Gattaca Regulatory News (GATC)

 4 November 2020

Gattaca plc

Preliminary Results for the year ended 31 July 2020

Strategic progress and a resilient trading performance against a challenging backdrop

Gattaca plc ("Gattaca" or the "Group"), the specialist Engineering and Technology (IT & Telecoms) recruitment solutions business, today announces its Preliminary Results for the year ended 31 July 2020.

Financial Highlights

Financial Performance

COVID-19 response

Operational Performance3

Strategic Update

Implementation of the Group-wide Improvement Plan accelerated during the year, with changes focused on improving sales impact and cost reduction. Key milestones included:

Alongside the Improvement Plan, a restructuring was carried out which is expected to deliver £4m in annualised cost reductions from November 2020.

Outlook

In the first few months of the current financial year there have been some encouraging indications of increased activity within the Group's core markets, however, as the economy remains fragile, including the potential impact of an extended second lockdown in England, we remain cautious as to the timeframe for its eventual recovery. We remain confident that the work done to refocus the business, including the acceleration of the Group-wide Improvement Plan, combined with our robust balance sheet and expertise in STEM skills, leaves us well-placed to benefit from the inevitable recovery in our core markets.

Kevin Freeguard, CEO commented:

"Whilst the past 12 months have been overshadowed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I am pleased with the resilience that the business has demonstrated during this time and the strategic progress we have made. Our staff have been our number one priority during this time, and I would like to thank them for their hard work and the commitment they have shown throughout this challenging period.

"During the year, we accelerated the implementation of our Group-wide Improvement Plan and the changes made throughout the business have improved both our agility and ability to react quickly and cost-effectively to changes in demand. Prior to the pandemic the demand for STEM skills, our core focus, was growing significantly and, whilst we remain cautious as to the timeframe for economic recovery and the potential impact of an extended second lockdown in England, we have been encouraged by the signs of increased activity in our core markets in the first few months of the new financial year. With further benefits from our Improvement Plan to come, and our robust and covenant-free balance sheet, we are confident that Gattaca is well-placed for the future."

The following footnotes apply, unless where otherwise indicated, throughout these Preliminary Results:

1 NFI is calculated as revenue less contractor payroll costs

2 Continuing underlying results exclude non-underlying items within continuing administrative expenses (2020: £(1.2)m, 2019 £(1.4)m), the losses of discontinued operations before taxation (2020: £(2.6)m, 2019 restated: £(7.9)m), amortisation of acquired intangibles (2020: £(0.6)m, 2019 £(1.3)m), impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles (2020: £(0.3)m, 2019 £(5.9)m), impairment of plant, property and equipment and right-of-use assets (2020: £(0.4)m, 2019:£(0.0)m) and P&L exchange (losses) / gains from revaluation of monetary foreign assets and liabilities (2020: £(0.5)m, 2019 £0.3m)

3 NFI commentary is on an underlying like for like constant currency basis

For further information please contact:

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.

CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT

Maintaining focus whilst demonstrating resilience in unprecedented times

This year has been very challenging, not just for Gattaca but for the UK in general. In early 2020 we saw some early softening in demand but the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown in March was unprecedented. As with all great shocks to the system there are many true unsung heroes who keep the wheels turning. For us it was the numerous colleagues in our back office functions who enabled the entire business to work from home with only 48 hours' notice and still ensure our contractors were paid on time. Meanwhile our sales teams were supporting clients and contractors whilst our marketing team focused on internal communications to the dispersed group. In addition, in solidarity with our furloughed colleagues, everyone, at all levels of the business, took a 20% reduction in salary up until July. We truly have a strong family culture and the Board wish to express our gratitude to all the family at Gattaca.

Overview

We have maintained focus on the continuation of the Group-wide Improvement Plan that we discussed last year, and indeed have accelerated its implementation over the past 12 months. We are determined to make sure the business has the foundations to operate well in the coming years, with improved sales management and the reinforcement of a performance culture. Whilst to some extent the progress we have made in the business has been masked by the impact of the pandemic, the improvements we have implemented leave us well placed to exploit the upside when the economy improves.

A consequence of both the acceleration of the Improvement Plan and the impact of the pandemic on many of our clients has regrettably been the loss of a number of jobs across the Group. At this stage, we are clear that, so long as the pandemic is around, we will need to keep a clear focus on costs and to that end we have reduced annualised costs by a further £4m going forward. In addition, we took the decision during the year to exit our operations in China. We had been very explicit when we decided to retain the overseas operations that they needed to continue to create value - our Chinese business could not reach the levels of profitability which we demanded.

Our focus to reduce net debt has been hugely successful. We ended the year with adjusted net cash (excluding lease liabilities) of £27.3m, an improvement of £52.1m over the previous year. Part of that improvement is the result of our ability to access £13.8m of non-recourse debt financing and a further £10.3m in deferred payments to the UK Government in the form of delayed VAT payments, which become repayable at the end of March 2021. Irrespective of these one-offs we have been able to reduce debt by £11.1m through improved control of working capital including the move of some contractors to four-weekly payment terms. We have significant liquidity of £58.5m at the year-end, being our cash resources and our undrawn invoice financing facility, and since year-end have repaid and cancelled our Revolving Credit Facility thereby removing all covenants going forward. Whilst recruitment businesses typically require increased working capital in times of growth, the change in contractor terms will offset some of this as trading improves with the recovery from the pandemic and we expect to maintain a strong net cash position.

Dividend

We are conscious that this will be the second year where the Board have not recommended a dividend. We feel that given the economic headwinds the UK is facing over the next six months it would not be prudent to do so at this time. We are however committed as a Board to restoring the dividend at the earliest opportunity.

Board

We would like to thank Richard Bradford who is stepping down as a Non-Executive Director at this year's AGM after nine years' service for his contribution to the Group. His wise counsel and knowledge of our industry will be sorely missed. We are proactively seeking his replacement which we are hopeful will start to address the diversity imbalance on the Board.

Outlook

Gattaca's focus on in-demand STEM skills, in addition to the measures we have taken to strengthen the business, positions us well for the eventual, and inevitable, recovery in our core markets. Whilst we remain cautious as to the timeframe for the recovery, and the nascent second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for an extended second lockdown in England adds further uncertainty to the near-term outlook, we are encouraged by the initial signs of improvement we have seen in the first few months of the new financial year, with increased numbers of contractors, from the low period of May, and some of our major clients seeking more permanent roles.

We have brought more staff back from furlough in anticipation of economic recovery and we will cautiously monitor activity over the coming months particularly given the recently announced second national lockdown. Whilst we expect the first six months to remain challenging, we are hopeful that the second half will see further improvement. We are confident that the changes we have made in the business leave us better placed to deal with whatever economic conditions we may face in the short term and to better benefit from the upside of the eventual recovery.

Patrick Shanley

Non-Executive Chairman

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER'S REVIEW

Continued progress throughout the year; we are positioned well to support our clients with the critical STEM skills needed for recovery.

Introduction

Gattaca continues to play a key role partnering with our clients across multiple sectors and geographies to deliver the engineering and technology talent they need as they work through the economic and business recovery. I am proud of the way our staff have responded to support clients, contractors and candidates without any interruption to operations. Our business is resilient and we continue to make good progress with the Improvement Plan.

As with most businesses across the globe our results for the year have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Net Fee Income at £54.3m was 21% lower than prior year. Notwithstanding this, the Group delivered £4.6m of continuing underlying profit before tax, eliminated debt and is now in a strong net cash position. Whilst some of the improvement in our cash position was the result of an unwinding of working capital due to lower trading levels, a material element was driven by specific actions which have strengthened our balance sheet. We expect much of the improved position to be permanent, and as our business recovers we expect a lower rate of working capital requirement given the changes to our operating model.

