceptance of, our services and products is subject to a high level of uncertainty. Some 
of  our  services  and  products  are  often  considered  complex  and  may  involve  a  new  approach  to  the 
conduct  of  business  by  our  customers.  The  market  for  our  services  and  products  may  weaken, 
competitors may develop superior services and products that perform logistics services on a global scale 
or within a particular geographic region, or we may fail to develop or maintain acceptable services and 
products to address new market conditions, governmental regulations or technological changes. Any one 
of these events could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial 
condition.  

Our  success  and  ability  to  compete  depend  upon  our  ability  to  secure  and  protect  patents, 
trademarks and other proprietary rights.  
We consider certain aspects of our internal operations, products, services and related documentation to 
be proprietary, and we primarily rely on a combination of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret 
laws and other measures to protect our proprietary rights. Patent applications or issued patents, as well 
as  trademark,  copyright,  and  trade  secret  rights  may  not  provide  adequate  protection  or  competitive 
advantage  and  may  require  significant  resources  to  obtain  and  defend.  We  will  also  not  be  able  to 
protect  our  intellectual  property  if  we  are  unable  to  enforce  our  rights  or  if  we  do  not  detect 
unauthorized  use  of  our  intellectual  property.  Despite  our  precautions,  it  may  be  possible  for 
unauthorized  third  parties  to  copy  our  products  and  use  information  that  we  regard  as  proprietary  to 
create  products  and  services  that  compete  with  ours.  We  also  rely  on  contractual  restrictions  in  our 
agreements  with  customers,  employees,  outsourced  developers  and  others  to  protect  our  intellectual 
property  rights.  There  can  be  no  assurance  that  these  agreements  will  not  be  breached,  that  we  will 
have adequate remedies for any breach, or that our patents, copyrights, trademarks or trade secrets will 
not otherwise become known. Through an escrow arrangement, we have granted some of our customers 
a  contingent  future  right  to  use  our  source  code  for  software  products  solely  for  their  internal 
maintenance  services.  If  our  source  code  is  accessed  through  an  escrow,  the  likelihood  of 
misappropriation or other misuse of our intellectual property may increase.  

Moreover, the laws of some countries do not protect proprietary intellectual property rights as effectively 
as do the laws of the U.S. and Canada. Protecting and defending our intellectual property rights could be 
costly  regardless  of  venue.  In  order  to  protect  our  intellectual  property  rights,  we  may  be  required  to 
spend  significant  resources  to  monitor  and  protect  these  rights.  Litigation  may  be  necessary  in  the 
future to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, to determine the validity 
and  scope  of  the  intellectual  property  rights  of  others  or  to  defend  against  claims  of  infringement  or 
invalidity.  Litigation brought to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could be costly, time 
consuming and distracting to management and could result in the impairment or loss of portions of our 
intellectual  property.  Furthermore,  our  efforts  to  enforce  our  intellectual  property  rights  may  be  met 
with defenses, counterclaims and countersuits attacking the validity and enforceability of our intellectual 
property rights. Our inability to protect our proprietary technology against unauthorized copying or use, 
as  well  as  any  costly  litigation  or  diversion  of  our  management’s  attention  and  resources,  could  delay 
further  sales  or  the  implementation  of  our  solutions,  impair  the  functionality  of  our  solutions,  delay 
introductions  of  new  solutions,  result  in  our  substituting  inferior  or  more  costly  technologies  into  our 
solutions, or injure our reputation. 

40 

 
 
 
 
 
 
infringe  third-party  proprietary  rights  could  trigger 

Claims  that  we 
indemnification 
obligations  and  result  in  significant  expenses  or  restrictions  on  our  ability  to  provide  our 
products or services.  
Competitors and other third parties have claimed, and in the future may claim, that our current or future 
services  or  products  infringe  their  proprietary  rights  or  assert  other  claims  against  us.  Many  of  our 
competitors have obtained patents covering products and services generally related to our products and 
services,  and  they  may  assert  these  patents  against  us.  Such  claims,  whether  with  or  without  merit, 
could be time consuming and expensive to litigate or settle and could divert management attention from 
focusing on our core business.  

As  a  result  of  such  a  dispute,  we  may  have  to  pay  damages,  incur  substantial  legal  fees,  suspend  the 
sale or deployment of our services and products, develop costly non-infringing technology, if possible, or 
enter  into  license  agreements,  which  may  not  be  available  on  terms  acceptable  to  us,  if  at  all.  Any  of 
these  results  would  increase  our  expenses  and  could  decrease  the  functionality  of  our  services  and 
products,  which  would  make  our  services  and  products  less  attractive  to  our  current  and/or  potential 
customers. We have agreed in some of our agreements, and may agree in the future, to indemnify other 
parties  for  any  expenses  or  liabilities  resulting  from  claimed  infringements  of  the  proprietary  rights  of 
third parties. If we are required to make payments pursuant to these indemnification agreements, such 
payments  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  our  business,  results  of  operations  and  financial 
condition.  

Our results of operations may vary significantly from quarter to quarter and therefore may be 
difficult to predict or may fail to meet investment community expectations.  
Our  results  of  operations  may  vary  from  quarter  to  quarter  in  the  future  due  to  a  variety  of  factors, 
many of which are outside of our control. Such factors include, but are not limited to:  

•  Volatility or fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;  
•  Timing of acquisitions and related costs;  
•  Timing of restructuring activities;  
•  The introduction of enhanced products and services from competitors; 
•  Our ability to introduce new products and updates to our existing products on a timely basis; 
•  The termination of any key customer contracts, whether by the customer or by us;  
•  Recognition and expensing of deferred tax assets;  
• 

Legal  costs  incurred  in  bringing  or  defending  any  litigation  with  customers  or  third-party 
providers, and any corresponding judgments or awards;  
Legal and compliance costs incurred to comply with regulatory requirements;  
Fluctuations in the demand for our services and products;  

• 
• 
•  The impact of stock-based compensation expense;  
•  Price and functionality competition in our industry;  
•  Changes in legislation and accounting standards;  
•  Our  ability  to  satisfy  contractual  obligations  in  customer  contracts  and  deliver  services  and 

products to the satisfaction of our customers; and 

•  Other risk factors discussed in this report. 

Although  our  revenues  may  fluctuate  from  quarter  to  quarter,  significant  portions  of  our  expenses  are 
not variable in the short term, and we may not be able to reduce them quickly to respond to decreases 
in  revenues.  If  revenues  are  below  expectations,  this  shortfall  is  likely  to  adversely  and/or 
disproportionately  affect  our  operating  results.  If  this  occurs,  the  trading  price  of  our  common  shares 
may fall substantially. 

Any  failure  to  offer  high-quality  customer  services  may  adversely  affect  our  relationships 
with our customers and our financial results. 
Our  customers  depend  on  our  customer  service  organization  to  resolve  issues  relating  to  our  solutions 
and  to  train  them  to  use  our  platform.  High-quality  customer  services  are  important  for  the  successful 
marketing  and  sale  of  our  products  and  for  the  retention  of  existing  customers  and  to  sell  additional 
add-on  applications  to  our  existing  customers.  If  we  do  not  help  our  customers  quickly  resolve  issues 
41 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and provide effective ongoing support, our ability to sell additional products to existing customers would 
suffer  and  our  reputation  with  existing  or  potential  customers  would  be  harmed.  In  addition,  our  sales 
process 
is  highly  dependent  on  our  applications  and  business  reputation  and  on  positive 
recommendations  from  our  existing  customers.  Any  failure  to  maintain  high-quality  customer  services, 
or  a  market  perception  that  we  do  not  maintain  high-quality  customer  services,  could  adversely  affect 
our reputation, our ability to sell our solutions to existing and prospective customers, and our business, 
results of operations and financial condition. 

Privacy  laws  and  regulations  are  extensive,  open  to  various  interpretations,  complex  to 
implement  and  may  reduce  demand  for  our  products,  and  failure  to  comply  may  impose 
significant liabilities. 
Our  customers  can  use  our  products  to  collect,  use,  process  and  store  information  regarding  their 
shipments. Federal, state and foreign government bodies and agencies may adopt laws and regulations 
regarding  the  collection,  use,  processing,  storage  and  disclosure  of  such  information  obtained  from 
consumers and individuals. In addition to government regulatory activity, privacy advocacy groups and 
the  technology  industry  and  other  industries  may  consider  various  new,  additional  or  different  self-
regulatory standards that may place additional burdens directly on our customers and target customers, 
and  indirectly  on  us.  Our  products  are  expected  to  be  capable  of  use  by  our  customers  in  compliance 
with  such  laws  and  regulations.  The  functional  and  operational  requirements  and  costs  of  compliance 
with such laws and regulations may adversely impact our business, and failure to enable our products to 
comply  with  such  laws  and  regulations  could  lead  to  significant  fines  and  penalties  imposed  by 
regulators,  as  well  as  claims  by  our  customers  or  third  parties.  Additionally,  all  of  these  domestic  and 
international  legislative  and regulatory  initiatives  could adversely  affect our customers’  ability or desire 
to  collect,  use,  process  and  store  shipment  logistics  information,  which  could  reduce  demand  for  our 
products. 

The price of our common shares has in the past been volatile and may also be volatile in the 
future.  
The trading price of our  common shares may  be  subject to fluctuation  in  the future. This may make it 
more  difficult  for  you  to  resell  your  common  shares  when  you  want  at  prices  that  you  find  attractive. 
Increases  in  our  common  share  price  may  also  increase  our  compensation  expense  pursuant  to  our 
existing  director,  officer  and  employee  compensation  arrangements.  Fluctuations  in  our  common  share 
price may be caused by events unrelated to our operating performance and beyond our control. Factors 
that may contribute to fluctuations include, but are not limited to:  

•  Revenue or results of operations in any quarter failing to meet the expectations, published or 

otherwise, of the investment community;  

•  Changes in recommendations or financial estimates by industry or investment analysts;  
•  Changes in management or the composition of our board of directors;  
•  Outcomes of litigation or arbitration proceedings;  
•  Announcements of technological innovations or acquisitions by us or by our competitors;  
• 

Introduction  of  new  products  or  significant  customer  wins  or  losses  by  us  or  by  our 
competitors;  

•  Developments with respect to our intellectual property rights or those of our competitors;  
• 

Fluctuations  in  the  share  prices  of  other  companies  in  the  technology  and  emerging  growth 
sectors;  

•  General market conditions; and  
•  Other risk factors set out in this report.  

If  the  market  price  of  our  common  shares  drops  significantly,  shareholders  could  institute  securities 
class action lawsuits against us, regardless of the merits of such claims. Such a lawsuit could cause us to 
incur substantial costs and could divert the time and attention of our management and other resources 
from our business.  

42 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Fair  value  assessments  of  our  intangible  assets  required  by  GAAP  may  require  us  to  record 
significant non-cash charges associated with intangible asset impairment.  
Significant  portions  of  our  assets,  which  include  customer  agreements  and  relationships,  non-compete 
covenants,  existing  technologies  and  trade  names,  are  intangible.  We  amortize  intangible  assets  on  a 
straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives. We review the carrying value of these assets at least 
annually  for  evidence  of  impairment.  In  accordance  with  ASC  Topic  360-10-35,  “Property,  Plant,  and 
Equipment:  Overview:  Subsequent  Measurement”  an  impairment  loss  is  recognized  when  the  estimate 
of  undiscounted  future  cash  flows  generated  by  such  assets  is  less  than  the  carrying  amount. 
Measurement  of  the  impairment  loss  is  based  on  the  present  value  of  the  expected  future  cash  flows. 
Future fair value assessments of intangible assets may require impairment charges to be recorded in the 
results of operations for future periods. This could impair our ability to achieve or maintain profitability 
in the future.  

If  our  common  share  price  decreases  to  a  level  such  that  the  fair  value  of  our  net  assets  is 
less  than  the  carrying  value  of  our  net  assets,  we  may  be  required  to  record  additional 
significant non-cash charges associated with goodwill impairment.  
We  account  for  goodwill  in  accordance  with  ASC  Topic  350,  “Intangibles  –  Goodwill  and  Other”,  which 
among  other  things,  requires  that  goodwill  be  tested  for  impairment  at  least  annually.  We  have 
designated  the  third  quarter  for  our  annual  impairment  test.  Should  the  fair  value  of  our  net  assets, 
determined  by  our  market  capitalization,  be  less  than  the  carrying  value  of  our  net  assets  at  future 
annual  impairment  test  dates,  we  may  have  to  recognize  goodwill  impairment  losses  in  our  future 
results of operations. This could impair our ability to achieve or maintain profitability in the future.  

We have a substantial accumulated deficit and a history of losses and may incur losses in the 
future.  
As at January 31, 2015, our accumulated deficit was $282.9 million, which has been accumulated from 
2005 and prior fiscal periods. There can be no assurance that we will not incur losses again in the future. 
If we fail to maintain profitability, the market price of our common shares may decline. 

43 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
AND INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL 
REPORTING 

Financial Statements 
Management  is  responsible  for  the  accompanying  consolidated  financial  statements  and  all  other 
information  in  this  Annual  Report.  These  consolidated  financial  statements  have  been  prepared  in 
accordance with US generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and necessarily include amounts 
that  reflect  management’s  judgment  and  best  estimates.  Financial  information  contained  elsewhere  in 
this Annual Report is prepared on a basis consistent with the consolidated financial statements. 

The Board of Directors carries out its responsibilities for the consolidated financial statements through its 
Audit  Committee,  consisting  solely  of  independent  directors.  The  Audit  Committee  meets  with 
management and the independent auditors to review the consolidated financial statements and internal 
controls  as  they  relate  to  financial  reporting.  The  Audit  Committee  reports  its  findings  to  the  Board  of 
Directors  for  its  consideration  in  approving  the  consolidated  financial  statements  for  issuance  to 
shareholders. 

Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 
Management  is  responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining  adequate  internal  control  over  financial 
reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed by, or under the supervision of, 
the  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Chief  Financial  Officer  and  effected  by  the  Board  of  Directors, 
management  and  other  personnel  to  provide  reasonable  assurance  regarding  the  reliability  of  financial 
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. 

