This article discusses the financial reporting requirements for service concession agreements from the grantor’s perspective. In the private sector, reporting entities are generally the parties who enter into the service concession arrangements with the government or public sector entities (known as the grantor) to provide public service on their behalf. The private sector entities act as “the operator” under the service concession arrangement.
For an arrangement to be under this standard, the service arrangement must involve:
- Providing or delivery of public services by the operator; and
- The grantor controls the service and management component of the asset.
This standard aims at “mirroring” the accounting requirements in IC Interpretation 12 Service Concession Arrangements (“IFRIC 12”). IFRIC 12 stipulates the accounting requirements for private sector entities as operator while this standard deals with the grantor accounting. Accordingly, the scope, the principles for recognition of an asset, and the terminology used are consistent with IFRIC 12.
Summary of IFRIC 12 Service Concession Arrangements
Before we can appreciate the accounting requirements for grantor, lets first understand the requirements for the operator.
Conditions of applying IFRIC 12
Entities apply IFRIC 12 for public-to-private service concession arrangement if it meets both of the conditions:
- The grantor controls or regulates what services the operator must provide with the infrastructure, to whom it must provide them and at what price the services are provided.
- The grantor controls any significant residual interest in the infrastructure at the end of the term of the arrangement. This is regardless of whether the infrastructure is (i) constructed or acquired from a third party by the operator for the purpose of the service arrangement; and (ii) existing infrastructure to which the grantor gives the operator access for the purpose of the service arrangement.
Accounting requirements for service concession operator
IFRIC 12 stipulates that:
- Treatment for the service concession infrastructure – An operator will not recognise the service concession infrastructure as its asset. The contractual service arrangement does not convey the right for the operator to control the use of the infrastructure. The operator only has the right to operate the infrastructure in order to provide public service on behalf of the grantor.
- Treatment for the consideration received – An operator measures and recognises revenue for the services it performed in accordance with MFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The operator constructs or upgrades infrastructures as well as operates and maintains that infrastructure for a specified period of time. Consideration received or receivables may either be a right to a financial asset or an intangible asset. It depends on the contractual rights (i.e., the contract terms and relevant contract law) of the operator as stated in the service concession agreement.
What are the accounting requirements for grantor?
Let’s now see how a grantor accounts for its rights and obligation relating to the service concession arrangement.
Recognition of service concession asset
We know earlier that a service concession operator does not recognise the service concession asset. MPSAS 32 then requires a grantor to recognise the service concession asset at its fair value. An exception applies when the service concession asset is an existing asset of the grantor. In such a situation, the grantor reclass the existing asset as a service concession asset. The grantor then accounts the service concession asset in accordance with MPSAS 17 Property, Plant and Equipment or MPSAS 31 Intangible Assets.
Recognition and measurement of liability
Where a grantor recognises a service concession asset, it should also recognise a liability as the corresponding entry. This, however, does not apply if the service concession arrangement involves the existing asset of the grantor. In such a situation, it does not recognise a liability when it reclassifies the asset as a service concession asset.
To compensate the operator for the service concession asset, a grantor may either:
- Making payments to the operator (known as the “financial liability” model);
- Compensation by other means such as granting the operator the right to earn revenue from third-party users of the service concession asset or other revenue-generating assets for the operator’s use (known as “grant of a right to the operator” model); or
- Combination of (1) and (2) above.
Financial liability model
A grantor applies this model when it has an unconditional obligation to pay cash or another financial asset to the operator for the service concession asset. In contrast, it reflects the operator’s right to receive cash or other financial assets from the grantor (i.e. financial asset model adopted by the operator).
A grantor applies the financial liability model if it has guaranteed to the operator to pay either:
- specified or determinable amounts, or
- the shortfall between amounts received by the operator from the users and specified or determinable amounts in the contract.
A grantor needs to allocate the payments made to the operator to reflect the reduction in the liability, a finance charge and charges for services. Finance charge and charges for services will be accounted for by the grantor as expenses.
Grant of a right to the operator model
A grantor applies this model when it does not have an unconditional obligation to pay the operator for the service concession asset. The liability recognised is treated as an unearned portion of revenue arising from the exchange of assets between the grantor and the operator – exchange of the service concession asset against the right to earn revenue. The liability reduces when the grantor recognises revenue based on the economic substance of the service concession arrangement.
There is also a situation where the grantor pays or compensate the operator using the combination of the above methods. MPSAS 32 then requires entities to account for them separately for each part of the total liability recognised.
Other considerations for service concession arrangement
MPSAS 32 also states that the grantor shall also consider and account for other liabilities, commitments, contingent liabilities and contingent assets which may arise from a service concession arrangement. The grantor should account for such item in accordance with the requirements in the relevant MPSAS such as MPSAS 19 Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets.
Where a grantor also entitle to other revenue from a service concession arrangement, the grantor accounts for such revenue in accordance with MPSAS 9 Revenue from Exchange Transactions. MPSAS 32 also stipulates presentation and disclosure requirements that the grantor needs to take note.
Conclusion
The full details of MPSAS 32 Service Concession Arrangements – Grantor is available on the Accountant General’s Department of Malaysia’s website.
We will continue to discuss on other MPSASs in our upcoming articles. Meantime, please enjoy reading other articles in the Financial Accounting section.