Overall market

During the first half of FY20, UK market conditions were particularly challenging, driven by political uncertainty before the General Election, ongoing Brexit uncertainty and the proposed IR35 regulatory change. These external factors combined to slow investment decisions and client recruitment in both temporary and permanent markets.

As one would expect, the outbreak of COVID-19 resulted in an immediate and major decline in client requirements in the second half of the year. Whilst companies continued to recruit during this period, volumes were significantly reduced in a relatively short time frame. Towards the end of the financial year we saw numbers stabilise and subsequently there have been early indications that activity and client confidence levels are increasing, prompting us to take the decision to bring staff back from furlough.

Many of the market sectors we support remained active during the initial lockdown period, in particular Infrastructure, Defence, Energy and Technology. Whilst we were impacted with reduced activity, our core focus on STEM skills and the contract market helped us deliver a resilient performance.

Operational response to the COVID-19 situation

As the potential impact of the pandemic became apparent, our immediate priorities were to ensure our staff were able to work in a safe and stable environment; and to support our clients, contractors and candidates.

We commenced detailed planning and volume testing of our systems and processes in February and the entire Group was fully operational on a remote working basis by the end of the first week of the UK lockdown in March. We had fully remote working for several months and have since moved to a hybrid approach.

The lockdown necessitated the acceleration of many of our digitisation plans, achieving in weeks what may have otherwise taken months and we will retain the benefits of this in the years to come.

With no service interruptions, we ensured operational capability, and were able to fully deliver our part of the supply chain. We maintained existing contractor support where clients required this; delivered new skills to existing clients and began servicing new clients. We were able to tailor our business model to support our individual clients.

We took a number of actions to ensure the ongoing financial stability of the business, both in terms of cost mitigation and liquidity maximisation. The furlough scheme introduced by the UK Government was welcome and enabled us to support employees and some contractors whose roles would otherwise have been at immediate risk. We moved early to work proactively with clients to offer furlough support to contractors where this was possible.

Accelerating the Improvement Plan and cost reduction

Following my appointment we launched the Group-wide Improvement Plan in order to build on the fundamental strengths of the business to deliver long term sustainable growth.

The business was organised and united around delivering the Plan, focusing on our four strategic priorities:

I am pleased to report good progress this year. Not only did we maintain the pace of change during the pandemic, we accelerated certain elements including client service and efficiency, leading to cost reduction and focused sales improvement. This was recognised externally after the year end as our Gattaca Solutions business was included in HRO Today's 'Bakers Dozen' for being one of the top RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) providers, for the first time. This is significant to us as companies are placed on the list based solely on customer feedback, making it a highly credible accolade.

We have implemented a focused approach to how we target industry sectors and are aligning our talent more closely to our operating model across the Group which will enable us to improve our sales effectiveness. This has seen the Group working more closely with existing clients and accelerating new client relationships to better support them with solutions for their talent needs as well as achieving cost efficiencies across the Group.

Internally the restructuring of the Technology business unit was completed during the year, and it has now started rebuilding for a recovery. Prior to COVID-19, the first green shoots of recovery were emerging in the business unit, with NFI run rates flattening out after the decline of the last three years, providing evidence that the strategy is working.

Our centralised Fulfilment operation was scaled during the year, and the business was reorganised to form a core dedicated fulfilment capability across all our locations. This is enabling a more agile response to client and market needs.

The Gattaca Solutions business, which is fully aligned with our fulfilment operation under the same senior management, continued to perform strongly, out-performing our traditional staffing business in difficult markets.

Internationally, our size relative to the overall market for engineering and technology skills highlights the importance of defining and focusing on our specific niches. During the year, we worked to closer align our International operations with the rest of the business. This has enabled increased collaborative business development activities, resulting in quicker client acquisition as well as greater niche skill delivery capability across borders. As the business matures and it continues to leverage the experience we have within the Group, we have started to develop more meaningful long-term relationships with some of our international customers by moving to delivering RPO solutions and exclusive recruitment projects, where we have considerable experience to draw upon from our UK operations. We see these more sustainable relationships as key to the long-term success of our International business. During the year, as previously announced, we ceased operational activity in China as we prioritised other markets.

Notwithstanding the challenging economic environment, we maintained our planned systems investment. Our Primary Business System project maintained pace during the lockdown period and we have our first UK subsidiary live on the system, with the rest of the Group coming online before the end of the 2021 financial year. This investment will be transformational for ways of working and the level of business insight and understanding across the Group.

We also implemented a number of other technology applications during the year to improve our client, candidate and staff experience. We integrated a new digital platform for our Gattaca Solutions accounts that brings greater automation, increased flexibility and enables us to implement new solutions quicker. We continue to invest in tools to support our operations introducing new applications to support real time communication, collaboration, digital coaching and training and development to create an efficient and engaging digital workplace.

In combination with the above actions aimed at driving agility and promoting growth throughout the Group, we also undertook measures to reduce costs in the business. Post period end we completed a restructuring which will achieve £4m in annualised cost reductions from November 2020.

People

During the year I was delighted to appoint Claire Cross as our new HR Director. Claire brings with her extensive industry experience and knowledge of our Group. Beyond her HR expertise, her background includes operational sales experience and she will be instrumental to our plans as we continue to grow and develop the organisation.

The pandemic has been unparalleled in terms of its impact on people both in their business and personal lives. I have been truly humbled by the way our Gattaca team has and continues to rise to the challenges we and our clients are navigating and I want to take this opportunity to thank them for their dedication, resilience and hard work.

Looking forward

Notwithstanding the obvious uncertainty in global markets, in the longer term there are significant opportunities in our chosen sectors. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the demand for STEM skills, our core focus, was growing significantly and, whilst we remain cautious as to the timeframe for economic recovery and the potential impact of an extended second lockdown in England, we have been encouraged by the signs of increased activity in our core markets in the first few months of the new financial year. With further benefits from our Improvement Plan to come, and our robust and covenant-free balance sheet, we are confident that Gattaca is well-placed for the future.

Kevin Freeguard

Chief Executive Officer

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER'S REVIEW

2020 has been another year of intense activity. We continued our work on repositioning the business, including a much strengthened balance sheet, and of course managing the impact of the global pandemic. We delivered £4.6m of underlying profit before tax, eliminated debt and are now in a strong net cash position.

Financial performance

On a continuing basis, revenue of £538.7m (2019 restated: £634.3m) generated NFI of £54.3m (2019 restated: £69.1m). We achieved contract NFI of £39.7m (2019 restated: £49.3m) at a margin of 7.6% (2019 restated: 8.0%), and permanent recruitment fees of £14.5m (2019 restated: £19.7m).

Profit before tax from continuing operations was £1.4m (2019 restated: £3.4m).

Statutory loss after tax was £1.8m (2019: £5.9m loss).

Net cash at 31 July 2020 (excluding lease liabilities) improved considerably to £27.3m (2019: net debt of £24.8m), a £52.1m improvement including the benefit of £10.3m of VAT deferrals and a change from recourse to non-recourse financing worth £13.8m at year end, in addition to l improvements in contractor terms, DSO "Days Sales Outstanding") and volume related movements as explained below.

Underlying results

Underlying results are shown beneath the Income Statement. Underlying continuing profit before tax at £4.6m (2019 restated: £11.7m) was £7.1m below last year with the most significant factor being the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst we moved to full remote working within days of the various national restrictions without any interruption to our operational capability, we saw a significant and relatively sudden reduction in trading volumes, and having anticipated this, took early mitigating actions on our cost base, including acceleration of Improvement Plan efficiencies. We were also able to achieve significant positive changes in terms of digitisation and process optimisation.