Due  to  its  inherent  limitations,  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or  detect 
misstatements on a timely basis. 

Under  the  supervision  and  with  the  participation  of  our  management,  including  our  Chief  Executive 
Officer  and  Chief  Financial  Officer,  management  assessed  the  effectiveness  of  our  internal  control  over 
financial reporting as of January 31, 2015, based on criteria established in “Internal Control – Integrated 
Framework (2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission”. 
Based  on  the  assessment,  management  concluded  that,  as  of  January  31,  2015,  our  internal  control 
over financial reporting was effective. 

Management’s  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  January  31,  2015,  has  been  audited  by 
Deloitte  LLP,  Independent  Registered  Public  Accounting  Firm,  who  also  audited  our  Consolidated 
Financial  Statements  for  the  year  ended  January  31,  2015,  as  stated  in  the  Report  of  Independent 
Registered  Public  Accounting  Firm,  which  expressed  an  unqualified  opinion  on  the  effectiveness  of  our 
internal control over financial reporting. 

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 
During the fiscal year ended January 31, 2015, no changes were made to the Company’s internal control 
over  financial  reporting  that  have  materially  affected,  or  are  reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  the 
Company’s internal control over financial reporting. 

‘Edward J. Ryan’ 
Edward J. Ryan 
Chief Executive Officer 
Waterloo, Ontario 

‘Allan Brett’ 
Allan Brett 
Chief Financial Officer 
Waterloo, Ontario 

44 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of The Descartes Systems Group Inc. 

We  have  audited  the  accompanying  consolidated  financial  statements  of  The  Descartes  Systems  Group  Inc.  and  subsidiaries  (the 
“Company”), which comprise the consolidated balance sheets as at January 31, 2015 and January 31, 2014, and the consolidated statements 
of  operations,  comprehensive  income/(loss),  shareholders'  equity,  and  cash  flows  for  each  of  the  years  in  the  three-year  period  ended 
January 31, 2015, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information. 

Management's Responsibility for the Consolidated Financial Statements 

Management  is  responsible  for  the  preparation  and  fair  presentation  of  these  consolidated  financial  statements  in  accordance  with 
accounting  principles  generally  accepted  in  the  United  States  of  America,  and  for  such  internal  control  as  management  determines  is 
necessary to enable the preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or 
error. 

Auditor's Responsibility 

Our  responsibility  is  to  express  an  opinion  on  these  consolidated  financial  statements  based  on  our  audits.  We  conducted  our  audits  in 
accordance  with  Canadian  generally  accepted  auditing  standards and  the  standards  of  the Public Company  Accounting  Oversight Board 
(United States).  Those standards require that we comply  with ethical requirements  and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable 
assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free from material misstatement. 

An  audit  involves  performing  procedures  to  obtain  audit  evidence  about  the  amounts  and  disclosures  in  the  consolidated  financial 
statements.  The procedures selected depend on the auditor's judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the 
consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control 
relevant to the entity's preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are 
appropriate in the circumstances.  An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness 
of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. 

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained in our audits is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.  

Opinion 

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The Descartes Systems 
Group Inc. and subsidiaries as at January 31, 2015 and January 31, 2014, and the results of their operations and cash flows for each of the 
years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2015 in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of 
America. 

Other Matter 

We  have  also  audited,  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company  Accounting  Oversight  Board  (United  States),  the 
Company's internal control over financial reporting as of January 31, 2014, based on the criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated 
Framework  (2013)  issued  by  the  Committee  of  Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission  and  our  report  dated  March  5, 
2015 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. 

Independent Registered Chartered Professional Accountants, Chartered Accountants 
Licensed Public Accountants 
Toronto, Ontario 
March 5, 2015 

45 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of The Descartes Systems Group Inc. 

We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of The Descartes Systems Group Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as 
of  January  31,  2015,  based  on  the  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control—Integrated  Framework  (2013)  issued  by  the  Committee  of 
Sponsoring  Organizations  of  the  Treadway  Commission.    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  Report  on  Financial  Statements  and  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  conducted  our  audit  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company  Accounting  Oversight  Board  (United  States).    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. 

A  company's  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  is  a  process  designed  by,  or  under  the  supervision  of,  the  company's  principal 
executive  and  principal  financial  officers,  or  persons  performing  similar  functions,  and  effected  by  the  company's  board  of  directors, 
management,  and  other  personnel  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  the  inherent  limitations  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  including  the  possibility  of  collusion  or  improper 
management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.  Also, 
projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness of the internal control over financial reporting to future periods are subject to the risk that 
the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may 
deteriorate.  

In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 31, 2015, 
based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations 
of the Treadway Commission. 

We  have  also  audited,  in  accordance  with  Canadian  generally  accepted  auditing  standards  and  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company 
Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated financial statements as of  and for the year ended January 31, 2015 of the 
Company and our report dated March 5, 2015  expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements. 

Independent Registered Chartered Professional Accountants, Chartered Accountants 
Licensed Public Accountants 
Toronto, Ontario 
March 5, 2015 

46 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE DESCARTES SYSTEMS GROUP INC. 
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS 
(US DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS; US GAAP) 

ASSETS 

CURRENT ASSETS 

Cash and cash equivalents  

Accounts receivable (net) 

Trade (Note 4) 

Other (Note 5) 

Prepaid expenses and other 

Inventory (Note 6) 

Deferred income taxes (Note 16) 

CAPITAL ASSETS, NET (Note 7) 

DEFERRED INCOME TAXES (Note 16) 

INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET (Note 8) 

GOODWILL (Note 9) 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY 

CURRENT LIABILITIES 

Accounts payable 

Accrued liabilities (Note 10) 

Income taxes payable (Note 16) 

Current portion of debt (Note 11) 

Deferred revenue 

DEBT (Note 11) 

INCOME TAX LIABILITY (Note 16) 

DEFERRED INCOME TAXES (Note 16) 

COMMITMENTS, CONTINGENCIES AND GUARANTEES (Note 12) 

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY 

Common shares – unlimited shares authorized; Shares issued and outstanding totaled 
75,480,492 at January 31, 2015 (January 31, 2014 – 63,660,953) (Note 13) 
Additional paid-in capital 

Accumulated other comprehensive loss  

Accumulated deficit 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

Approved by the Board: 

January 31, 

January 31, 

2015 

2014 

118,053 

62,705 

22,613 

20,558 

3,257 

4,327 

474 

8,572 

8,445 

3,663 

1,350 

13,508 

157,296 

110,229 

7,829 

16,510 

115,126 

147,440 

444,201 

8,792 

19,628 

94,649 

111,179 

344,477 

4,620 

16,695 

4,112 

- 

15,309 

40,736 

- 

3,450 

9,630 

53,816 

7,027 

16,757 

2,671 

8,618 

9,217 

44,290 

31,787 

4,418 

13,822 

94,317 

247,839 
450,623 

97,779 
451,394 

(25,212) 

(1,089) 

(282,865) 

(297,924) 

390,385 

444,201 

250,160 

344,477 

‘Eric A. Demirian’  
Eric A. Demirian   
Director   

‘Edward J. Ryan’ 
Edward J. Ryan 
Chief Executive Officer 

47 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
THE DESCARTES SYSTEMS GROUP INC. 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS 
(US DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AND WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARE AMOUNTS; US GAAP) 

Year Ended   

REVENUES 

COST OF REVENUES 

GROSS MARGIN 

EXPENSES 

Sales and marketing 

Research and development 

General and administrative 

Other charges (Note 17) 

Amortization of intangible assets  

INCOME FROM OPERATIONS 

INTEREST EXPENSE 

INVESTMENT  INCOME 

INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES 

INCOME TAX EXPENSE (RECOVERY) (Note 16) 

Current 

Deferred 

NET INCOME 

EARNINGS  PER SHARE (Note 14) 

Basic 

Diluted 

WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING (thousands) 

Basic 

Diluted 

January 31, 

January 31, 

January 31, 

2015 

2014 

2013 

170,860 

151,294 

126,883 

54,879 

49,043 

42,399 

115,981 

102,251 

84,484 

20,404 

28,077 

20,333 

2,876 

21,715 

93,405 

22,576 

(1,088) 

333 

16,681 

25,881 

20,509 

6,512 

17,999 

87,582 

14,669 

(993) 

57 

13,765 

21,269 

15,691 

2,364 

14,202 

67,291 

17,193 

(45) 

73 

21,821 

13,733 

17,221 

2,784 

3,978 

6,762 

15,059 

1,768 

2,353 

4,121 

9,612 

2,078 

(853) 

1,225 

15,996 

0.21 

0.21 

0.15 

0.15 

0.26 

0.25 

70,559 

71,584 

62,841 

64,370 

62,556 

63,860 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

48 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE DESCARTES SYSTEMS GROUP INC. 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) 
(US DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS; US GAAP) 

  January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 

2015 

2014 

Comprehensive (loss) income 
Net income 
Other comprehensive (loss) income: 

15,059 

9,612

15,996

Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of income tax (expense) 

(24,123) 

(2,958)

1,932

recovery of ($445) for the year ended January 31, 2015 (January 31, 2014 – 
($562); January 31, 2013 – $310)  

Total other comprehensive (loss) income 

Comprehensive (loss) income 

(24,123) 

(2,958)

(9,064) 

6,654

1,932

17,928

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

49 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE DESCARTES SYSTEMS GROUP INC. 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY 
(US DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS; US GAAP) 

Common shares 
Balance, beginning of year 

Shares issued: 
  Stock options and share units exercised 
  Issuance of common shares, net of issuance costs (Note 13) 
  Acquisitions (Note 3) 

Balance, end of year 

Additional paid-in capital 
Balance, beginning of year 

Stock-based compensation expense (Note 15) 
Stock options and share units exercised 
Settlement of stock options (Note 15) 
Stock option income tax benefits 

Balance, end of year 

Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income 
Balance, beginning of year 

Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of income taxes 

Balance, end of year 

Accumulated deficit 
Balance, beginning of year 

Net income 

Balance, end of year 

  January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 

2015 

2014 

97,779 

92,472

90,924

2,626 
142,052 
5,382 

247,839 

5,307
-
-

1,548
-
-

97,779

92,472

451,394 
1,543 
(1,670) 
(733) 
89 

450,623 

451,434
2,523
(1,525)
(1,510)
472

451,394

452,424
1,278
(348)
(2,021)
101

451,434

(1,089) 
(24,123) 

(25,212) 

1,869
(2,958)

(1,089)

(63)
1,932

1,869

(297,924) 
15,059 

(307,536)
9,612

(323,532)
15,996

(282,865) 

(297,924)

(307,536)

Total Shareholders’ Equity 

390,385 

250,160

238,239

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

50 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE DESCARTES SYSTEMS GROUP INC. 
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS 
(US DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS; US GAAP) 

Year Ended   

OPERATING ACTIVITIES 
Net income 

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

Depreciation 

Amortization of intangible assets 

Stock-based compensation expense (Note 15) 

Deferred tax expense 

     Changes in operating assets and liabilities: 

   Accounts receivable 

   Trade 

   Other 

   Prepaid expenses and other  

   Inventory 

   Accounts payable 

   Accrued liabilities 

   Income taxes payable 

   Deferred revenue 

Cash provided by operating activities 

INVESTING ACTIVITIES 

Additions to capital assets 

Settlement of acquisition earn-out (Note 3) 

Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired and bank indebtedness 
assumed (Note 3) 

Cash used in investing activities 

FINANCING ACTIVITIES 

Proceeds from borrowing on the debt facility 

Payment of debt issuance costs 

Repayments of debt and other financial liabilities 

Issuance of common shares for cash, net of issuance costs 

Settlement of stock options (Note 15) 

Cash provided by (used in) financing activities 

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents 

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of year 

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: 

Cash paid during the year for interest 

Cash paid during the year for income taxes 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 

2015 

2014 

2013 

15,059 

9,612 

15,996 

3,295 

21,715 

1,543 

3,978 

3,396 

17,999 

2,523 

2,353 

2,877 

14,202 

1,278 

(657) 

3,999 

4,869 

141 

859 

(3,121) 

(294) 

(73) 

3,650 

2,164 

91 

(535) 

146 

2,051 

596 

(1,697) 

(183) 

(379) 

(343) 

873 

(736) 

451 

(2,492) 

(1,432) 

(1,342) 

49,478 

42,614 

30,340 

(2,679) 

(2,385) 

(3,496) 

- 

- 

(590) 

(82,152) 

(58,737) 

(54,155) 

(84,831) 

(61,122) 

(58,241) 

20,000 

46,262 

(386) 

(692) 

(63,305) 

(3,722) 

140,724 

3,633 

- 

- 

(77) 

704 

(405) 

(1,361) 

(1,525) 

96,628 

44,120 

(5,927) 

(545) 

55,348 

62,705 

118,053 

25,067 

37,638 

62,705 

(898) 

890 

(27,909) 

65,547 

37,638 

692 

2,983 

406 

1,762 

46 

1,149 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements. 

51 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE DESCARTES SYSTEMS GROUP INC. 
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 
(TABULAR AMOUNTS IN THOUSANDS OF US DOLLARS, EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS OR AS OTHERWISE INDICATED; 
US GAAP) 

Note 1 - Description of the Business 

The  Descartes  Systems  Group  Inc.  (“Descartes”,  “Company”,  “our”  or  “we”)  is  a  global  provider  of 
federated  network  and  global  logistics  technology  solutions  that  help  our  customers  make  and  receive 
shipments  and  manage  related  resources.  Our  network-based  solutions,  which  primarily  consist  of 
services and software, connect people to their trading partners and enable business document exchange 
(bookings,  bills  of  lading,  status  messages);  regulatory  compliance  and  customs  filing;  route  and 
resource  planning,  execution  and  monitoring;  inventory  and  asset  visibility;  rate  and  transportation 
management;  and  warehouse  operations.  Our  pricing  model  provides  our  customers  with  flexibility  in 
purchasing  our  solutions  either  on  a  perpetual  license,  subscription  or  transactional  basis.  Our  primary 
focus  is  on  serving  transportation  providers  (air,  ocean  and  truck  modes),  logistics  service  providers 
(including  third-party  logistics  providers,  freight  forwarders  and  customs  brokers)  and  distribution-
intensive  companies  where  delivery  is  either  a  key  or  a  defining  part  of  their  own  product  or  service 
offering, or where there is an opportunity to reduce costs and improve service levels by optimizing the 
use of their assets.  

Note 2 - Significant Accounting Policies 

Basis of presentation 
The  accompanying  consolidated  financial  statements  are  presented  in  United  States  (“US”)  dollars  and 
are  prepared  in  accordance  with  generally  accepted  accounting  principles  in  the  US  (“GAAP”)  and  the 
rules  and  regulations  of  the  Canadian  Securities  Administrators  and  US  Securities  and  Exchange 
Commission (“SEC”) for the preparation of consolidated financial statements.  

Our fiscal year commences on February 1st of each year and ends on January 31st of the following year. 
Our fiscal year, which ended January 31, 2015, is referred to as the “current fiscal year,” “fiscal 2015,” 
“2015”  or  using  similar  words.  Our  fiscal  year,  which  ended  January  31,  2014,  is  referred  to  as  the 
“previous fiscal year,” “fiscal 2014,” “2014” or using similar words. Other fiscal years are referenced by 
the  applicable  year  during  which  the  fiscal  year  ends.  For  example,  “2016”  refers  to  the  annual  period 
ending  January  31,  2016  and  the  “fourth  quarter  of  2016”  refers  to  the  quarter  ending  January  31, 
2016. 

We have reclassified certain immaterial items in the consolidated financial statements and the notes to 
conform to the current presentation.  

Basis of consolidation 
The  consolidated  financial  statements  include  the  financial  statements  of  Descartes  and  our  wholly-
owned subsidiaries. We do not have any variable interests in variable interest entities. All intercompany 
accounts and transactions have been eliminated during consolidation. 

Financial instruments 
Fair value of financial instruments 
Financial instruments are comprised of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, 
accrued liabilities, income taxes payable and debt. The estimated fair values of cash and cash equivalents, 
accounts  receivable,  accounts  payable,  accrued  liabilities  and  income  taxes  payable  are  approximate  to 
their  book  values  due  to  the  short-term  nature  of  these  instruments.  The  estimated  fair  value  of  debt  is 
approximate  to  its  book  value  as  the  interest  rates  offered  under  our  revolving  debt  facility  are  close  to 
market rates for debt of the same remaining maturities. 

52 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Foreign exchange risk 
We are exposed to foreign exchange risk because a higher proportion of our revenues are denominated in 
US dollars relative to expenditures. Accordingly, our results are affected, and may be affected in the future, 
by  exchange  rate  fluctuations  of  the  US  dollar  relative  to  the  Canadian  dollar,  euro  and  various  other 
foreign currencies. 

Interest rate risk 
We  are  exposed  to  interest  rate  fluctuations  to  the  extent  that  we  borrow  on  our  revolving  debt  facility, 
which  depending  on  the  type  of  advance  under  the  available  facilities,  interest  will  be  charged  based  on 
either i) Canada prime rate or US base rate; or ii) LIBOR. As of January 31, 2015, all amounts previously 
borrowed under the revolving debt facility have been repaid and no amounts remain owing. 

We  are  also  exposed  to  reductions  in  interest  rates,  which  could  adversely  impact  expected  returns  from 
our investment of corporate funds in interest bearing bank accounts. 

Credit risk 
We are exposed to credit risk through our invested cash, cash equivalents and accounts receivable. We hold 
our  cash  and  cash  equivalents  with  reputable  financial  institutions.  The  lack  of  concentration  of  accounts 
receivable  from  a  single  customer  and  the  dispersion  of  customers  among  industries  and  geographical 
locations mitigate this risk. 

We do not use any type of speculative financial instruments, including but not limited to foreign exchange 
contracts, futures, swaps and option agreements, to manage our foreign exchange or interest rate risks. In 
addition, we do not hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes.  

Foreign currency translation 
The US dollar is the presentation currency of the Company. Assets and liabilities are translated into US 
dollars at the exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date. Revenues and expenses are translated 
into  US  dollars  using  daily  exchange  rates.  Translation  adjustments  resulting  from  this  process  are 
accumulated in other comprehensive income (loss) as a separate component of shareholders’ equity. On 
substantial liquidation of a foreign operation, the component of other comprehensive income relating to 
that particular foreign operation is recognized in the consolidated statements of operations. 

The functional currency of each of our entities is the local currency in which they operate. Transactions 
incurred  in  currencies  other  than  the  local  currency  of  an  entity  are  converted  to  the  local  currency at 
the transaction date. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are re-measured 
into the local currency at the exchange rate in effect at the balance sheet date. All foreign currency re-
measurement gains and losses are included in net income. For the year ended January 31, 2015, foreign 
currency re-measurement gains of $1.4 million were included in net income (January 31, 2014 – loss of 
$0.2 million; January 31, 2013 – loss of $0.2 million). 

Use of estimates 
Preparing  financial  statements  in  conformity  with  GAAP  requires  management  to  make  estimates  and 
assumptions  that  affect  the  amounts  that  are  reported  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements  and 
accompanying note disclosures. Although these estimates and assumptions are based on management’s 
best  knowledge  of  current  events,  actual  results  may  be  different  from  the  estimates.  Estimates  and 
assumptions are used when accounting for items such as  allocations of the purchase price and the fair 
value  of  net  assets  acquired  in  business  combination  transactions,  useful  lives  of  intangible  assets  and 
capital assets, allowance for doubtful accounts, collectability of other receivables, provisions for excess 
or  obsolete  inventory,  restructuring  accruals,  revenue  related  estimates  including  vendor-specific 
objective  evidence  (“VSOE”)  of  selling  price  and  best  estimate  of  selling  price  (“BESP”),  fair  value  of 
stock-based  compensation,  assumptions  embodied  in  the  valuation  of  assets  for  impairment 
assessment, valuation allowances for deferred income tax assets, uncertain tax positions and recognition 
of contingencies. 

53 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents 
Cash  and  cash  equivalents  include  highly  liquid  short-term  deposits  with  original  maturities  of  three 
months or less.  

Allowance for doubtful accounts 
We  maintain  an  allowance  for  doubtful  accounts  for  estimated  losses  resulting  from  the  inability  of 
customers  to  make  their  required  payments.  Specifically,  we  consider  the  age  of  the  receivables, 
customers’  payment  history,  historical  write-offs,  the  creditworthiness  of  the  customer,  and  current 
economic trends among other factors. Accounts receivable are written off, and the associated allowance 
is eliminated, if it is determined that the specific balance is no longer collectible. 

Inventory 
Finished goods inventories are stated at the lower of cost and market value. Market value is the current 
replacement cost of the inventory. The cost of finished goods is determined on the basis of average cost 
of units. 

The  valuation  of  inventory,  including  the  determination  of  obsolete  or  excess  inventory,  requires 
management to estimate the future demand for our products within specified time horizons. We perform 
an  assessment  of  inventory  which  includes  a  review  of,  among  other  factors,  demand  requirements, 
product  life  cycle  and  development  plans,  product  pricing  and  quality  issues.  If  the  demand  for  our 
products indicates we are no longer able to sell inventories above cost or at all, we write down inventory 
to net realizable value or excess inventory is written off. 

Impairment of long-lived assets 
We test long-lived assets, such as capital assets and finite life intangible assets, for recoverability when 
events  or  changes  in  circumstances  indicate  that  there  may  be  an  impairment.  An  impairment  loss  is 
recognized when the  estimate of undiscounted future cash flows  generated by  such assets is  less  than 
the carrying amount. Measurement of the impairment loss is based on the present value of the expected 
future cash flows. No impairment of long-lived assets has been identified or recorded in our consolidated 
statements of operations for any of the fiscal years presented. 

Goodwill and intangible assets 
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price in a business combination over the fair value of net 
tangible and intangible assets acquired. Goodwill is not subject to amortization.  

We  test  for  impairment  of  goodwill  at  least  annually  during  our  third  quarter  of  each  year  and  at  any 
other  time  if  any  event  occurs  or  circumstances  change  that  would  more  likely  than  not  reduce  our 
enterprise value below our carrying amount. Our operations are analyzed by management and our chief 
operating  decision  maker  as  being  part  of  a  single  industry  segment  providing  logistics  technology 
solutions.  Accordingly,  our  goodwill  impairment  assessment  is  based  on  the  allocation  of  goodwill  to  a 
single reporting unit. Our annual goodwill impairment testing during our third quarter of 2015 indicated 
no evidence of impairment and the fair value of our reporting unit was in excess of its carrying value. As 
a result, no impairment of goodwill was recorded in fiscal 2015. 

We  perform  further  quarterly  analysis  of  whether  any  event  has  occurred  that  would  more  likely  than 
not  reduce  our  enterprise  value  below  our  carrying  amounts  and,  if  so,  we  perform  a  goodwill 
impairment test between the annual dates. Any impairment adjustment is recognized as an expense in 
the period that the adjustment is identified.  

Intangible  assets  related  to  our  acquisitions  are  recorded  at  their  fair  value  at  the  acquisition  date. 
Intangible  assets  include  customer  agreements  and  relationships,  non-compete  covenants,  existing 
technologies  and  trade  names.  Intangible  assets  are  amortized  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  their 
estimated  useful  lives.  We  write  down  intangible  assets  with  a  finite  life  to  fair  value  when  the  related 
undiscounted  cash  flows  are  not  expected  to  allow  for  recovery  of  the  carrying  value.  Fair  value  of 
intangibles is determined by discounting the expected related future cash flows. 

54 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Amortization of our intangible assets is generally recorded at the following rates: 

Customer agreements and relationships 
Non-compete covenants 
Existing technologies   
Trade names   

Straight-line over three to twenty years 
Straight-line over two to twelve years 
Straight-line over three to twelve years 
Straight-line over one to fifteen years 

Capital assets 
Capital  assets  are  recorded  at  cost.  Depreciation  of  our  capital  assets  is  generally  recorded  at  the 
following rates: 

Computer equipment and software  30% declining balance  
20% declining balance 
Furniture and fixtures  
Straight-line over lesser of useful life or term of lease 
Leasehold improvements 

Fully depreciated capital assets are removed from the balance sheet when they are no longer in use. 

Revenue recognition 
We  recognize  revenue  when  it  is  realized  or  realizable  and  earned.  We  consider  revenue  realized  or 
realizable  and earned when there exists persuasive evidence of an  arrangement, the product has been 
delivered  or  the  services  have  been  provided  to  the  customer,  the  sales  price  is  fixed  or  determinable 
and  collectability  is  reasonably  assured.  All  revenue  is  recognized  net  of  any  related  sales  taxes.  In 
addition  to  this  general  policy,  the  specific  revenue  recognition  policies  for  each  major  category  of 
revenue are included below. 

Services  Revenues  -  Services  revenues  are  principally  comprised  of  the  following:  (i)  ongoing 
transactional  fees  for  use  of  our  services  and  products  by  our  customers,  which  are  recognized  as  the 
transactions  occur;  (ii)  professional  services  revenues  from  consulting,  implementation  and  training 
services related to our services and products, which are recognized as the services are performed; (iii) 
maintenance, subscription and other related revenues, including revenues associated with maintenance 
and support of our services and products, which are recognized ratably over the subscription period; and 
(iv) hardware revenues, which are recognized when hardware is shipped. 

License  Revenues  -  License  revenues  are  derived  from  perpetual  licenses  granted  to  our  customers  to 
use our software products.  

We  enter  into  arrangements  from  time  to  time  that  may  consist  of  multiple  deliverables  which  may 
include  any  combination  of  services  and  software  licenses.  Our  typical  multiple-element  arrangements 
involve: (i)  software with maintenance  support  services, (ii) professional  services with one time set-up 
fees  and  (iii)  hardware  with  services.  For  any  arrangements  involving  multiple  deliverables  involving 
non-software  elements  (hardware,  one  time  set-up  fees,  professional  services,  subscription,  etc.)  the 
consideration from the arrangement is allocated to each respective element based on its relative selling 
price, using  VSOE of selling price. In  instances when we  are unable to establish  the  selling price  using 
VSOE, we attempt to establish selling price of each element based on acceptable third party evidence of 
selling  price (“TPE”); however we are generally  unable to reliably determine the selling price of  similar 
competitor  products  or  services  on  a  stand-alone  basis.  In  these  instances,  we  use  our  BESP  in  our 
allocation of the arrangement consideration. The objective of BESP is to determine the price at which we 
would transact a sale if the product or service was sold on a stand-alone basis.  We determine BESP for 
each specific element in a multiple element arrangement considering multiple factors including, but not 
limited to, market conditions, competitive landscape, internal costs, gross margin objectives and pricing 
practices.  

For  arrangements  involving  multiple  deliverables  of  software  with  maintenance  support  services,  the 
revenue is recognized based on Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Subtopic 985-605 “Software: 

55 

 
 
 
  
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Revenue Recognition”.  If we are unable to determine VSOE of fair value for all of the deliverables of the 
arrangement,  but  are  able  to  obtain  VSOE  of  fair  value  for  all  the  undelivered  elements,  revenue  is 
allocated using the residual method. Under the residual method, the amount of revenue allocated to the 
delivered  elements  equals  the  total  arrangement  consideration  less  the  aggregate  fair  value  of  any 
undelivered  elements.  If  VSOE  of  fair  value  of  any undelivered  software  items  does  not  exist,  revenue 
from  the  entire  arrangement  is  initially  deferred  and  recognized  at  the  earlier  of:  (i)  delivery  of  those 
elements for which VSOE of fair value did not exist; or (ii) when VSOE of fair value can be established. 

Research and development costs 
To  date,  we  have  not  capitalized  any  costs  related  to  research  and  development  of  our  computer 
software products. Costs incurred between the dates that the product is considered to be technologically 
feasible and is considered to be ready for general release to customers have historically been expensed 
as they have not been significant.  