Discontinued operations and non-underlying costs

The Group-wide Improvement Plan continued at pace during 2020 and drove some of the non-underlying costs below:

The acceleration of certain elements of the Improvement Plan enabled restructuring both during FY20 and in the early part of FY21 and our financial statements include both the actual costs incurred in FY20 and a provision for known redundancy costs for the initiatives that have been implemented in early FY21.

Despite changes in local staffing and strategy, our China business was not generating appropriate returns and this business was closed during the year, allowing us to devote resources to markets with greater potential.

We continue to cooperate with the US Department of Justice ("DoJ") and there have been no significant new matters in this regard during the year. Legal fees on this matter were £1.4m in the year (2019: £3.4m), the vast majority of which were incurred in the first half of the year. As shown in Note 28 to the Financial Statements, the Group is not currently in a position to know what the outcome of these enquiries may be, therefore we are unable to make any type of quantification of the potential financial impact, if any.

During the year, we took an additional impairment charge of £0.3m (2019 £5.9m) writing off all remaining intangible asset values relating to the UK Technology business of Networkers, acquired in 2015. All International intangible asset values relating to Networkers were written off in prior periods.

Following the closure of our Bromley office last year, we have also made the decision to close one of the buildings on our Whiteley campus. This was primarily enabled by the restructurings noted above. We fully intend to build on the positive lessons learnt during the UK lockdown, including the benefits of flexible working. In the long run this is likely to mean a hybrid approach and using our offices in different ways to before. We expect the remaining office space in London Bridge, Whiteley and Winnersh to be sufficient for the business as we grow through the recovery and beyond.

Cost actions and UK Government Coronavirus

Job Retention Scheme

We took significant cost actions during the year to mitigate as much of the impact of reduced NFI as possible, and welcomed the UK Government Job Retention Scheme which enabled us to support staff and contractors.

The UK Government Job Retention Scheme enabled us to take a more considered view of the resourcing level adjustments necessitated by the abrupt and significant changes in the economic landscape. Without the scheme we would have been compelled to make significant reductions to our workforce at the start of the lockdown, and inevitably this would have been more severe when uncertainty was at its highest.

During the year we claimed £2.4m with respect to our contractors and £1.5m with respect to our staff, enabling us to provide continued financial support to individuals whilst we and our clients took the appropriate time to assess our needs with much greater knowledge around the short and likely medium- terms impacts to our businesses and the necessary cost actions.

All staff and Directors who remained working in the business during this time also made a sacrifice through a 20% reduction in salary for a period of time, reducing 2020 costs by £0.7m. In addition we reassessed structures in the UK and internationally, with some de-layering, which benefited results in 2020 by £1.7m. Commissions were lower by £3.6m due to lower trading volumes and there were no Board and central staff bonuses, saving £1.8m compared to prior year. In September 2020 we concluded a staff consultation process, the impact of which will be a further reduction of £4m in staff costs on an annualised basis. We will review our staffing needs as the recovery takes shape. At this time, we believe we have significant capacity to absorb increased trading without the need to increase significantly overall headcount.

Taxation

The Group's reported effective tax rate of 50.5% (2019: 31.6%) was driven up by the impact of overseas losses not recognised as deferred tax assets. The continuing underlying effective tax rate was 27.7% (2019 restated: 21.3%), similarly impacted by the same overseas losses.

Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share was negative 5.5 pence (2019: negative 18.3 pence), and on a fully diluted basis was negative 5.5 pence (2019: negative 17.8 pence).

Continuing underlying basic earnings per share was 10.3 pence (2019 restated: 28.4 pence).

Dividends

We are very much cognisant that our shareholders have shown great patience as we have worked to strengthen our balance sheet and reposition the business. Given the economic headwinds the UK faces over the next six months the Board is not recommending a final dividend for 2020. We are however committed as a Board to restoring the dividend at the earliest opportunity.

Capital expenditure

Capital expenditure in the year was £2.6m (2019: £3.5m) of which £2.3m related to software. Having a single set of integrated and effective systems across the Group is critical to our long-term success and during the lockdown we maintained the pace of our Primary Business Systems project. One of our subsidiaries is already live on the system and we expect all of our businesses to be operating on the new systems by the end of FY21.

Sale of holding in Concilium

On 27 November 2019 we sold our 10% holding in Concilium Search Limited realising a gain of £0.3m which has been included in non-underlying items.

Net assets and shares in issue

At 31 July 2020 the Group had net assets of £39.8m (2019: £41.9m) and had 32.3m (2019: 32.3m) fully paid ordinary shares in issue.

Cash flow and net debt

Net cash at 31 July 2020 was £19.6m (2019: net debt £(24.8)m). Adjusted net cash (net cash excluding IFRS 16 lease liabilities) was £27.3m (2019: net debt £(24.8)m). Reducing our financial leverage has been a key objective for the last three years and we are pleased with this progress, having had net debt of £(40.3)m at 31 July 2017. As the UK was heading towards lockdown, we took immediate measures to ensure our balance sheet could weather whatever storms might lie ahead and prior to the announcement by the Chancellor on the UK-wide Government support schemes, we were able to secure agreement from HMRC to defer our VAT payments until the end of March 2021, and other tax payments for a shorter period. At 31 July 2020, our cash position included the benefit of £10.3m from these deferrals.

A further element of the improvement is driven by reduced trading activity which enabled an unwinding of working capital. We expect a very substantial element of the overall working capital improvement to be permanent as described below.

We have changed the payment terms for contractors earning above a certain level from seven to 28 days which is in alignment with normal payment cycles for businesses and most company employees. This change reduces significantly the gap between payments to contractors and payments from our customers. As well as the immediate benefit at the point of change, the new terms should mean a lower requirement for additional working capital as our business grows through the inevitable economic recovery and thereafter. We have so far effectively reduced the period of funding business from 20 days to 16 days and as this change initiative was still in the process of implementation at year end, we expect further improvement as this initiative is further embedded.

We have also continued to improve further our cash collections capability with DSO (days sales outstanding, based on a three-month average and including sales taxes) of 41 (2019: 45) representing a further four day advancement on the substantial improvement achieved last year. Our DSO calculation includes trade receivables transferred to HSBC but on whose behalf we perform collection services.

As a result of the current economic climate we have noticed increased pressure from customers for longer payment terms, and any increased mix of trading with infrastructure clients may also lead to longer average terms, as this sector tends to pay less promptly than other sectors. However, we remain resolute in maintaining our strong working capital performance and this will continue to be a key focus for the Group.

Following our refinancing in October 2019, in January 2020 we transferred a portion of our recourse working capital facility to a non-recourse working capital facility whereby the trade receivables assigned to the facility are owned by HSBC, thereby reducing receivables and our indebtedness.

Our liquidity, being our cash resources and the unused headroom in our invoice financing facilities which could be drawn against existing invoices at 31 July 2020 was very strong at £58.5m.

Cash generated from operations at £59.1m (2019: £24.1m) was £35.0m higher than prior year driven by the factors summarised above.

Banking facilities and interest rate risk

As of 31 July 2020 the Group had a working capital facility of £75m.

Given our strong liquidity position, the Board decided to repay the remaining £7.5m of our Revolving Credit Facility in October 2020 and cancel the facility. All previous covenants were attached to this facility and as a result of the repayment and cancellation of the facility, the Group no longer has any covenant obligations.

Brexit

The Board continues to follow Brexit developments closely. The economic effect of these developments on business confidence is an important factor for us to the extent it affects the UK economic environment, as noted in the Principal Risks and Uncertainties report on page 48.

Critical accounting policies

The statement of significant accounting policies is set out in Note 1 to the Financial Statements.

IFRS 16

IFRS 16 was adopted by the Group from 1 August 2019, choosing to adopt the transition approach which did not require comparatives to be restated. At 31 July 2020, the Group held Right-of-Use lease assets of £6.5m and lease liabilities of £7.7m on the balance sheet. In 2020, depreciation and impairment expense of £2.3m was charged in respect of Right-of-Use lease assets and interest expense on lease liabilities was £0.2m. Operating lease expense of £0.2m (2019: £2.3m) was also recorded in the income statement in 2020 for leases where exemptions were taken from IFRS 16, for those with assets of low value or short-term leases of less than 12 months; the expense in 2019 was for all the Group's leases prior to adoption of IFRS 16.

There was no impact of adopting IFRS 16 in 2020 on continuing underlying PBT.

Group financial risk management

The Board reviews and agrees policies for managing financial risks. The Group's finance function is responsible for managing investment and funding requirements including banking and cash flow monitoring. It seeks to ensure that adequate liquidity exists at all times, to meet its cash requirements. The Group's financial instruments comprise borrowings, cash and various items, such as trade receivables and trade payables that arise from its operations, and some matching forward foreign exchange contracts. The Group does not trade in financial instruments. The main risks arising from the Group's financial instruments are described below.

Credit risk

The Group trades only with recognised, creditworthy third parties. We monitor receivable balances on an ongoing basis and in 2020 have taken a prudent approach to receivables risk and have increased our loss allowance by £1.8m to £4.0m. Whilst our receivables write offs during the year at £0.5m are only slightly higher than the £0.4m in the prior year, we believe that given the uncertainty in the economic headwinds in the UK and abroad, a prudent approach is the right one. We shall be monitoring actual default rates closely over the next few months, especially as companies cease to benefit from the various support schemes such as the UK Job Retention Scheme and VAT deferrals.

There are no significant concentrations of credit risk within the Group, with no single debtor accounting for more than 8% (2019: 4%) of total receivables balances at 31 July 2020.

Foreign currency risk

The Group generates 12% of its annualised NFI from continuing business in international markets. The Group does face risks to both its reported performance and cash position arising from the effects of exchange rate fluctuations. The Group manages these risks by matching sales and direct costs in the same currency and where appropriate entering into forward exchange contracts to minimise the gap in assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies.

Salar FarzadChief Financial Officer

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Consolidated Income Statement

For the year ended 31 July 2020

Losses for the year for 2020 and 2019 are wholly attributable to equity holders of the Company. The Company has elected to take the exemption under section 408 of the Companies Act 2006 from presenting the Parent Company Income Statement.

Reconciliation to adjusted profit measure

Underlying profit is the Group's key adjusted profit measure; profit from continuing operations is adjusted to exclude non-underlying income and expenditure as defined in the Group's accounting policy, amortisation and impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles, impairment of leased right-of-use assets and net foreign exchange gains or losses.

Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income

For the year ended 31 July 2020

Consolidated and Company Statements of Changes in Equity

For the year ended 31 July 2020

A) Consolidated

B) Company

Consolidated and Company Statements of Financial Position

As at 31 July 2020

The accompanying notes on pages 98 to 137 form part of these Financial Statements.

The Financial Statements on pages 92 to 137 were approved by the Board of Directors on 3 November 2020 and signed on its behalf by

Salar Farzad

Chief Financial Officer

Consolidated and Company Cash Flow Statements

For the year ended 31 July 2020

Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents for discontinued operations was £1,164,000 (2019 restated: decrease of £2,046,000).

Notes Forming Part of the Financial Statements

Gattaca plc ('the Company') and its subsidiaries (together 'the Group') is a human capital resources business providing contract and permanent recruitment services in the private and public sectors. The Company is a public limited company, which is listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and is incorporated and domiciled in England, United Kingdom. The Company's address is: 1450 Parkway, Solent Business Park Whiteley, Fareham, Hampshire, PO15 7AF. The Company's registration number is 04426322.

The Financial Statements of Gattaca plc have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the European Union (EU-IFRS) and interpretations issued by the IFRS Interpretations Committee (IFRS IC) applicable to companies reporting under IFRS. The financial statements comply with IFRS as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).

These Financial Statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The accounting policies have been applied consistently to all years throughout both the Group and the Company for the purposes of preparation of these Financial Statements, apart from the adoption of IFRS 16 from 1 August 2019 using the modified retrospective approach to transition, under which comparative information in 2019 has remained as presented under IAS 17. A summary of the principal accounting policies of the Group are set out below.

The preparation of Financial Statements requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also requires management to exercise its judgement in the process of applying the Group's accounting policies. The areas involving a higher degree of judgement or complexity, or areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the consolidated Financial Statements, are disclosed in Note 1.23.

The Group's business activities, together with the factors likely to affect its future development, performance and position are set out in the Strategic Report. The financial position of the Group, its cash flows and liquidity position are described in the Chief Financial Officer's Report.

There continues to be significant uncertainty regarding the ongoing potential future impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on our clients and resultant trading activity. We continue to monitor any changes and have regular management and monthly Board meetings to assess the situation. We have a wide spread of customers across multiple sectors but recognise that COVID-19 continues to impact many of our customers and contractors across many industries.

The majority of our staff have now been working remotely for over seven months and there has not been any significant impact to our ability to operate effectively. The initial reduction in contractor numbers in April 2020, whilst impacting profitability, has resulted in reduced working capital requirements and has created further liquidity. The Group has also undertaken other actions, including an increase to the payment terms of certain contractors and these actions have created a permanent working capital benefit, and will reduce our working capital requirements during growth. We have seen early signs of minor extensions in debtor days as a result of the pandemic impact on trading at our clients and we continue to be alert for any sudden changes. There is sufficient headroom on our working capital facilities to absorb a level of extensions but we would also manage supply to the customer if payment within an appropriate period was not being made. A significant deterioration in payment terms would significantly impact the Group's liquidity. Our future cost base has also been significantly reduced following both a number of redundancies in 2020 as well as a larger scale UK redundancy programme announced just before year end.

Having repaid and cancelled the Revolving Credit Facility on 27 October 2020, the Group is now covenant free.

The Directors have prepared detailed cash flow forecasts to July 2023, covering a period of 33 months from the date of approval of these financial statements. This base case is drawn up with appropriate regard for the current macroeconomic environment and the particular circumstances in which the Group operates. This conservative base case assumes a recovery of the UK business to 80% of pre-COVID-19 contract and permanent NFI by the second half of 2021, with further recovery over the 2022 and 2023 years. Trading has been in line with this forecast since the year end.

The output of the base case forecasting process has been used to perform sensitivity analysis on the Group's cash flow to model the potential effects should principal risks actually occur either individually or in unison. The sensitivity analysis modelled scenarios in which the Group incurred a sustained loss of business arising from a prolonged global downturn as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a range of slower recovery scenarios considered. The Group has modelled the impact of a number of severe but plausible scenarios including the sustained loss of over 55% of our permanent NFI until July 2022 compared to March 2020 pre-COVID run rates, and a 29% sustained reduction in contractor NFI over the same period, again compared to March 2020 pre-COVID run rates, and slow recovery after that point. This is in conjunction with the UK Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme ending as currently planned and the repayment of our deferred HMRC payments in full in March 2021. These scenarios, whilst severe, still show the Group continuing as a going concern and actual current trading performance is trending above the modelled downside scenarios. We have also not quantified or included in the sensitivity analysis, further working capital benefits which are likely to occur as we fully embed new payment terms across a larger proportion of contractor base.