Stock-based compensation plans 
Stock Options 
We maintain stock option plans for directors, officers, employees and other service providers. Options to 
purchase  our  common  shares  are  granted  at  an  exercise  price  equal  to  the  fair  market  value  of  our 
common shares. This fair market value is determined using the closing price of our common shares on 
the TSX on the day immediately preceding the date of the grant.   

Employee  stock  options  generally  vest  over  a  five-year  period  starting  from  the  grant  date  and  expire 
seven years from the grant date. Directors’ and officers’ stock options generally have quarterly vesting 
over  a  three-  to  five-year  period.  We  issue  new  shares  from  treasury  upon  the  exercise  of  a  stock 
option.  

The  fair  value  of  employee  stock  option  grants  that  are  ultimately  expected  to  vest  are  amortized  to 
expense in our consolidated statement of operations based on the straight-line attribution method. The 
fair  value  of  stock  option  grants  is  calculated  using  the  Black-Scholes  Merton  option-pricing  model. 
Expected volatility is based on historical volatility of our common stock and other factors. The risk-free 
interest rates are based on Government of Canada average bond yields for a period consistent with the 
expected  life  of  the  option  in  effect  at  the  time  of  the  grant.  The  expected  option  life  is  based  on  the 
historical life of our granted options and other factors. 

Performance & Restricted Share Units 

We  maintain  a  performance  and  restricted  share  unit  plan  effective  pursuant  to  which  certain  of  our 
employees are eligible to receive grants of performance share units (“PSUs”) and restricted share units 
(“RSUs”).  

PSUs  vest  at  the  end  of  a  three-year  performance  period.  The  ultimate  number  of  PSUs  that  vest  is 
based  on  the  total  shareholder  return  (“TSR”)  of  our  Company  relative  to  the  TSR  of  companies 
comprising a peer index group. TSR is calculated based on the weighted-average closing price of shares 
for the five  trading days preceding the  beginning and  end of  the performance  period. The fair value of 
PSUs is expensed to stock-based compensation expense over the vesting period. PSUs expire ten years 
from the grant date. New shares are issued from treasury upon the redemption of a PSU. 

PSUs are measured at fair value estimated using a Monte Carlo Simulation approach. Expected volatility 
is  based  on  historical  volatility  of  our  common  stock  and  other  factors.  The  risk-free  interest  rates are 
based on the Government of Canada average bond yields for a period consistent with the expected life 
of PSUs at the time of the grant. The expected PSU life is based on the historical life of our stock options 
and other factors. 

RSUs vest annually over a three-year period starting from the grant date and expire ten years from the 
grant date. We issue new shares from treasury upon the redemption of an RSU. 

56 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
RSUs are measured at fair value based on the closing price of our common shares for the day preceding 
the  date  of  the  grant  and  will  be  expensed  to  stock-based  compensation  expense  over  the  vesting 
period.  

Deferred Share Unit Plan 
Our  board  of  directors  adopted  a  deferred  share  unit  plan  effective  as  of  June  28,  2004,  pursuant  to 
which  non-employee  directors  are  eligible  to  receive  grants  of  deferred  share  units  (“DSUs”),  each  of 
which has an initial value equal to the weighted-average closing price of our common shares for the five 
trading days preceding the grant date. The plan allows each director to choose to receive, in the form of 
DSUs, all, none or a percentage of the eligible director’s fees which would otherwise be payable in cash. 
If a director has invested less than the minimum amount of equity in Descartes, as prescribed from time 
to  time  by  the  board  of  directors  then  the  director  must  take  at  least  50%  of  the  base  annual  fee  for 
serving as a director in the form of DSUs. Each DSU fully vests upon award but is distributed only when 
the director ceases to be a member of the board of directors. Vested units are settled in cash based on 
our common share price when conversion takes place.  

Cash-Settled Restricted Share Unit Plan 
Our  board  of  directors  adopted  a  cash-settled  restricted  share  unit  plan  effective  as  of  May  23,  2007, 
pursuant to which certain of our employees and outside directors are eligible to receive grants of cash-
settled  restricted  share  units  (“CRSUs”),  each  of  which  has  an  initial  value  equal  to  the  weighted-
average  closing  price  of  our  common  shares  for  the five  trading  days  preceding  the  date  of  the  grant. 
The CRSUs generally vest based on continued employment and have annual vesting over three- to five-
year periods. Vested units are settled in cash based on our common share price when conversion takes 
place,  which  is  within  30  days  following  a  vesting  date  and  in  any  event  prior  to  December  31st  of  the 
calendar year of a vesting date. 

Income taxes 
We  use  the  liability  method  of  income  tax  allocation  to  account  for  income  taxes.  Deferred  tax  assets 
and liabilities arise from temporary differences between the tax bases of assets and liabilities and their 
reported  amounts  in  the  consolidated  financial  statements  that  will  result  in  taxable  or  deductible 
amounts in future years. These temporary differences are measured using enacted tax rates. A valuation 
allowance is recorded to reduce deferred tax assets to the extent that we consider it is more likely than 
not  that  a  deferred  tax  asset  will  not  be  realized.  In  determining  the  valuation  allowance,  we  consider 
factors  such  as  the  reversal  of  deferred  income  tax  liabilities,  projected  taxable  income,  our  history  of 
losses for tax purposes, and the character of income tax assets and tax planning strategies. A change to 
these factors could impact the estimated valuation allowance and income tax expense. 

We  evaluate  our  uncertain  tax  positions  by  using  a  two-step  approach  to  recognizing  and  measuring 
uncertain tax positions and provisions for income taxes. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for 
recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates it is more likely than not, based 
solely on the technical merits, that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related 
appeals  or  litigation  processes,  if  any.  The  second  step  is  to  measure  the  appropriate  amount  of  the 
benefit to recognize. The amount of benefit to recognize is measured as the maximum amount which is 
more  likely  than  not  to  be  realized.  The  tax  position  is  derecognized  when  it  is  no  longer  more  likely 
than not that the position will be sustained on audit.  We continually assess the likelihood and amount of 
potential adjustments and adjust the income tax provisions, income taxes payable and deferred income 
taxes in the period in which the facts that give rise to a revision become known. 

Earnings per share 
Basic  earnings  per  share  is  calculated  by  dividing  net  income  by  the  weighted  average  number  of 
common  shares  outstanding  during  the  period.  Diluted  earnings  per  common  share  is  calculated  by 
dividing net income by the sum of the weighted average number of common shares outstanding and all 
additional common shares that would have been  outstanding  if potentially dilutive common shares had 

57 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
been  issued  during  the  period.  The  treasury  stock  method  is  used  to  compute  the  dilutive  effect  of 
stock-based compensation. 

Recently adopted accounting pronouncements 
In  March  2013,  the  FASB  issued  Accounting  Standard  Update  2013-05,  “Foreign  Currency  Matters” 
(“ASU  2013-05”).  ASU  2013-05  provides  clarification  on  the  accounting  treatment  of  currency 
translation  adjustment  for  entities  that  cease  to  have  a  controlling  financial  interest  in  a  foreign 
subsidiary. ASU 2013-05 is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2013, 
which is our fiscal year that commenced on February 1, 2014. The adoption of this amendment has not 
had a material impact on our results of operations or disclosures. 

In July 2013, the  FASB  issued ASU  2013-11,  “Income Taxes” (“ASU  2013-11”). ASU  2013-11 provides 
clarification on the presentation of unrecognized tax benefits when a net operating loss carryforward, a 
similar  tax  loss,  or  a  tax  credit  carryforward  exists.  ASU  2013-11  is  effective  for  quarterly  and  annual 
periods  beginning  after  December  15,  2013,  which  is  our  fiscal  year  that  commenced  on  February  1, 
2014.  The  adoption  of  this  amendment  has  not  had  a  material  impact  on  our  results  of  operations  or 
disclosures.   

Recently issued accounting pronouncements 
In  May  2014,  the  FASB  issued  Accounting  Standard  Update  2014-09,  “Revenue  from  Contracts  with 
Customers”  (“ASU  2014-09”).  ASU  2014-09  amends  the  number  of  requirements  that  an  entity  must 
consider  in  recognizing  revenue  and  requires  improved  disclosures  to  help  readers  of  financial 
statements better understand the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue recognized.  ASU 
2014-09  is  effective  for  interim  and  annual  periods  beginning  after  December  15,  2016,  which  will  be 
our fiscal year beginning February 1, 2017. Early adoption is not permitted. The Company will adopt this 
guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018 and is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption will 
have on its results of operations, financial position and disclosures.  

In  August  2014,  the  FASB  issued  Accounting  Standard  Update  2014-15,  “Presentation  of  Financial 
Statements  –  Going  Concern  (Subtopic  2015-40)”  (“ASU  2014-15”).  ASU  2014-15  requires  an  entity’s 
management to evaluate whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the 
entity’s  ability  to  continue  as  a  going  concern  within  one  year  after  the  date  that  the  financial 
statements  are  issued.  ASU  2014-15  is  effective  for  condensed  and  annual  periods  beginning  after 
December  15,  2016,  which  will  be  our  fiscal  year  beginning  February  1,  2017.  Early  adoption  is 
permitted. The Company will adopt this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2018. The adoption of this 
amendment is not expected to have a material impact on our results of operations or disclosures. 

In  February  2015,  the  FASB  issued  Accounting  Standard  Update  2015-02,  “Consolidation  (Topic  810): 
Amendments  to  the  Consolidation  Analysis”  (“ASU  2015-02”).  ASU  2015-02  amends  the  analysis that  an 
entity  must  perform  to  determine  whether  it  should  consolidate  certain  types  of  legal  entities.  ASU 
2015-02 is effective for condensed and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2015, which will be 
our  fiscal  year  beginning  February  1,  2016.  Early  adoption  is  permitted.  The  Company  will  adopt  this 
guidance in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 and is currently evaluating the impact that the adoption will 
have on its results of operations, financial position and disclosures. 

58 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 3 - Acquisitions 

On December 5, 2014, we acquired all outstanding shares of privately-held Pentant Limited (“Pentant”), 
a  leading  UK-based  Community  System  Provider  offering  customs  connectivity  and  import/export 
inventory  control  solutions  for  ocean,  truck  and  air  cargo.  Pentant  provides  its  shipper  and  logistics 
service provider customers with a reliable and secure connection to both CHIEF (the central UK Revenue 
&  Customs  system)  and  ICS  (the  European  Union  Import  Control  System)  to  streamline  declaration, 
cargo security and clearance processes. The total purchase price for the acquisition was $2.1 million, net 
of cash acquired, which was funded with cash on hand. Additional contingent consideration of up to $0.4 
million  in  cash  is  payable  if  certain  revenue  performance  targets  are  met  by  Pentant  during  2016.  The 
fair  value  of  the  contingent  consideration  is  nil  at  January  31,  2015.  We  incurred  acquisition-related 
costs,  primarily  for  advisory  services,  of  $0.2  million  included  in  other  charges  in  our  consolidated 
statements of operations. The gross contractual amount of trade receivables acquired was  $0.1 million 
with  a fair value of $0.1 million at the date of  acquisition.  Our  acquisition date estimate of contractual 
cash flows not expected to be collected was nil. We have recognized $0.1 million of revenues and nil of 
net  income  from  Pentant  since  the  date  of  acquisition  in  our  consolidated  statements  of  operations  for 
2015. 

On  December  5,  2014,  we  acquired  all  outstanding  shares  of  privately-held  e-customs  Inc.  (“e-
customs”),  a  leading  provider  of  electronic  security  and  fiscal  customs  filing  solutions  in  the  UK.  e-
customs'  cloud-based  solution,  Webdecs,  provides  both  shippers  and  logistics  service  providers  with  a 
wide  range  of  customs  capabilities  to  cost  effectively  comply  with  UK  fiscal  filing  and  security  filing 
requirements. The total purchase price for the acquisition was $9.6 million, net of cash acquired, which 
was  funded  with  cash  on  hand.  Additional  contingent  consideration  of  up  to  $1.2  million  in  cash  is 
payable if certain revenue performance targets are met by e-customs during 2016. The fair value of the 
contingent  consideration  is nil at January 31,  2015. We  incurred  acquisition-related costs, primarily for 
advisory services, of $0.2 million included in other charges in our consolidated statements of operations. 
The  gross  contractual  amount  of  trade  receivables  acquired  was  $0.2  million  with  a  fair  value  of  $0.2 
million at the date of acquisition. Our acquisition date estimate of contractual cash flows not expected to 
be  collected  was  nil.  We  have  recognized  $0.4  million  of  revenues  and  less  than  $0.1  million  of  net 
income  from  e-customs  since  the  date  of  acquisition  in  our  consolidated  statements  of  operations  for 
2015. 

On  November  19,  2014,  we  acquired  all  outstanding  shares  of  privately-held  Airclic  Inc.  (“Airclic”),  a 
leading US-based  provider of mobile solutions that help companies reduce the  cost of delivering  goods 
by automating traditional paper-based processes. Airclic's cloud-based mobile solutions help streamline 
and  automate  complex  'last  mile'  logistics  processes.  The  total  purchase  price  for  the  acquisition  was 
$29.6  million,  net  of  cash  acquired,  which  was  funded  with  cash  on  hand.  We  incurred  acquisition-
related  costs,  primarily  for  advisory  services,  of  $0.4  million  included  in  other  charges  in  our 
consolidated statements of operations. The gross contractual amount of trade receivables acquired was 
$4.5 million with a fair value of $4.5 million at the date of acquisition. Our acquisition date estimate of 
contractual cash flows not expected to be collected was nil. We have recognized $2.7 million of revenues 
and  $0.3  million  of  net  loss  from  Airclic  since  the  date  of  acquisition  in  our  consolidated  statements  of 
operations for 2015. 