After making appropriate enquiries and considering the uncertainties described above, the Directors have a reasonable expectation at the time of approving these financial statements that the Group and the Company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Following careful consideration the Directors do not consider there to be a material uncertainty with regards to going concern and consider it is appropriate to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

The following are new standards or improvements to existing standards that are mandatory for the first time in the Group's accounting period beginning on 1 August 2019 and no new standards have been early adopted. The Group's July 2020 consolidated financial statements have adopted these amendments to IFRS. Apart from IFRS 16 Leases, none of these have had any material impact on the Group's results or financial position:

Under IFRS 16 Leases, for all applicable leases, the Group has recognised within the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position a right-of-use asset and a lease liability, and within the Consolidated Income Statement, operating lease rental charges have been replaced with depreciation and interest expense. The accounting policy under this standard is shown in Note 1.13 and the impact of this change has been disclosed in Note 22 to these financial statements.

IFRIC 23 Uncertainty over Income Tax Treatments clarifies how to measure current and deferred tax assets and liabilities where there is uncertainty that affects the application of IAS 12 Income Taxes. The Group has undertaken a review of the current tax position and assessed that the adoption of IFRIC 23 does not have a material impact on the Group's results.

Apart from IFRS 16 Leases there have been no alterations made to the accounting policies as a result of considering all of the other amendments above that became effective in the year, as these were either not material or were not relevant to the Group or Company.

New standards in issue, not yet adopted

The Group has not yet adopted certain new standards, amendments and interpretations to existing standards, which have been published but which are only effective for the Group accounting periods beginning on or after 1 August 2020. These new pronouncements are listed as follows:

The Directors are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of all other standards, amendments and interpretations but do not expect them to have a material impact on the Group's or Company's operationsor results.

Forthcoming requirements

The following amendments are required for application for the Group's year beginning after 1 August 2020 or later:

Subsidiaries are all entities over which the Group has control. The Group controls an entity when the Group is exposed to, or has rights to, variable returns from its involvement with the entity and has the ability to affect those returns through its power over the entity. Subsidiaries are fully consolidated from the date on which control is transferred to the Group. They are deconsolidated from the date on which that control ceases.

The Group applies the acquisition method to account for business combinations. The consideration transferred for the acquisition of a subsidiary is the fair value of the assets transferred, the liabilities incurred to the former owners of the acquiree, and the equity interests issued by the Group. The consideration transferred includes the fair value of any asset or liability resulting from a contingent consideration arrangements. Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities and contingent liabilities assumed in a business combination are measured initially at their fair value at the acquisition date. The Group recognises any non-controlling interest in the acquiree on an acquisition-by-acquisition basis, either at fair value or at the non-controlling interest's proportionate share of the recognised amounts of the acquiree's identifiable net assets.

Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred.

Intercompany transactions, balances and unrealised gains on transactions between Group companies are eliminated. Unrealised losses are also eliminated. Where necessary, amounts reported by subsidiaries have been adjusted to conform to the Group's accounting policies.

Revenue is measured by reference to the fair value of consideration received or receivable by the Group for services provided, excluding VAT and trade discounts.

Temporary placements

Revenue from temporary, or contract, placements is recognised at the point in time when the candidate provides services, upon receipt of a client-approved timesheet or equivalent proof of time worked. Timing differences between the receipt of a client-approved timesheet and the raising of an invoice are recognised as accrued income. The Group has assessed its use of third party providers to supply candidates for temporary placements under the agent or principal criteria and has determined that it is the principal on the grounds that it retains primary responsibility for provision of the services.

A number of contractual rebate arrangements are in place in respect of volume and value of sales; these are accounted for as variable consideration reducing revenue and estimated in line with IFRS 15.

Any consideration payable at the start of contracts to customers is recognised as a prepayment and released to profit or loss over the terms of the contract it relates to, as a reduction to revenue.

Permanent placements

Revenue from permanent placements, which is based on a percentage of the candidate's remuneration package, is recognised when candidates commence employment which is the point at which the performance obligation of the contract is considered met. Some permanent placements are subject to a 'claw-back' period whereby if a candidate leaves within a set period of starting employment, the customer is entitled to a rebate subject to the Group's terms and conditions. Provisions as a reduction to revenue are recognised for such arrangements if material. In addition, a number of contractual rebate arrangements are in place in respect of volume and value of sales; these are accounted for as variable consideration reducing revenue and estimated in line with IFRS 15.

Other

Other revenue streams are generated from provision of engineering services and other fees. Revenue from the provision of engineering services is recognised either over a period of time when the performance obligations are satisfied over the course of project milestones or at a point in time upon receipt of client-approved timesheets. Other fees mainly relate to relate to account management fees for providing recruitment services. Revenue from other fees is recognised on confirmation from the client committing to the agreement and either at a point in time or over time in accordance with terms of each individual agreement as performance obligations are met.

Government grants are assistance by government in the form of transfers of resources to an entity in return for past or future compliance with certain conditions relating to operating activities.

Government grants are recognised when there is a reasonable assurance that the Group will comply with the conditions attached to it and that the grant will be received. They are recognised in the Income Statement on a systematic basis over the periods in which the related costs that they compensate are recognised as expenses.

Grants are either presented as grant income or deducted in reporting the related expense they compensate in the Income Statement.

Non-underlying items are income or expenditure that are considered unusual and separate to underlying trading results because of their size, nature or incidence and are presented within the consolidated income statement but highlighted through separate disclosure. The Group's Directors consider that these items should be separately identified within the income statement to enable a proper understanding of the Group's business performance.

Items which are included within this category include but are not limited to:

In addition, the Group also excludes from underlying results amortisation and impairment of goodwill and acquired intangibles, impairment of leased right-of-use assets and net foreign exchange gains or losses.

Specific adjusting items are included as non-underlying based on the following rationale:

Property, plant and equipment is stated at cost, net of depreciation and any provision for impairment.

Depreciation is calculated so as to write off the cost of an asset, less its estimated residual value, over the useful economic life of that asset in terms of annual depreciation as follows:

The assets' residual values and useful lives are reviewed, and adjusted if appropriate, at the end of each reporting period.

An asset's carrying amount is written down immediately to its recoverable amount if the asset's carrying amount is greater than its estimated recoverable amount.

When revalued assets are sold, the amounts included in other reserves in respect of those assets are transferred to retained earnings.

1.10 Goodwill

Goodwill arises on the acquisition of subsidiaries and represents the excess of the fair value of the consideration given for a business over the Company's interest in the fair value of the net identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities of the acquiree. Goodwill is stated at cost less accumulated impairment.

Goodwill impairment reviews are undertaken annually, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate a potential impairment. Goodwill is allocated to cash-generating units, being the lowest level at which goodwill is monitored. The carrying value of the assets of the cash-generating unit, including goodwill, intangible and tangible assets and working capital balances, is compared to its recoverable amount, which is the higher of value in use and fair value less costs to sell. Any excess in carrying value over recoverable amount is recognised immediately as an impairment expense and is not subsequently reversed. Gains and losses on the disposal of an entity include the carrying amount of goodwill relating to the entity sold.

1.11 Intangible assets

Customer relationships

Customer relationships comprise principally of existing customer relationships which may give rise to future orders (customer relationships), and existing order books. They are recognised at fair value at the acquisition date, and subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment. Customer relationships are determined to have a useful life of ten years and are amortised on a straight-line basis.