On May 30, 2014 we acquired all outstanding membership interests of privately-held Customs Info, LLC 
(“Customs Info”), a leading US-based provider of trade data content to power Global Trade Management 
(GTM)  systems  and  streamline  global  trade  automation.  Customs  Info  provides  comprehensive  trade 
data and related research tools to multi-national shippers to help them reduce operating costs, improve 
customs compliance, and accelerate supply chain speed. The total purchase price for the acquisition was 
$39.5  million,  net  of  cash  acquired,  which  was  funded  by  $34.1  million  in  cash  and  approximately  0.4 
million  Descartes  common  shares  valued  at  $5.4  million.  As  part  of  completing  the  acquisition  $20.0 
million of the $39.5 million purchase price was funded by drawing on our revolving debt facility, which 
has  been  subsequently  repaid.  Additional  contingent  consideration  of  up  to  $3.9  million  in  cash  may 
have  become  payable  had  certain  revenue  performance  targets  been  met  by  Customs  Info  during  the 

59 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
calendar  year  2014.  The  fair  value  of  the  contingent  consideration  was  valued  at  nil  at  the  acquisition 
date  and  the  performance  targets  were  not  met.  We  incurred  acquisition-related  costs,  primarily  for 
advisory services, of $0.4 million included in other charges in our consolidated statements of operations. 
The  gross  contractual  amount  of  trade  receivables  acquired  was  $1.8  million  with  a  fair  value  of  $1.7 
million at the date of acquisition. Our acquisition date estimate of contractual cash flows not expected to 
be collected was $0.1 million. We have recognized $6.3 million of revenues and less than $0.1 million of 
net income from Customs Info since the date of acquisition in our consolidated statements of operations 
for 2015. 

On April 1, 2014, we acquired all outstanding shares of privately-held Computer Management USA, Inc. 
and  Computer  Management  NA,  Inc.  (collectively,  “Computer  Management”),  a  US-based  provider  of 
security  filing  solutions  and  air  cargo  management  solutions  for  airlines  and  their  partners.  The  total 
purchase price for the acquisition was $6.7 million, net of cash acquired, which was funded with cash on 
hand.  We  incurred  acquisition-related  costs,  primarily  for  advisory  services,  of  $0.3  million  included  in 
other  charges  in  our  consolidated  statements  of  operations.  The  gross  contractual  amount  of  trade 
receivables  acquired  was  $0.2  million  with  a  fair  value  of  $0.2  million  at  the  date  of  acquisition.  Our 
acquisition  date  estimate  of  contractual  cash  flows  not  expected  to  be  collected  was  nil.  We  have 
recognized  $1.4  million  of  revenues  and  $0.4  million  of  net  income  from  Computer  Management  since 
the date of acquisition in our consolidated statements of operations for 2015. 

The preliminary purchase price allocation for businesses acquired during fiscal 2015, which have not 
been finalized, is as follows: 

Computer 
Management 

Customs 
Info 

Airclic  e-customs  Pentant 

Total 

Purchase price consideration: 

Cash, excluding cash acquired 
related to Computer Management 
($112), Customs Info (nil), Airclic 
($117), e-customs ($1,983) and 
Pentant ($21)  
Common shares issued 
Net working capital adjustments 
(receivable) / payable 

Allocated to: 

Current assets,  excluding cash 
acquired  
Capital assets 
Current liabilities 
Deferred revenue 
Deferred income tax liability 
Debt 

Net tangible assets (liabilities) 
assumed 

Finite life intangible assets acquired: 

Customer agreements and 
relationships 

  Existing technology 

Trade names 

    Non-compete covenants 
Goodwill 

6,689 
- 

3 
6,692 

211 
65 
(10) 
(8) 
- 
- 
258 

3,256 
1,840 
- 
- 
1,338 
6,692 

60 

34,121
5,382

29,597
-

9,611 
- 

2,134 
- 

82,152
5,382

(813)
38,690

(318)
29,279

(41) 
9,570 

(13) 
2,121 

(1,182)
86,352

1,754
-
(556)
(3,147)
-
(927)
(2,876)

4,990
440
(2,656)
(6,930)
-
-
(4,156)

1,190 
7 
(399) 
(19) 
(1,053) 
- 
(274) 

142 
- 
(658) 

8,287
512
(4,279)
(38)  (10,142)
(1,368)
(927)
(7,917)

(315) 
- 
(869) 

8,650
5,708
682
391
26,135
38,690

7,802
13,786
-
177
11,670
29,279

2,318 
2,807 
- 
138 
4,581 
9,570 

1,336 
595 
- 
- 
1,059 
2,121

23,362
24,736
682
706
44,783
86,352

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
No in-process research and development was acquired in these transactions. 

The acquired intangible assets are being amortized over their estimated useful lives as follows: 

Computer 
Management 

Customs 
Info 

Airclic 

e-customs 

Pentant 

Customer agreements 
and relationships 
Existing technology 
Trade names 
Non-compete covenants  

9 years 
6 years 
N/A 
N/A 

9 years 
3 years 
15 years 
12 years 

9 years 
8 years 
N/A 
12 years 

10 years 
6 years 
N/A 
12 years 

9 years 
6 years 
N/A 
N/A 

The  goodwill  on  the  Pentant,  e-customs,  Airclic,  Customs  Info  and  Computer  Management  acquisitions 
arose  as  a result  of the  value of the combined strategic value to  our growth plan. The  goodwill  arising 
from  the  Pentant  and  e-customs  acquisitions  is  not  deductible  for  tax  purposes.  The  goodwill  arising 
from the Airclic, Customs Info and Computer Management acquisitions is deductible for tax purposes. 

On December 23,  2013,  we acquired all outstanding shares of privately-held Impatex Freight Software 
Limited  (“Impatex”),  a  leading  UK-based  provider  of  electronic  customs  filing  and  freight  forwarding 
solutions. The total purchase price for the acquisition was $8.2 million, net of cash acquired, which was 
funded  by  drawing  on  our  revolving  debt  facility.  We  incurred  acquisition-related  costs,  primarily  for 
advisory services, of $0.3 million included in other charges in our consolidated statements of operations 
in 2014. The gross contractual amount of trade receivables acquired was $0.3 million with a fair value of 
$0.3  million  at  the  date  of  acquisition.  Our  acquisition  date  estimate  of  contractual  cash  flows  not 
expected to be collected was nil. 

On  December  20,  2013,  we  acquired  all  outstanding  shares  of  privately-held  Compudata,  a  leading 
provider  of  business-to-business  supply  chain  integration  and  e-invoicing  solutions  in  Switzerland.  The 
total  purchase  price  for  the  acquisition  was  $18.1  million,  net  of  cash  acquired,  which  was  funded  by 
drawing  on  our  revolving  debt  facility.  We  incurred  acquisition-related  costs,  primarily  for  advisory 
services, of $0.3 million included in other charges in our consolidated statements of operations in 2014. 
The  gross  contractual  amount  of  trade  receivables  acquired  was  $0.6  million  with  a  fair  value  of  $0.5 
million at the date of acquisition. Our acquisition date estimate of contractual cash flows not expected to 
be collected was $0.1 million. 

On May 2, 2013 we acquired all outstanding shares of privately-held KSD Software Norway AS (“KSD”), 
a  leading  Scandinavian-based  provider  of  electronic  customs  filing  solutions  for  the  European  Union 
(“EU”).  KSD’s  software  helps  customers  manage  the  complexities  of  EU  customs  compliance.  The  total 
purchase  price  for  the  acquisition  was  $32.4  million,  net  of  cash  acquired.  As  part  of  completing  the 
acquisition  $19.8  million  of  the  $32.4  million  purchase  price  was  funded  by  drawing  on  our  revolving 
debt  facility,  with  the  remainder  funded  with  cash  on  hand.  We  incurred  acquisition-related  costs, 
primarily for advisory services, of $0.7 million included in other charges in our consolidated statements 
of operations in 2014. The gross contractual amount of trade receivables acquired was $3.1 million with 
a fair value of $2.6 million at the date of acquisition. Our acquisition date estimate of contractual cash 
flows not expected to be collected was $0.5 million. 

In  2015,  the  preliminary  purchase  price  allocation  for  KSD  was  adjusted  due  to  changes  made  to  net 
working capital adjustments receivable estimates made upon close of the acquisition. The purchase price 
allocation  adjustments  were  to  increase  goodwill  $0.7  million  from  $13.1  million  to  $13.8  million  and 
decrease net working capital adjustments receivable $0.7 million from $2.9 million to $2.2 million. 

61 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The final purchase price allocations for businesses we acquired during fiscal 2014 are as follows: 

Impatex  Compudata 

KSD 

Total 

Purchase price consideration: 

Cash, less cash acquired related to 
Impatex ($200), Compudata ($166) and KSD 
($199) 
Net working capital adjustments receivable 

Allocated to: 

Current assets, excluding cash acquired 
Capital assets 
Deferred income tax assets 
Current liabilities 
Deferred revenue 
Deferred income tax liability 
Debt 

Net tangible liabilities assumed 

Finite life intangible assets acquired: 
  Customer agreements and relationships 
  Existing technology 
    Non-compete covenants 
Goodwill 

8,175 
(209) 
7,966 

18,143 
(71) 
18,072 

32,419 
(2,213)
30,206 

58,737 
(2,493) 
56,244 

524 
109 
11 
(300) 
(441) 
(1,140) 
- 
(1,237) 

2,495 
3,207 
- 
3,501 
7,966 

1,793 
24 
- 
(934) 
(21) 
(2,924) 
- 
(2,062) 

4,174 
67 
863 
(3,904)
(3,004)
(6,720)
(894)
(9,418)

6,491 
200 
874 
(5,138) 
(3,466) 
(10,784) 
(894) 
(12,717) 

11,910 
- 
23 
8,201 
18,072 

17,500 
8,300 
- 
13,824 
30,206 

31,905 
11,507 
23 
25,526 
56,244 

No in-process research and development was acquired in the Impatex, Compudata or KSD acquisitions. 

The acquired intangible assets are being amortized over their estimated useful lives as follows: 

  Customer agreements and relationships 
  Non-compete covenants 
  Existing technology 

Impatex  Compudata 
9 years 
10 years 
3 years 
N/A 
N/A 
8 years 

KSD 
12 years 
N/A 
8 years 

The  goodwill  on  the  Impatex,  Compudata  and  KSD  acquisitions  arose  as  a  result  of  the  value  of  their 
assembled  workforces  and  the  combined  strategic  value  to  our  growth  plan.  The  goodwill  arising  from 
these acquisitions is not deductible for tax purposes.  

On November 14, 2012, we acquired all outstanding shares of privately-held Exentra Transport Solutions 
Limited  (“Exentra”),  a  leading  UK-based  provider  of  software-as-a-service  (“SaaS”)  driver  compliance 
solutions for the European Union. The total purchase price for the acquisition was $16.6 million, net of 
cash acquired. We also incurred acquisition-related costs, primarily for advisory services, of $0.3 million 
included  in  other  charges  in  our  consolidated  statements  of  operations  in  2013.  The  gross  contractual 
amount  of  trade  receivables  acquired  was  $0.8  million  with  a  fair  value  of  $0.8  million  at  the  date  of 
acquisition. Our acquisition date estimate of contractual cash flows not expected to be collected was nil. 

On June 15, 2012, we acquired substantially all of the assets of Integrated Export Systems, Ltd. and IES 
Asia Limited (collectively referred to as “IES”). IES provides SaaS solutions that help freight forwarders, 
non-vessel operating common carriers and custom brokers manage their businesses. The total purchase 
price  for  the  acquisition  was  $33.9  million,  net  of  cash  acquired.  We  also  incurred  acquisition-related 
62 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
costs,  primarily  for  advisory  services,  of  $0.3  million  included  in  other  charges  in  our  consolidated 
statements of operations in 2013. The gross contractual amount of trade receivables acquired was $0.8 
million  with  a  fair  value  of  $0.6  million  at  the  date  of  acquisition.  Our  acquisition  date  estimate  of 
contractual cash flows not expected to be collected was $0.2 million. 

On  June  1,  2012,  we  acquired  all  outstanding  shares  of  privately-held  Infodis  B.V.  (“Infodis”),  a 
Netherlands-based  provider  of  SaaS  transportation  management  solutions  that  enable  its  clients  to 
manage  both  inbound  and  outbound  purchased  transportation.  The  total  purchase  price  for  the 
acquisition  was  $3.7  million,  net  of  cash  acquired.  We  also  incurred  acquisition-related  costs,  primarily 
for  advisory  services,  of  $0.4  million  included  in  other  charges  in  our  consolidated  statements  of 
operations in 2013. The gross contractual amount of trade receivables acquired was $0.7 million with a 
fair  value  of  $0.7  million  at  the  date  of  acquisition.  Our  acquisition  date  estimate  of  contractual  cash 
flows not expected to be collected was nil.  

The final purchase price allocations for businesses we acquired during fiscal 2013 are as follows: 

Purchase price consideration: 

Cash, less cash acquired related to 
Infodis ($375), IES (nil) and Exentra ($663) 
Net working capital adjustments  receivable 

Allocated to: 

Current assets, excluding cash acquired  
Capital assets 
Deferred income tax assets 
Current liabilities 
Deferred revenue 
Deferred income tax liability 

Net tangible (liabilities) assets assumed 

Finite life intangible assets acquired: 
  Customer agreements and relationships 
  Existing technology 
    Non-compete covenants 
Goodwill 

Exentra 

IES 

Infodis 

Total 

16,559 
(27) 
16,532 

33,909 
12 
33,921 

3,687 
2 
3,689 

54,155 
(13) 
54,142 

883 
116 
- 
(1,008) 
(26) 
(3,112) 
(3,147) 

767 
- 
- 
(184)
(901)
- 
(318)

831 
194 
22 
(386)
- 
(565)
96 

2,481 
310 
22 
(1,578) 
(927) 
(3,677) 
(3,369) 

2,621 
10,827 
- 
6,231 
16,532 

6,941 
15,236 
239 
11,823 
33,921 

834 
1,420 
- 
1,339 
3,689 

10,396 
27,483 
239 
19,393 
54,142 

No in-process research and development was acquired in these transactions. 

The acquired intangible assets are being amortized over their estimated useful lives as follows: 

  Customer agreements and relationships 
  Non-compete covenants 
  Existing technology 

Exentra 
12 years 
N/A 
10 years 

IES 
10 years 
5 years 
8 years 

Infodis 
6 years 
N/A 
5 years 

The  goodwill  on  the  Infodis,  IES  and  Exentra  acquisitions  arose  as  a  result  of  the  value  of  their 
respective  assembled  workforces  and  the  combined  strategic  value  to  our  growth  plan.  The  goodwill 
arising from the Infodis and Exentra acquisition is not deductible for tax purposes. The goodwill arising 
from the IES acquisition is deductible for tax purposes. 

63 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The above transactions  were accounted for using the  acquisition method in  accordance with ASC Topic 
805,  “Business  Combinations”.  The  purchase  price  allocation  in  the  tables  above  represents  our 
estimates  of  the  allocations  of  the  purchase  price and  the  fair  value  of  net  assets  acquired.  As  part of 
our  process  for  determining  the  fair  value  of  the  net  assets  acquired,  we  have  engaged  third-party 
valuation  specialists.  The  valuation  of  the  acquired  net  assets  is  preliminary  as  we  finalize  the  net 
tangible  assets  and  liabilities  assumed.  The  preliminary  purchase  price  may  differ  from  the  final 
purchase price allocation, and these differences may be material. Revisions to the valuation will occur as 
additional information about the fair value of assets and liabilities becomes available. The final purchase 
price allocation will be completed within one year from the acquisition date.  

As  required  by  GAAP,  the  financial  information  in  the  table  below  summarizes  selected  results  of 
operations  on  a  pro  forma  basis  as  if  we  had  acquired  Airclic,  Customs  Info, Impatex,  Compudata  and 
KSD  as  of  the  beginning  of  each  of  the  periods  presented.  The  pro  forma  results  of  operations  for  the 
Pentant, e-customs, Computer Management, Exentra and Infodis transactions have not been included in 
the table below as they are not material to our consolidated financial statements. The pro forma results 
of  operations  for  the  IES  transaction  have  not  been  presented  as  this  disclosure  is  considered 
impracticable since IES has not been audited in the past and historic financial statements would not be 
auditable due to the use of cash based accounting.  

This pro forma information is for information purposes only and does not purport to represent what our 
results of operations for the periods presented would have been had the acquisitions of Airclic, Customs 
Info, Impatex, Compudata and KSD occurred at the beginning of the period indicated, or to project our 
results of operations for any future period. 

Pro forma results of operations 

Year Ended   

Revenues 

Net income 

Earnings per share 

Basic 
Diluted 

  January 31, 
2015 
187,601 

January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
175,225 

184,837 

2014 

16,524 

9,490 

16,036 

0.23 
0.23 

0.15 
0.15 

0.26 
0.25 

During  fiscal  2013  $0.6  million  was  paid  relating  to  the  earn-out  adjustment  from  the  fiscal  2008 
acquisition of Global Freight Exchange Limited. No such amounts were paid during fiscal 2014 and 2015. 

Note 4 - Trade Receivables 

Trade receivables 
Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts 

January 31,  January 31, 
2014 

2015 

23,714 
(1,101) 
22,613 

21,442
(884)
20,558

Bad debt expense was $0.4 million, $0.3 million and $0.3 million for the years ended January 31, 2015, 
January 31, 2014 and January 31, 2013, respectively. 

64 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 5 - Other Receivables 

Net working capital adjustments receivable from acquisitions 
Other receivables 

January 31,  January 31, 
2014 

2015 

372 
2,885 
3,257 

4,005 
4,440 
8,445 

As  at  January  31,  2015,  $0.4  million  ($3.7  million  as  at  January  31,  2014)  of  the  net  working  capital 
adjustments  receivable  from  acquisitions  is  recoverable  from  amounts  held  in  escrow  related  to  the 
respective acquisitions. 

Note 6 –Inventory 

At January 31, 2015 and January 31, 2014, inventory is entirely comprised of finished goods inventory. 
Finished  goods  inventory  consists  of  hardware  and  related  parts  for  mobile  asset  units  held  for  sale. A 
provision  for  excess  or  obsolete  inventories  has  been  recorded  in  cost  of  revenues  of  $0.3  million,  nil 
and nil for the years ended January 31, 2015, January 31, 2014 and January 31, 2013, respectively. 

Note 7 - Capital Assets 

Cost 

Computer equipment and software 
Furniture and fixtures 
Leasehold improvements 
Assets under construction 

Accumulated amortization 

Computer equipment and software 
Furniture and fixtures 
Leasehold improvements 

January 31,  January 31, 
2014 

2015 

27,218 
1,117 
466 
- 
28,801 

19,881 
919 
172 
20,972 
7,829 

29,460 
1,369 
1,386 
157 
32,372 

21,472 
1,129 
979 
23,580 
8,792 

65 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 8 - Intangible Assets 

Cost 

Customer agreements and relationships 
Existing technology 
Trade names 
Non-compete covenants 

Accumulated amortization 

Customer agreements and relationships 
Existing technology 
Trade names 
Non-compete covenants 

January 31, 
2015 

January 31, 
2014 

97,344 
93,911 
4,349 
2,407 

81,951 
76,442 
4,093 
1,884 

198,011 

164,370 

37,956 
40,326 
3,130 
1,473 
82,885 
115,126 

32,101 
32,796 
3,392 
1,432 
69,721 
94,649 

Intangible  assets  related  to  our  acquisitions  are  recorded  at  their  fair  value  at  the  acquisition  date. 
During  2015,  additions  to  intangible  assets  primarily  consisted  of  the  acquisitions  of  Computer 
Management,  Customs  Info,  Airclic,  e-customs  and  Pentant,  described  in  Note  3  to  these  consolidated 
financial  statements.  The  balance  of  the  change  in  intangible  assets  is  due  to  foreign  currency 
translation and amortization. 

Intangible  assets  with  a  finite  life  are  amortized  into  income  over  their  useful  lives.  Amortization 
expense for existing intangible assets is expected to be $115.1 million over the following periods: $21.7 
million for 2016, $20.3 million for 2017, $15.5 million for 2018, $13.3 million for 2019, $12.7 million for 
2020,  $9.8  million  for  2021  and  $21.8  million  thereafter.  Expected  future  amortization  expense  is 
subject to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. 

We write down intangible assets with a finite life to fair value when the related undiscounted cash flows 
are not expected to allow for recovery of the carrying value. Fair value of intangibles  is determined by 
discounting  the  expected  related  future  cash  flows.  No  finite  life  intangible  asset  impairment  has  been 
identified or recorded in our consolidated statements of operations for any of the periods presented. 

Note 9 - Goodwill 

Balance at January 31, 2014 
Acquisition of Impatex 
Acquisition of Compudata 
Acquisition of KSD 
Acquisition of Computer Management 
Acquisition of Customs Info 
Acquisition of Airclic 
Acquisition of e-customs 
Acquisition of Pentant  
Adjustments on account of foreign exchange 

Balance at January 31, 2015 

66 

January 31,  January 31, 
2014 
88,297
3,501
8,201
13,110
-
-
-
-
-
(1,930)
111,179

2015 
111,179 
- 
- 
714 
1,338 
26,135 
11,670 
4,581 
1,059 
(9,236) 
147,440 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  business  acquisitions  of  Impatex,  Compudata,  KSD,  Computer  Management,  Customs  Info,  Airclic, 
e-customs and Pentant are described in Note 3 to these consolidated financial statements.  

Note 10 - Accrued Liabilities 

Accrued compensation and benefits 
Accrued professional fees 
Other accrued liabilities 

Note 11 - Debt 

January 31, 
2015 
9,017 
1,137 
6,541 
16,695 

January 31, 
2014 
8,346 
1,780 
6,631 
16,757 

As  of  January  31,  2015,  all  amounts  previously  borrowed  under  the  revolving  debt  facility  have  been 
repaid  and  no  amounts  remain  owing.  We  are  in  compliance  with  the  covenants  of  the  revolving  debt 
facility as of January 31, 2015. On May 28 2014, we amended our revolving debt facility, increasing the 
borrowing limit from $50.0 million to $77.0 million. The amended facility is comprised of a $75.0 million 
revolving facility, with drawn amounts to be repaid in equal quarterly installments over a period of five 
years  from  the  advance  date,  and  a  $2.0  million  revolving  facility,  with  no  fixed  repayment  date  on 
drawn  amounts  prior  to  the  end  of  the  term.  Borrowings  under  the  credit  agreement  are  secured  by  a 
first  charge  over  substantially  all  of  our  assets. Depending  on  the  type  of  advance  under  the  available 
facilities, interest will be charged on advances at a rate of either i) Canada prime rate or US base rate 
plus  0%  to  1.5%;  or  ii)  LIBOR  plus  1.5%  to  3%.  Undrawn  amounts  are  charged  a  standby  fee  of 
between 0.3% and 0.5%. Interest is payable monthly in arrears under both facilities. Standby fees are 
payable  quarterly  in  arrears.  The  revolving  debt  facility  contains  certain  customary  representations, 
warranties and guarantees, and covenants.  

As  at  January  31,  2015  we  have  outstanding  letters  of  credit  of  approximately  $0.4  million  (EUR  0.1 
million  and  NOK  2.0  million)  primarily  related  to  our  leased  premises  ($0.5  million  as  at  January  31, 
2014). 

Note 12 - Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees 

Commitments 
To facilitate a better understanding of our commitments, the following information is provided in respect 
of our operating and capital lease obligations: 

Years Ended January 31,  

2016 
2017  
2018 
2019 
2020 

Operating 
Leases 
4,845 
3,189 
2,026 
1,181 
215 
11,456 

Capital 
Leases 
271 
134 
66 
- 
- 
471 

Total 
5,116 
3,323 
2,092 
1,181 
215 
11,927 

Lease Obligations 
We  are  committed  under  non-cancelable  operating  leases  for  business  premises,  computer  equipment 
and  vehicles  with  terms  expiring  at  various  dates  through  2020.  We  are  also  committed  under  non-
cancelable  capital  leases  for  computer  equipment  expiring  at  various  dates  through  2018.  The  future 
minimum  amounts  payable  under  these  lease  agreements  are  outlined  in  the  chart  above.  The  $0.5 
million  balance  of  the  capital  lease  obligation  outstanding  at  January  31,  2015  is  included  in  accrued 

67 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet. Rental expense from operating leases was $5.2 million, $4.8 
million and $3.7 million for the years ended January 31, 2015, January 31, 2014 and January 31, 2013, 
respectively. 

Other Obligations 
Deferred Share Unit and Cash-Settled Restricted Share Unit Plans 
As described in Note 2 to these consolidated financial statements, we maintain DSU and CRSU plans for 
our directors and employees. Any payments made pursuant to these plans are settled in cash. For DSUs 
and CRSUs, the units vest over time and the liability recognized at any given consolidated balance sheet 
date reflects only those units vested at that date that have not yet been settled in cash. As such, we had 
an  unrecognized  aggregate  liability  for  the  unvested  CRSUs  of  $0.7  million  for  which  no  liability  was 
recorded  on  our  consolidated  balance  sheet  at  January  31,  2015,  in  accordance  with  ASC  Topic  718, 
“Compensation  –  Stock  Compensation”.  As  at  January  31,  2015  there  were  no  unvested  DSUs.  The 
ultimate liability for any payment of DSUs and CRSUs is dependent on the trading price of our common 
shares. 

Contingencies 
We are subject to a variety of other claims and suits that arise from time to time in the ordinary course 
of our business. The consequences of these matters are not presently determinable but, in the opinion 
of  management  after  consulting  with  legal  counsel,  the  ultimate  aggregate  liability  is  not  currently 
expected to have a material effect on our results of operations or financial position. 

Product Warranties 
In  the  normal  course  of  operations,  we  provide  our  customers  with  product  warranties  relating  to  the 
performance  of  our  hardware,  software  and  network  services.  To  date,  we  have  not  encountered 
material  costs  as  a  result  of  such  obligations  and  have  not  accrued  any  liabilities  related  to  such 
obligations in our consolidated financial statements. 

Business combination agreements 
In respect of our acquisition of Customs Info in the second quarter of fiscal 2015, up to $3.9 million in 
cash  may  have  become  payable  had  certain  revenue  performance  targets  been  met  by  Customs  Info 
during the calendar year 2014. The revenue performance targets were not met during the performance 
period and as a result no amount is payable related to the contingent consideration. 

In respect of our acquisition of e-customs in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, up to approximately $1.2 
million (GBP 0.8 million) in cash may become payable if certain revenue performance targets are met by 
e-customs during 2016. 

In  respect  of  our  acquisition  of  Pentant  in  the  fourth  quarter  of  fiscal  2015,  up  to  approximately  $0.4 
million (GBP 0.3 million) in cash may become payable if certain revenue performance targets are met by 
Pentant during 2016. 

Guarantees 
In the normal course of business we enter into a variety of agreements that may contain features that 
meet the definition of a guarantee under ASC Topic 460, “Guarantees”. The following lists our significant 
guarantees: 

Intellectual property indemnification obligations 
We  provide  indemnifications  of  varying  scope  to  our  customers  against  claims  of  intellectual  property 
infringement  made  by  third  parties  arising  from  the  use  of  our  products. In  the  event  of  such  a  claim, 
we are generally obligated to defend our customers against the claim and we are liable to pay damages 
and  costs  assessed  against  our  customers  that  are  payable  as  part  of  a  final  judgment  or  settlement. 
These  intellectual  property  infringement  indemnification  clauses  are  not  generally  subject  to  any  dollar 
limits and remain in force for the term of our license agreement with our customer, which license terms 

68 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
are  typically  perpetual.  To  date,  we  have  not  encountered  material  costs  as  a  result  of  such 
indemnifications. 