Trade names and trademarks

Trade names and trademarks have either arisen on the consolidation of acquired businesses or have been separately purchased and are recognised at fair value at the acquisition date. They are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment. Trade names and trademarks are determined to have a useful life of ten years and are amortised on a straight-line basis.

Software and software licences

Acquired computer software licences are capitalised on the basis of the costs incurred to acquire and bring into use the specific software. These costs are amortised using the straight line method to allocate the cost of the software licences over their useful lives of between two and five years. Subsequent licence renewals are expensed to profit or loss as incurred. Software licences are stated at cost less accumulated amortisation and impairment.

Internally generated intangible assets

Development costs that are directly attributable to the design and testing of identifiable and unique software products are capitalised as part of internally generated software and include employee costs and professional fees attributable to the development of the asset. Other expenditure that does not meet these criteria is recognised as an expense to profit or loss as incurred. Software development costs recognised as assets are amortised on a straight line basis over their estimated useful lives of between two and ten years.

Expenditure on internally generated brands and other intangible assets is expensed to profit or loss as incurred.

Other

Other intangible assets acquired by the Group have a finite useful life between five and ten years and are measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and accumulated losses.

Amortisation of intangible assets and impairment losses are recognised in profit or loss within administrative expenses.

Intangible assets are tested for impairment either as part of a goodwill-carrying cash-generated unit, or when events arise that indicate an impairment may be triggered. Provision is made against the carrying value of an intangible asset where an impairment is deemed to have occurred. Impairment losses on intangible assets are recognised in the income statement under administrative expenses.

1.12 Disposal of assets

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset and is recognised in the income statement at the time of disposal.

1.13 Leases

The Group has applied IFRS 16 using the modified retrospective approach and therefore the comparative information has not been restated and continues to be reported under IAS17 and IFRIC 14.

The Group leases office property, motor vehicles and equipment. Rental contracts range from monthly toeight years.

At inception of a contract, the Group assesses whether a contract is, or contains, a lease. A contract is, or contains, a lease if the contract conveys the right to control the use of an identified asset for a period of time in exchange for consideration. Contracts may contain both lease and non-lease components, and consideration is allocated in the contract to the lease and non-lease components based on their relative stand-alone prices.

Assets and liabilities arising from a lease are initially measured on a present value basis at the lease commencement date. Lease liabilities include the net present value of the fixed payments less any lease incentives receivable, variable lease payments that are based on an index or a rate, amounts expected to be payable by the group under residual value guarantees, the exercise price of any purchase option if the Group is reasonably certain to exercise that option, and payments of penalties for terminating the lease if that option is expected to be taken.

Lease payments to be made under reasonably certain extension options are also included in the measurement of the liability.

Lease payments are discounted at either the interest rate implicit in the lease or when this interest rate cannot be readily determined, the Group's incremental borrowing rate associated with a similar asset. When calculating lease liabilities, the Group uses its incremental borrowing rate, being the rate it would have to pay to borrow the funds necessary to obtain an asset of similar value in a similar economic climate with similar terms, security and conditions. This is estimated using publicly available data adjusted for changes specific to the lease in financing conditions, lease term, country and currency.

The Group does not have leases with variable lease payments based on an index or rate.

Extension or termination options are included in a number of the Group's leases. In determining the lease term, the Group considers all facts and circumstances that create an economic incentive to exercise, or not to exercise, an option. Extension options are only included in the lease term if the lease is reasonably certain to be extended. The lease term is reassessed if an option is actually exercised or the Group becomes obliged to exercise (or not to exercise) it. The assessment of reasonable certainty is only revised if a significant event or a significant change in circumstances occurs that is within the control of the Group.

Lease payments are allocated between principal and finance cost. The finance cost is charged to profit or loss over the lease period so as to produce a constant periodic rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability for each period.

Right-of-use assets are measured at cost comprising the following:

Right-of-use assets are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease with depreciation expense recognised in the income statement.

Lease modifications are a change in scope of a lease that was not part of the original lease. Any change that is triggered by a clause already part of the original lease contract is a re-assessment and not a modification. Changes to lease cash flows as part of a re-assessment result in a re-measurement of the lease liability using an updated discount rate and a corresponding adjustment to the carrying value of the right-of-use asset.

Advantage has been taken of the practical expedients for exemptions provided for leases with less than 12 months to run, for leases of low value, to account for leases with similar characteristics as a portfolio with a single discount rate and to present existing onerous lease provisions against the carrying value of right-of-use assets. Payments associated with short-term leases and leases of low value are recognised on a straight-line basis as an expense in profit or loss.

1.14 Taxation

The tax expense for the year comprises current and deferred tax. Tax is recognised in the Income Statement, except to the extent that it relates to items recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in equity. In this case, the tax is also recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in equity, respectively.

The current tax charge is calculated on the basis of the tax laws enacted or substantively enacted at the statement of financial position date in the countries where the Company and its subsidiaries operate and generate taxable income. Management periodically evaluates positions taken in tax returns with respect to situations in which applicable tax regulation is subject to interpretation. It establishes provisions, where appropriate, on the basis of amounts expected to be paid to the tax authorities.

Deferred income taxes are calculated using the liability method on temporary differences. Deferred tax is generally provided on the difference between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax bases. However, deferred tax is not provided on the initial recognition of goodwill, nor on the initial recognition of an asset or liability unless the related transaction is a business combination or affects tax or accounting profit.

Deferred tax liabilities are provided in full, with no discounting. Deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that the underlying deductible temporary differences will be able to be offset against future taxable income. Current and deferred tax assets and liabilities are calculated at tax rates that are expected to apply to their respective period of realisation, provided they are enacted or substantively enacted at the Statement of Financial Position date.

Deferred tax on temporary differences associated with shares in subsidiaries is not provided for if these temporary differences can be controlled by the Group and it is probable that reversal will not occur in the foreseeable future.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset only where there is a legally enforceable right to the offset and there is an intention to settle balances on a net basis.

Changes in deferred tax assets or liabilities are recognised as a component of tax expense in the Income Statement, except where they relate to items that are charged or credited directly to equity (such as share-based payments) in which case the related deferred tax is also charged or credited directly to equity.

1.15 Pension costs

The Group operates a number of country-specific defined contribution plans for its employees. A defined contribution plan is a pension plan under which the Group pays fixed contributions into a separate entity. Once the contributions have been paid the Group has no further payment obligations. The contributions are recognised as an expense when they are due. Amounts not paid are shown in other creditors in the Statement of Financial Position. The assets of the plan are held separately from the Group in independently administered funds.

1.16 Share-based payments

All share-based remuneration is ultimately recognised as an expense in the Income Statement with a corresponding credit to the share-based payment reserve. All goods and services received in exchange for the grant of any share-based remuneration are measured at their fair values. Fair values of employee services are indirectly determined by reference to the fair value of the share options awarded. Their value is appraised at the grant date and excludes the impact of non-market vesting conditions (for example, profitability and sales growth targets).

If vesting periods or other non-market vesting conditions apply, the expense is allocated over the vesting period, based on the best available estimate of the number of share options expected to vest. Estimates are subsequently revised if there is any indication that the number of share options expected to vest differs from previous estimates. Any cumulative adjustment prior to vesting is recognised in the current period. No adjustment is made to any expense recognised in prior periods if share options ultimately exercised are different to that estimated on vesting. Upon exercise of share options, proceeds received net of attributable transaction costs are credited to share capital and share premium.

The Company is the granting and settling entity in the Group share-based payment arrangement where share options are granted to employees of its subsidiary companies. The Company recognises the share-based payment expense as an increase in the investment in subsidiary undertakings.

The Group operates two long-term incentive share option plans. The Zero Priced Share Option Bonus covers all share options issued with an exercise price of £0.01; the Long-Term Incentive Plan Options have an exercise price above £0.01. Grants under both categories have been made as part of a CSOP scheme, depending on the terms of specific grants.

The Group also operates a Share Incentive Plan ('SIP'), the Gattaca plc Share Incentive Plan ('The Plan'), which is approved by HMRC. The Plan is held by Gattaca plc UK Employee Benefit Trust ('the EBT'), the purpose of which is to enable employees to purchase Company shares out of pre-tax salary. For each share purchased the Company grants an additional share at no cost to the employee. The expense in relation to these 'free' shares is recorded as employee remuneration and measured at fair value of the shares issued as at the date of grant. The assets and liabilities of the EBT are included in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position.

1.17 Financial instruments

Financial assets

IFRS 9 contains a classification and measurement approach for financial assets that reflects the business model in which assets are managed and their cash flow characteristics. Under IFRS 9, all financial assets are measured at either amortised cost, fair value through profit and loss ('FVTPL') or fair value through other comprehensive income ('FVOCI').

Financial assets: debt instruments

The Group classifies its debt instruments in the following measurement categories depending on the Group's business model for managing the asset and the cash flow characteristics of the asset:

(i) those to be measured subsequently at fair value through other comprehensive income (OCI): Assets that are held for collection of contractual cash flows and for selling the financial assets, where the assets' cash flows represent solely payments of principal and interest, are measured at FVOCI. Movements in the carrying amount are taken through OCI, except for the recognition of impairment gains or losses, interest revenue and foreign exchange gains and losses which are recognised in profit or loss. When the financial asset is derecognised, the cumulative gain or loss previously recognised in OCI is reclassified from equity to profit or loss and recognised in other gains/(losses). Interest income from these financial assets is included in finance income using the effective interest rate method. Foreign exchange gains and losses are presented in other gains/(losses) and impairment expenses are presented as separate line item in the Income Statement.

(ii) those to be measured subsequently at FVTPL: Assets that do not meet the criteria for amortised cost or FVOCI are measured at FVTPL. A gain or loss on a debt investment that is subsequently measured at FVTPLis recognised in profit or loss and presented net within other gains/(losses) in the year in which it arises.

(iii) those to be measured subsequently at amortised cost: Assets that are held for collection of contractual cash flows where those cash flows represent solely payments of principal and interest are measured at amortised cost. Interest income from these financial assets is included in finance income using the effective interest rate method. Any gain or loss arising on derecognition is recognised directly in profit or loss and presented in other gains/(losses), together with foreign exchange gains and losses. Impairment losses are presented as a separate line item in the Income Statement.

The Group reclassifies debt investments when and only when its business model for managing those assets changes.

Financial assets: equity instruments

The Group subsequently measures all equity investments at fair value. Where the Group's management has elected to present fair value gains and losses on equity investments in OCI, there is no subsequent reclassification of fair value gains and losses to profit or loss following the derecognition of the investment. Dividends from such investments continue to be recognised in profit or loss as other income when the Group's right to receive payments is established.

Impairment losses (and reversal of impairment losses) on equity investments measured at FVOCI are not reported separately from other changes in fair value.

Impairment of financial assets

IFRS 9 require the application of the 'Expected Credit Loss' model ('ECL'). This applies to all financial assets measured at amortised cost or FVOCI, except equity investments.

The Group assesses on a forward looking basis the expected credit losses associated with its debt instruments carried at amortised cost and FVOCI.

The Group has reviewed each category of its financial assets to assess the level of credit risk and ECL provision to apply:

At each reporting date, the expected credit loss provision will be reviewed to reflect changes in credit risk and historical default rates and other economic factors. Changes in the ECL provision are recognised in profit or loss.

Financial liabilities

Financial liabilities are obligations to pay cash or other financial assets and are recognised when the Group becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instrument and comprise trade and other payables and bank loans. Financial liabilities are recorded initially at fair value, net of direct issue costs and are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method.

A financial liability is derecognised only when the obligation is extinguished, that is, when the obligation is discharged, cancelled or expires.

Non-recourse receivables factoring is not recognised as a financial liability as there is no contractual obligation to deliver cash; subsequently, the receivables are de-recognised and any difference between the receivable value and amount received through non-recourse factoring is recognised as a finance cost.

1.18 Cash and cash equivalents

In the Consolidated Cash Flow Statement, cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less and bank overdrafts. In the Statement of Financial Position and Cash Flow Statement, bank overdrafts are netted against cash and cash equivalents where the offsetting criteria are met.

Cash in transit inbound from, or outbound to, a third party is recognised when the transaction is no longer reversible by the party making the payment. This is determined to be in respect of all electronic payments and receipt transactions that commence before or on the reporting date and complete within one business day after the reporting date.

Restricted cash and cash equivalent balances are those which meet the definition of cash and cash equivalents but are not available for wider use by the Group. These balances arise from the Group's non-recourse working capital arrangements.

1.19 Provisions

Provisions are recognised where the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation as a result of past events; it is probable that an outflow of resources will be required to settle the obligation; and the amount has been reliably estimated. Provisions are not recognised for future operating losses.

1.20 Dividends

Dividend distributions payable to equity shareholders are included in 'other short term financial liabilities' when the dividends are approved in general meeting prior to the financial position date.

1.21 Foreign currencies

Items included in the Financial Statements of each of the Group's entities are measured using the currency of the primary economic environment in which each entity operates ('the functional currency'). The consolidated Financial Statements are presented in 'currency' (GBP), which is the Group's presentation currency.

Transactions in foreign currencies are translated at the exchange rate ruling at the date of the transaction. Monetary assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated at the rates of exchange ruling at the Statement of Financial Position date. Non-monetary items that are measured at historical cost in a foreign currency are translated at the exchange rate at the date of the transaction. Non-monetary items that are measured at fair value in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange rates at the date when the fair value was determined. Income and expenses are translated at the actual rate.

Any exchange differences arising on the settlement of monetary items or on translating monetary items at rates different from those at which they were initially recorded are recognised in the Income Statement in the year in which they arise.

The assets and liabilities in the Financial Statements of foreign subsidiaries are translated at the rate of exchange ruling at the Statement of Financial Position date.

The individual financial statements of each Group company are presented in its functional currency. On consolidation, the assets and liabilities of overseas subsidiaries, including any related goodwill, are translated to Sterling at the rate of exchange at the balance sheet date. The results and cashflows of overseas subsidiaries are translated to Sterling using the average rates of exchange during the period. Exchange adjustments arising from the re-translations of the opening net investment and the results for the period to the period end rate are accounted for in the translation reserve in the statement of comprehensive income. On divestment, these exchange differences are reclassified from the translation reserve to the Income Statement.

1.22 Equity

Equity comprises the following:

1.23 Critical accounting judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

Critical accounting judgements

The Directors are of the opinion there are no critical accounting judgements.

Key sources of estimation uncertainty

The key assumptions concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the Statementof Financial Position date that carry a risk of causing a material adjustment within the next 12 months are discussed below:

ECL provisions in respect of trade receivables

The Group's policy for default risk over receivables is based on the on-going evaluation of the credit risk of its trade receivables. Estimation is used in assessing the ultimate realisation of these receivables, including reviewing the potential likelihood of default, the past collection history of each customer, any insurance coverage in place and the current economic conditions. As a result, expected credit loss provisions for impairment of trade receivables have been recognised, as discussed in Note 18. The impact of COVID-19 has been incorporated into these estimates.