Other indemnification agreements 
In  the  normal  course  of  operations,  we  enter  into  various  agreements  that  provide  general 
indemnifications.  These  indemnifications  typically  occur  in  connection  with  purchases  and  sales  of 
assets,  securities  offerings  or  buy-backs,  service  contracts,  administration  of  employee  benefit  plans, 
retention  of  officers  and  directors,  membership  agreements  and  leasing  transactions.  These 
indemnifications that we provide require us, in certain circumstances, to compensate the counterparties 
for various costs resulting from breaches of representations or obligations under such arrangements, or 
as  a  result  of  third  party  claims  that  may  be  suffered  by  the  counterparty  as  a  consequence  of  the 
transaction. We believe that the likelihood that we could incur significant liability under these obligations 
is remote. Historically, we have not made any significant payments under such indemnifications.  

In  evaluating  estimated  losses  for  the  guarantees  or  indemnities  described  above,  we  consider  such 
factors  as  the  degree  of  probability  of  an  unfavorable  outcome  and  the  ability  to  make  a  reasonable 
estimate of the amount of loss. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate of the maximum potential 
amount payable under such guarantees or indemnities as many of these arrangements do not specify a 
maximum  potential  dollar  exposure  or  time  limitation.  The  amount  also  depends  on  the  outcome  of 
future  events  and  conditions,  which  cannot  be  predicted.  Given  the  foregoing,  to  date,  we  have  not 
accrued any liability in our financial statements for the guarantees or indemnities described above. 

Note 13 - Share Capital 

On July 2, 2014, we completed a public offering of common shares in the United States and Canada at a 
price  of  $13.50  per  common  share  pursuant  to  the  short-form  base  shelf  prospectus  and  related 
prospectus  supplement  filed  in  connection  with  the  offering.  The  total  offering  of  10,925,000  common 
shares included the exercise in full by the underwriters of the 15% over-allotment option, for aggregate 
gross  proceeds  to  Descartes  of  $147.5  million.  Net  proceeds  to  Descartes  were  approximately  $142.1 
million  once  expenses  associated  with  the  offering  were  deducted  inclusive  of  the  related  deferred  tax 
benefit on share issuance costs. 

Cash  flows  provided  from  stock  options  and  share  units  exercised  during  2015,  2014  and  2013  was 
approximately $0.9 million, $3.6 million and $0.7 million, respectively. 

We are authorized to issue an unlimited number of our common shares, without par value, for unlimited 
consideration. Our common shares are not redeemable or convertible. 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
62,433 

2015 
63,661 

2014 
62,654 

478 
10,925 
416 
75,480 

1,007 
- 
- 
63,661 

221 
- 
- 
62,654 

(thousands of shares) 
Balance, beginning of year 

Shares issued: 
Stock options and share units exercised 
Issuance of common shares 
Acquisitions (Note 3) 

Balance, end of year 

69 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 14 - Earnings Per Share 

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) (number 
of shares in thousands): 

Year Ended 

January 31, 
2015 

January 31, 
2014 

January 31, 
2013 

Net income for purposes of calculating basic and diluted 
earnings per share  

Weighted average shares outstanding 
Dilutive effect of employee stock options 
Dilutive effect of restricted and performance share units 
Weighted average common and common equivalent shares 
outstanding 
Earnings per share 

Basic 
Diluted 

15,059 

9,612 

15,996 

70,559 
665 
360 

62,841 
1,258 
271 

62,556 
1,279 
25 

71,584 

64,370 

63,860 

0.21 
0.21 

0.15 
0.15 

0.26 
0.25 

For  the  years  ended  January  31,  2015,  2014  and  2013,  respectively,  nil,  nil  and  40,000  options  were 
excluded from the calculation of diluted EPS as those options had an exercise price greater than or equal 
to  the  average  market  value  of  our  common  shares  during  the  applicable  periods  and  their  inclusion 
would have been anti-dilutive. Additionally, for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, the application of the 
treasury  stock  method  excluded  215,000,  nil  and  7,500  options  from  the  calculation  of  diluted  EPS  as 
the  assumed  proceeds  from  the  unrecognized  stock-based  compensation  expense  of  such  options  that 
are attributed to future service periods made such options anti-dilutive. 

Note 15 - Stock-Based Compensation Plans 

Total  estimated  stock-based  compensation  expense  recognized  in  our  consolidated  statement  of 
operations was as follows: 

Year Ended 

Cost of revenues 
Sales and marketing 
Research and development 
General and administrative 
Other charges 
Effect on net income 

    January 31, 
2015 
45 
70 
2 
1,426 
- 
1,543 

January 31, 
2014 
54 
538 
12 
1,138 
781 
2,523 

January 31, 
2013 
56 
412 
44 
766 
- 
1,278 

For the year ended January 31, 2014 other charges includes stock-based compensation expense of $0.3 
million  related  to  a  modification  of  certain  PSU  grants.  Differences  between  how  GAAP  and  applicable 
income tax laws treat the amount and timing of recognition of stock-based compensation expense may 
result  in  a  deferred  tax  asset.  We  have  recorded  a  valuation  allowance  against  any  such  deferred  tax 
asset except for $0.1 million ($0.2 million at January 31, 2014) recognized in the United States. For the 
year ended January 31, 2015, we realized a tax benefit of $0.1 million in connection with stock options 
exercised ($0.2 million in 2014, less than $0.1 million in 2013). 

70 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
Stock Options 

During  2013,  we  amended  our  stock  option  plan  agreements  to  allow  for  stock  options  to  be 
surrendered  to  the  Company  upon  the  exercise  of  tandem  stock  appreciate  rights  and  settled  for  cash 
and/or  shares  at  the  option  of  the  Company.  The  Company  does  not  have  an  obligation  to  settle 
outstanding  stock  options  on  a  cash  basis.  The  cash  settlement  value  is  determined  using  the  closing 
share  price  for  the  day  preceding  the  elected  settlement  date  less  the  exercise  price  and  applicable 
employee  withholding  taxes.  For  the  year  ended  January  31,  2015,  the  Company  settled  175,000 
options,  respectively,  for  $0.4  million  in  cash  related  to  payment  of  applicable  employee  withholding 
taxes  and  $0.3  million  of  common  shares  issued  from  treasury.  For  the  year  ended  January  31,  2014, 
300,000  options  were  settled  for  $1.4  million  in  cash  and  $0.1  million  of  common  shares  were  issued 
from  treasury.  For  the  year  ended  January  31,  2013,  340,840  options  were  settled  for  $1.5  million  in 
cash and $0.5 million of common shares were issued from treasury. 

As of January 31, 2015, we had 778,264 stock options granted and outstanding under our shareholder-
approved stock option plan and 217,264 remained available for grant. In addition, we had 175,000 stock 
options outstanding not approved by shareholders.  

As of January 31, 2015, $0.7 million of total unrecognized compensation costs, net of forfeitures, related 
to non-vested stock option awards is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.9 
years. The total fair value of stock options vested during 2015 was $0.1 million. 

The  total  number  of  options  granted  during  2015,  2014  and  2013  was  215,000,  nil  and  40,000, 
respectively.  

The weighted-average fair value of options and weighted-average assumptions were as follows: 

Year Ended 

  Expected dividend yield (%) 

  Expected volatility (%) 

  Risk-free rate (%) 
  Expected option life (years) 

January 
31, 2015 

- 

25.4 

1.5 
5 

January 
31, 2014 
N/A 

N/A 

N/A 
N/A 

January 
31, 2013 

- 

33.2 

1.2 
5 

A summary of option activity under all of our plans is presented as follows: 

Number of 
Stock Options 
Outstanding 

Weighted- 
Average 
Exercise 
 Price 

Weighted- 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Life (years) 

Aggregate 
Intrinsic 
 Value 
 (in millions) 

Balance at January 31, 2014 

Granted 
Exercised 
Net Settled for Shares 
Forfeited 

Balance at January 31, 2015 

1,139,853 
215,000 
(220,138) 
(175,000) 
(6,451) 
953,264 

$4.39 
$13.77 
$3.49 
$4.53 
$5.72 
$6.33 

Vested or expected to vest at January 31, 
2015 

913,514 

$6.23 

Exercisable at January 31, 2015 

654,410 

$3.87 

71 

2.5 

10.6 

2.4 

1.1 

10.2 

8.9 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during 2015, 2014 and 2013 was $3.47, 
nil  and  $2.73  per  option,  respectively.  The  total  intrinsic  value  of  options  exercised  during  2015,  2014 
and 2013 was approximately $2.4 million, $9.4 million and $0.7 million, respectively. The total intrinsic 
value  of  options  settled  during  2015,  2014  and  2013  was  approximately  $1.6  million,  $1.5  million  and 
$2.0 million, respectively.  

Options  outstanding  and  options  exercisable  as  at  January  31,  2015  by  range  of  exercise  price  are  as 
follows: 

Range of Exercise Prices 

$3.02 – $3.46 
$5.67 – $5.82 
$6.44 – $8.03 
$13.60 – $13.79 

Options Outstanding 

Weighted 
Average 
Exercise 
Price 

Number of 
Stock 
Options 

$3.03 
$5.69 
$7.78 
$13.77 
$6.33 

461,875 
228,889 
47,500 
215,000 
953,264 

Weighted 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Life (years) 
0.4 
2.7 
4.2 
6.4 
2.5 

  Options Exercisable 
Number of 
Stock 
Options 

  Weighted 
Average 
Exercise 
Price 

$303 
$5.68 
$7.60 
- 
$3.87 

461,875 
170,535 
22,000 
- 
654,410 

A  summary  of  the  status  of  our  unvested  stock  options  under  our  shareholder-approved  stock  option 
plan as of January 31, 2015 is presented as follows: 

Balance at January 31, 2014 

Granted 
Vested 
Forfeited 

Balance at January 31, 2015 

Number of 
Stock Options 
Outstanding 

164,145 
40,000 
(73,840) 
(6,451) 
123,854 

Weighted- 
Average Grant-
Date Fair Value 
per Share 
$2.21 
$3.43 
$1.97 
$1.96 
$2.56 

72 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Performance Share Units 

A summary of PSU activity is as follows: 

Number of 
PSUs 
Outstanding 

Weighted- 
Average 
Grant Date 
Fair Value 

Weighted- 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Life (years) 

Aggregate 
Intrinsic 
 Value 
 (in millions) 

Balance at January 31, 2014 
  Granted 
  Exercised 
  Forfeited 
Balance at January 31, 2015 

211,428 
51,752 
(83,984) 
(4,938) 
174,258 

$11.69 
$16.67 
$10.88 
$10.93 
$12.61 

Vested or expected to vest at January 31, 
2015 

174,258 

$12.61 

Exercisable at January 31, 2015 

69,980 

$10.86 

7.9 

3.0 

7.9 

7.0 

3.0 

1.2 

The  aggregate  intrinsic  value  in  the  table  above  represents  the  total  pre-tax  intrinsic  value  (the 
aggregate  closing  share  price  of  our  common  shares  on  January  31,  2015)  that  would  have  been 
received by PSU holders if all PSUs had been vested on January 31, 2015. 

As  of  January  31,  2015,  $0.8  million  of  total  unrecognized  compensation  costs  related  to  non-vested 
awards is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.5 years. The total fair value of 
PSUs vested during 2015 was $0.9 million. 

Restricted Share Units 

A summary of RSU activity is as follows: 

Number of 
RSUs 
Outstanding 

Weighted- 
Average 
Grant Date 
Fair Value 

Weighted- 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Life (years) 

Aggregate 
Intrinsic 
 Value 
 (in millions) 

Balance at January 31, 2014 
  Granted 

Exercised 
  Forfeited 
Balance at January 31, 2015 

214,076 
51,752 
(85,298) 
(4,938) 
175,592 

$8.96 
$13.79 
$8.36 
$8.59 
$9.94 

Vested or expected to vest at January 31, 
2015 

175,592 

$9.94 

Exercisable at January 31, 2015 

123,581 

$9.04 

7.9 

3.1 

7.9 

7.6 

3.1 

2.2 

73 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  aggregate  intrinsic  value  in  the  table  above  represents  the  total  pre-tax  intrinsic  value  (the 
aggregate  closing  share  price  of  our  common  shares  on  January  31,  2015)  that  would  have  been 
received by RSU holders if all RSUs had been vested on January 31, 2015. 

As  of  January  31,  2015,  $0.6  million  of  total  unrecognized  compensation  costs  related  to  non-vested 
awards is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.7 years. The total fair value of 
RSUs vested during 2015 was $0.6 million. 

Deferred Share Unit Plan 

As at January 31, 2015, the total number of DSUs held by participating directors was 209,727 (145,303 
at January 31, 2014), representing an aggregate accrued liability of $3.2 million ($2.1 million at January 
31, 2014). A total of 64,424 DSUs were granted to directors during 2015. As at January 31, 2015, the 
unrecognized  aggregate  liability  for  unvested  DSUs was  nil  (nil  at  January  31,  2014).  The  fair  value  of 
the DSU liability is based on the closing price of our common shares at the balance sheet date. The total 
compensation  cost  related  to  DSUs  recognized  in  our  consolidated  statements  of  operations  was 
approximately $1.5 million, $1.1 million and $0.1 million for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. 

Cash-Settled Restricted Share Unit Plan 

A summary of activity under our CRSU plan is as follows: 

Balance at January 31, 2014 

Granted 
Vested and settled in cash 
Forfeited 

Balance at January 31, 2015 

Vested at January 31, 2015 

Unvested at January 31, 2015 

  Number of 
CRSUs 
Outstanding 

Weighted- 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual Life 
(years) 

152,794 
68,439 
(106,910) 
(467) 
113,856 

660 

113,196 

1.5 

- 

1.5 

We have recognized the compensation cost of the CRSUs ratably over the service/vesting period relating 
to the grant and have recorded an aggregate accrued liability of $1.0 million at January 31, 2015 ($1.2 
million at January 31, 2014). As at January 31, 2015, the unrecognized aggregate liability for the non-
vested CRSUs was $0.7 million ($1.0 million at January 31, 2014). The fair value of the CRSU liability is 
based on the closing price of our common shares at the balance sheet date. The total compensation cost 
related  to  CRSUs  recognized  in  our  consolidated  statements  of  operations  was  approximately  $0.6 
million, $1.2 million and $1.3 million for 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively. 

74 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 16 - Income Taxes 

Income (loss) before income taxes is earned in the following tax jurisdictions: 

Year Ended 

Canada 
United States 
Other countries 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 

2015 

2014 

14,489 
6,300 
1,032 
21,821 

6,922
7,841
(1,030)
13,733

14,908 
1,529 
784 
17,221 

Income tax expense (recovery) is incurred in the following jurisdictions: 

Year Ended 

Current income tax expense 

Canada 
United States 
Other countries 

Deferred income tax expense (recovery) 

Canada 
United States 
Other countries 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 

2015 

2014 

568 
1,060 
1,156 
2,784 

3,741 
2,144 
(1,907) 
3,978 
6,762 

61 
605 
1,102 
1,768 

3,827 
2,804 
(4,278) 
2,353 
4,121 

478 
446 
1,154 
2,078 

5,177 
(833) 
(5,197) 
(853) 
1,225 

Income tax expense for 2015, 2014 and 2013 was 31%, 30% and 7% of income before income taxes, 
respectively,  with  current  income  tax  expense  being  13%,  13%  and  12%  of  income  before  income 
taxes, respectively. Deferred income tax expense increased in 2015 compared to 2014 primarily due to 
a release of valuation allowance which decreased tax expense  by $2.7 million  in 2014, while only  $1.2 
million  of  valuation  allowance  was  released  in  2015.  Deferred  income  tax  expense  increased  in  2014 
compared  to  2013  primarily  due  to  a  release  of  valuation  allowance  which  decreased  income  tax 
expense by $4.0 million in 2013, while only $2.7 million of valuation allowance was released in 2014. 

In  2013,  our  current  income  tax  expense  was  primarily  impacted  by  $0.8  million  increase  for  certain 
income incurred in Europe for which no offsetting loss carryforwards were available. Deferred income tax 
expense  decreased  in  2013  primarily  as  a  result  of change  in  valuation  allowance  in  the  UK  which  has 
decreased  income  tax  expense  by  $5.3  million.  This  decrease  was  partially  offset  by  a  $1.0  million 
increase in regards to a change of estimate in the US. 

75 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The components of the deferred income tax assets and liabilities are as follows: 

Assets 

Accruals not currently deductible 
Accumulated net operating losses 
Corporate minimum taxes 
Difference between tax and accounting basis of capital assets 
Writedown of assets not currently deductible 
Research and development and other tax credits and expenses 
Other timing differences 

Total deferred income tax assets 
Liabilities 

Difference between tax and accounting basis of intangible assets 
Uncertain tax positions incurred in loss years 

Total deferred income tax liabilities 
Net deferred income taxes 
Valuation allowance 

Net deferred income taxes, net of valuation allowance 

Deferred income tax assets – current 
Deferred income tax assets – non-current 
Deferred income tax liabilities – non-current 

Net deferred income taxes, net of valuation allowance 

January 31,  January 31, 
2014 

2015 

4,238 
22,617 
1,710 
7,031 
- 
2,792 
1,508 
39,896 

(9,232) 
(530) 
(9,762) 
30,134 
(14,681) 
15,453 

8,572 
16,510 
(9,629) 
15,453 

4,312 
27,486 
1,535 
9,005 
1,003 
5,091 
76 
48,508 

(12,975) 
(727) 
(13,702) 
34,806 
(15,492) 
19,314 

13,508 
19,628 
(13,822) 
19,314 

As  at  January  31,  2015,  we  had  not  accrued  for  foreign  withholding  taxes  and  Canadian  income  taxes 
applicable  to  approximately  $86.4  million  of  unremitted  earnings  of  subsidiaries  operating  outside  of 
Canada.  These  earnings,  which  we  consider  to  be  invested  indefinitely,  will  become  subject  to  these 
taxes if and when they are remitted as dividends or if we sell our stock in the subsidiaries. If we decide 
to  repatriate  the  foreign  earnings,  we  would  need  to  adjust  our  income  tax  provision  in  the  period  we 
determined that the earnings will no longer be indefinitely invested outside Canada.  

76 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The provision (recovery) for income taxes varies from the expected provision at the statutory rates for 
the reasons detailed in the table below: 

Year Ended 

Net income before taxes 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
17,221 

2014 
13,733 

21,821 

2015 

Combined basic Canadian statutory rates 

26.5% 

26.5% 

26.5% 

5,783 

3,639 

4,564 

Income tax expense based on the above rates 
Increase (decrease) in income taxes resulting from: 

Permanent differences including amortization of intangibles 
Effect of differences between Canadian and foreign tax rates 
Effect of rate changes on current year timing differences  
Adjustments in respect to income tax of previous periods 
Increases (decrease) in tax reserves 
Valuation allowance 
Stock compensation 
Other 

Income tax expense 

We have income tax loss carryforwards which expire as follows: 

800 
1,007 
- 
9 
(41) 
(1,195) 

86 
313 
6,762 

1,078 
663 
321 
355 
239 
(2,707) 
481 
52 
4,121 

Expiry year 

2016 
2017 
2018 
2019 
2020 
Thereafter 

Canada 
- 
- 
- 
- 

256 
256 

United 
States 
- 
- 
575 
2,957 
- 
5,553 
9,085 

EMEA  Asia Pacific 
342 
173 
- 
- 
37 
7,732 
8,284 

666 
- 
298 
476 
203 
75,215 
76,858 

562 
165 
(156) 
(503) 
565 
(4,070) 
102 
(4) 
1,225 

Total 
1,008 
173 
873 
3,433 
240 
88,756 
94,483 

The following is a tabular reconciliation of the total estimated liability associated with uncertain tax 
positions taken: 

Liability, beginning of year 

Gross increases – current period 
Lapsing of statutes of limitations 

Liability, end of year 

2015 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 
4,857 
1,389 
(607) 
5,639 

2014 
5,639 
981 
(409) 
6,211 

(1,315) 
5,721 

6,211 
825 

We  have  identified  provisions  equating  to  $5.7  million  with  respect  to  uncertain  tax  positions  as  at 
January 31, 2015.  It is possible that these uncertain tax positions will not be realized in which case up 
to  $4.4  million  of  the  recorded  liability  will  decrease  the  effective  tax  rate  in  future  years  when  this 
liability is reversed. 

Consistent with our historical financial reporting, we recognize accrued interest and penalties related to 
unrecognized tax positions in general and administrative expense. As at January 31, 2015 and January 
31, 2014, the unrecognized tax positions have resulted in no material liability for estimated interest and 
penalties. 

77 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Descartes  and  our  subsidiaries  file  their  tax  returns  as  prescribed  by  the  tax  laws  of  the  jurisdictions 
within  which  they  operate.  We  are  no  longer  subject  to  income  tax  examinations  by  tax  authorities  in 
our major tax jurisdictions as follows: 

Tax Jurisdiction 

United States Federal 
Canada 
United Kingdom 
Sweden 
Norway 
Netherlands 
Belgium 

Note 17 - Other Charges 

Years No Longer Subject to 
Audit 

2011 and prior 
2010 and prior 
2011 and prior 
2009 and prior 
2012 and prior 
2009 and prior 
2011 and prior 

Other  charges  are  comprised  of  executive  departure charges,  restructuring  initiatives  which  have  been 
undertaken  from  time  to  time  under  various  restructuring  plans,  and  acquisition-related  costs. 
Acquisition-related  costs  primarily  include  advisory  services,  brokerage  services  and  administrative 
costs, and relate to completed and prospective acquisitions. 

Other charges included in our consolidated statements of operations are as follows: 

Executive departure charges 
Acquisition-related costs 
Fiscal 2015 restructuring plan 
Fiscal 2014 restructuring plan 
Prior years’ restructuring plans 

January 31, 
2015 
396 
1,666 
715 
100 
(1) 
2,876 

January 31, 
2014 

3,313 
1,308 
- 
1,904 
(13) 
6,512 

January 31, 
2013 
- 
1,405 
- 
- 
959 
2,364 

Executive Departure Charges 
In  the  fourth  quarter  of  2014,  the  Company  incurred  charges  related  to  the  departure  of  the  former 
Chairman  and  CEO.  In  the  second  quarter  of  2015,  the  Company  incurred  charges  related  to  the 
departure of the former CFO. To date $3.7 million has been recorded within other charges in conjunction 
with  executive  departure  charges.  At  January  31,  2015,  $0.9  million  remains  payable  relating  to  this 
charge ($2.0 million at January 31, 2014). 

Fiscal 2015 Restructuring Plan 
In  the  fourth  quarter  of  2015,  management  approved  and  began  to  implement  the  fiscal  2015 
restructuring  plan  to  reduce  operating  expenses  and  increase  operating  margins.  To  date,  $0.7  million 
has  been  recorded  within  other  charges  in  conjunction  with  this  restructuring  plan.  These  charges  are 
comprised of workforce reduction charges, office  closure costs and other  costs. This  plan has  expected 
remaining office and other costs of $0.3 million to be expensed in 2016. 

78 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  following  table  shows  the  changes  in  the  restructuring  provision  for  the  fiscal  2015  restructuring 
plan. 

Balance at January 31, 2014 
Accruals and adjustments 
Cash draw downs 
Foreign exchange 

Balance at January 31, 2015 

Workforce 
Reduction 
- 
464 
(238) 
- 
226 

Office Closure 
Costs 
- 
224 
(4) 
- 
220 

Other Costs 

- 
27 
(27) 
- 
- 

Total 
- 
715 
(269) 
- 
446 

Fiscal 2014 Restructuring Plan 
In  the  second  quarter  of  2014,  management  approved  and  began  to  implement  the  fiscal  2014 
restructuring  plan  to  reduce  operating  expenses  and  increase  operating  margins.  To  date,  $2.0  million 
has  been  recorded  within  other  charges  in  conjunction  with  this  restructuring  plan.  These  charges  are 
comprised  of  workforce  reduction  charges,  office  closure  costs  and  network  consolidation  costs.  This 
plan is complete with no further expected costs. 

The  following  table  shows  the  changes  in  the  restructuring  provision  for  the  fiscal  2014  restructuring 
plan. 

Balance at January 31, 2014 
Accruals and adjustments 
Cash draw downs 
Foreign exchange 

Balance at January 31, 2015 

Workforce 
Reduction 
52 
64 
(116) 
- 
- 

Office Closure 
Costs 
96 
36 
(99) 
(8) 
25 

Total 

148 
100 
(215) 
(8) 
25 

Prior Years’ Restructuring Plans 
In  prior  years,  management  approved  and  began  to  implement  certain  restructuring  plans  to  reduce 
operating expenses and increase operating margins. As at January 31, 2015, a balance of less than $0.1 
million remains payable related to workforce reduction charges. 

79 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 18 - Segmented Information 

We review our operating results, assess our performance, make decisions about resources, and generate 
discrete  financial  information  at  the  single  enterprise  level.  Accordingly,  we  have  determined  that  we 
operate  in  one  business  segment  providing  logistics  technology  solutions.  The  following  tables  provide 
our segmented revenue information by geographic location of customer and revenue type: 

Year Ended 

Revenues 

United States 
Canada 
Americas, excluding Canada and United States 
Belgium 
Netherlands 
EMEA, excluding Belgium and Netherlands 
Asia Pacific 

Year Ended 

Revenues 

Services 
Licenses 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 

2015 

2014 

72,837 
15,187 
973 
13,959 
14,876 
44,065 
8,963 
170,860 

68,877 
14,388 
1,028 
14,961 
14,475 
33,095 
4,470 
151,294 

60,420 
14,212 
1,052 
15,668 
12,370 
16,916 
6,245 
126,883 

January 31,  January 31,  January 31, 
2013 

2015 

2014 

159,050 
11,810 
170,860 

137,795 
13,499 
151,294 

116,822 
10,061 
126,883 

Services revenues are composed of the following: (i) ongoing transactional and/or subscription fees for 
use of our services and products by our customers; (ii) professional services revenues from consulting, 
implementation  and  training  services  related  to  our  services  and  products;  (iii)  maintenance  and  other 
related revenues, which include revenues associated with maintenance and support of our services and 
products; and (iv) hardware revenues. License revenues derive from licenses granted to our customers 
to use our software products. 

The  following  table  provides  our  segmented  information  by  geographic  area  of  operation  for  our  long-
lived  assets.  Long-lived  assets  represent  capital  assets,  goodwill  and  intangibles  that  are  attributed  to 
individual geographic segments. 

Total long-lived assets 

United States 
Canada 
Belgium 
Netherlands 
EMEA, excluding Belgium and Netherlands 

80 

January  31,  January  31, 
2014 

2015 

141,981 
14,745 
19,936 
10,483 
83,250 
270,395 

67,843 
18,437 
28,048 
14,802 
85,490 
214,620 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CORPORATE INFORMATION 

Stock Exchange Information 
Our  common  stock  trades  on  the  Toronto  Stock  Exchange 
under  the  symbol  DSG  and  on  The  Nasdaq  Stock  Market 
under the symbol DSGX.  

Transfer Agents 
Computershare Investor Services Inc. 
100 University Avenue 
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2Y1 
North America: (800) 663-9097 
Phone: (416) 263-9200 

Computershare Trust Company 
12039 West Alameda Parkway 
Suite Z-2 Lakewood, Colorado 
80228 USA 
Phone: (303) 262-0600 

Independent Registered Chartered Accountants 
Deloitte LLP 
Brookfield Place 
181 Bay Street 
Suite 1400 
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2V1 
Phone: (416) 601-6180 

Investor Inquiries 
Investor Relations 
The Descartes Systems Group Inc. 
120 Randall Drive 
Waterloo, Ontario N2V 1C6 
Phone: (519) 746-8110 ext. 202358 
Toll Free: (800) 419-8495 
E-mail: investor@descartes.com 
www.descartes.com 

The Descartes Systems Group Inc. 
Corporate Headquarters 
120 Randall Drive 
Waterloo, Ontario N2V 1C6 
Canada 
Phone: (519) 746-8110 
(800) 419-8495 
Fax:   (519) 747-0082 

info@descartes.com 
www.descartes.com