Valuation of goodwill and intangible assets

Goodwill and intangible assets (including acquired intangibles) are tested for impairment on an annual basis or otherwise when changes in events or situations indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. This requires an estimate to be made of the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the assets are allocated, including forecasting future cash flows of each cash-generating unit and forming assumptions over the discount rate and long-term growth rate applied. The impact of COVID-19 has been reflected in the forecast future cashflows. Further details on the sensitivity of the carrying value of goodwill and intangible assets to changes in the key assumptions are set out in Note 13.

An operating segment, as defined by IFRS 8 'Operating segments', is a component of the Group that engages in business activities from which it may earn revenues and incur expenses. The Group is managed through its three reporting segments, UK Engineering, UK Technology and International, which form the operating segments on which the information below is prepared. The Group determines and presents operating segments based on the information that is provided internally to the chief operating decision maker, which has been identified as the Board of Directors of Gattaca plc.

A segmental analysis of total assets has not been included as this information is not used by the Board; the majority of assets are centrally held and are not allocated across the reportable segments.

Geographical information

Revenue and non-current assets are allocated to the geographical market based on the domicile of the respective subsidiary.

Revenue from contracts with customers is disaggregated by major service line and operating segment, as well as timing of revenue recognition as follows:

Major service lines - continuing underlying operations

Timing of revenue recognition - continuing underlying operations

No single customer contributed more than 10% of the Group's revenues (2019: none). Revenue is wholly recognised in relation to performance obligations satisfied in the period.

The Group has determined that its contract assets from contracts with customers are trade receivables and accrued income, and its contract liabilities are deferred income, which are set out below:

Accrued income relates to the Group's right to consideration for temporary and permanent placements made but not billed by the year end. These transfer to trade receivables once billing occurs. All accrued income at a given reporting date is billed within the following financial year and is classified in current assets. Deferred income at a given reporting date is recognised as revenue in the following financial year once performance obligations are satisfied and is classified in current liabilities.

The aggregate auditors' remuneration was as follows:

Non-underlying items included within Administrative Expenses were as follows:

The monthly average number of staff employed by the Group, including Executive Directors, during the financial year amounted to:

There are no employees employed by the Parent Company (2019: nil).

The aggregate payroll costs of the above were:

Amounts due to defined contribution pension providers at 31 July 2020 were £117,000 (2019: £165,000).

Disclosure of the remuneration of the statutory Directors is further detailed in the audited part of the Remuneration Report on pages 76 to 83. Disclosure of the remuneration of Group's key management personnel, as required by IAS 24, is detailed below:

Grant income recognised from government grants recognised in Cost of sales and Administrative expenses are as follows:

As a response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Group made use of the UK Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Under this scheme, Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) provides UK companies with a non-refundable grant equivalent to a portion of wages, National Insurance contributions and pension contributions for employees and temporary workers who are retained in employment but placed on furlough. When considering temporary workers, the contractors employed by Gattaca's clients that Gattaca provides payroll services to and whose costs are recognised as Cost of sales by Gattaca, are also considered eligible.

As the scheme is conditional upon the Group retaining its employees in employment, or the temporary contract workers being retained by their employers, whilst they are furloughed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is designed to compensate companies for staff or temporary worker costs incurred. As all claims submitted for the period have either been received or are expected to be receivable, the Group considers the scheme meets the definition of a government grant as set out in IAS 20 and has accounted for it as such. For grants received or receivable for Gattaca's employees on furlough, the Group has presented the grant income as a deduction to staff costs presented in Administrative expenses in the Income Statement; for grants received or receivable for temporary contract workers of Gattaca's clients on furlough, the Group has presented the grant income as a deduction to Cost of sales.

UK corporation tax has been charged at 19% (2019: 19%).

The charge for the year can be reconciled to the profit/(loss) as per the Income Statement as follows:

Tax charge/(credit) recognised in equity:

1 2019 figures have been restated for the presentation of discontinued operations as explained in Note 11.

Reconciliation of statutory continuing tax charge to continuing underlying tax charge:

Future tax rate changes

On 17 March 2020, the UK government substantively enacted a reversal of the UK corporation tax rate reduction to 17% from 1 April 2020. The main UK corporation tax rate therefore remains at 19% and this has been reflected in the consolidated financial statements.

As these changes of rates have been enacted at the balance sheet date, the impact of these reductions has been reflected in the deferred tax liability at 31 July 2020.

2020

On 9 March 2020, the Group commenced communications with the management and employees of its Chinese subsidiary, announcing its intention to cease its remaining operations in China, having previously ceased all Telecoms Infrastructure business undertaken by China already in 2019. As at 31 July 2020, all operations and staff had been terminated and the Group continues to work with in-country advisors to commence company closure proceedings. As this has now resulted in the Group's withdrawal from all operations in China, the Group has classified its Chinese operations as discontinued in the consolidated financial statements for year ended 31 July 2020 and restated the comparative results for 2019 in line with presentational requirements for discontinued operations.

2019

On 4 September 2018 the Group announced that it was withdrawing from the contract Telecoms Infrastructure markets in Africa, Asia and Latin America as well as its operations in the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Malaysia and Qatar. As a result, all operations associated with that business stream have been classified as discontinued in the 2019 and 2020 financial years. As part of this withdrawal, on 25 June 2019 NWKI Communications LLC was sold for cash consideration of £2,000. The entity had net liabilities on disposal of £48,000 resulting in a gain of £46,000.

As detailed in Note 15, Gattaca de Colombia SAS, Comms Resources Colombia and Gattaca France SAS were liquidated during the financial year ended 31 July 2019, resulting in a gain of £89,000. These entities made a trading loss of £68,000 during financial year ended 31 July 2019. The results of these liquidated businesses are included in discontinued operations in 2019.

Financial performance and cash flow information

Earnings per share (EPS) has been calculated by dividing the consolidated profit or loss after taxation attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year.

Diluted earnings per share has been calculated on the same basis as above, except that the weighted average number of ordinary shares that would be issued on the conversion of all the dilutive potential ordinary shares (arising from the Group's share option schemes) into ordinary shares has been added to the denominator. Share options (Note 23) are treated as dilutive when, at the reporting date, they would be issuable had the performance year ended at that date.

The Group has dilutive potential ordinary shares, being the LTIP and Zero-priced share options (Note 23). The number of shares that could have been acquired at fair value (determined as the average annual market share price of the Company's shares) is calculated based on the monetary value of the subscription rights attached to the outstanding share options.

The effect of potential ordinary shares are reflected in diluted EPS only when they are dilutive. Potential ordinary shares are considered dilutive when their inclusion in the calculation would decrease EPS, or increase the loss per share from continuing operations in accordance with IAS 33. This is regardless of whether the potential ordinary shares are dilutive for EPS from total operations. The effect of potential ordinary shares are considered to be dilutive for year ended 31 July 2020 and 31 July 2019 and therefore have been included in the calculation below. The diluted loss per share is lower than basic loss per share because of the effect of losses from discontinued operations.

There are no changes to the profit numerator as a result of the dilution calculation.

Other intangibles comprises candidate databases and non-compete agreements.

The carrying amount of goodwill allocated to Cash Generating Unit's (CGU's) is as follows:

Impairment testing

Goodwill and intangible assets are reviewed and tested for impairment on an annual basis or more frequently to determine if there is an indication of impairment.

If any indication of impairment exists, then the goodwill CGU or individual asset's recoverable amount is calculated. The recoverable amounts of the CGU's are determined from value-in-use calculations.

The key assumptions and estimates used when calculating a CGU's value in use, are as follows:

Cash flows from operations