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Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2016	Aug. 29, 2016	Jan. 23, 2016
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	DYCOM INDUSTRIES INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000067215
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--07-30
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 2,045,494,004
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		31,425,887
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q4
Document Type	10-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jul. 30, 2016

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and equivalents	$ 33,787	$ 21,289
Accounts receivable, net	328,030	315,134
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings	376,972	274,730
Inventories	73,606	48,650
Deferred tax assets, net	22,733	20,630
Other current assets	16,106	16,199
Total current assets	851,234	696,632
Property and equipment, net	326,670	231,564
Goodwill	310,157	271,653
Intangible assets, net	197,879	120,926
Other	33,776	33,148
Total non-current assets	868,482	657,291
Total assets	1,719,716	1,353,923
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	115,492	71,834
Current portion of debt	13,125	3,750
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings	19,557	16,896
Accrued insurance claims	36,844	35,824
Income taxes payable	15,307	8,916
Other accrued liabilities	122,302	89,490
Total current liabilities	322,627	226,710
Long-term debt	706,202	516,900
Accrued insurance claims	52,835	51,476
Deferred tax liabilities, net non-current	76,587	47,388
Other liabilities	4,178	4,249
Total liabilities	1,162,429	846,723
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES, Note 17
Stockholders’ equity:
Preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share: 1,000,000 shares authorized: no shares issued and outstanding	0	0
Common stock, par value $0.33 1/3 per share: 150,000,000 shares authorized: 31,420,310 and 33,381,779 issued and outstanding, respectively	10,473	11,127
Additional paid-in capital	10,208	71,004
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(1,274)	(1,198)
Retained earnings	537,880	426,267
Total stockholders’ equity	557,287	507,200
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$ 1,719,716	$ 1,353,923

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Preferred stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 1	$ 1.00
Preferred stock, authorized (in shares)	1,000,000	1,000,000
Preferred stock, issued (in shares)	0	0
Preferred stock, outstanding (in shares)	0	0
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.333	$ 0.333
Common stock, authorized (in shares)	150,000,000	150,000,000
Common stock, issued (in shares)	31,420,310	33,381,779
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	31,420,310	33,381,779

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
REVENUES:
Contract revenues	$ 2,672,542	$ 2,022,312	$ 1,811,593
EXPENSES:
Costs of earned revenues, excluding depreciation and amortization	2,083,579	1,593,250	1,475,045
General and administrative (including stock-based compensation expense of $16.8 million, $13.9 million, and $12.6 million respectively)	217,149	178,700	161,858
Depreciation and amortization	124,940	96,044	92,772
Total	2,425,668	1,867,994	1,729,675
Interest expense, net	(34,720)	(27,025)	(26,827)
Loss on debt extinguishment	(16,260)	0	0
Other income, net	10,433	8,291	11,228
Income before income taxes	206,327	135,584	66,319
Provision for income taxes:
Current	50,805	50,016	32,664
Deferred	26,782	1,244	(6,323)
Total provision for income taxes	77,587	51,260	26,341
Net income	$ 128,740	$ 84,324	$ 39,978
Earnings per common share:
Basic earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 3.98	$ 2.48	$ 1.18
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 3.89	$ 2.41	$ 1.15
Shares used in computing earnings per common share:
Basic (in shares)	32,315,636	34,045,481	33,773,158
Diluted (in shares)	33,115,755	35,026,688	34,816,381

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Income Statement [Abstract]
Stock-based compensation	$ 16,850	$ 13,923	$ 12,596

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income	$ 128,740	$ 84,324	$ 39,978
Foreign currency translation losses, net of tax	(76)	(1,040)	(261)
Comprehensive income	$ 128,664	$ 83,284	$ 39,717

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income	$ 128,740	$ 84,324	$ 39,978
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities, net of acquisitions:
Depreciation and amortization	124,940	96,044	92,772
Deferred income tax provision (benefit)	26,782	1,244	(6,323)
Stock-based compensation	16,850	13,923	12,596
Bad debt expense, net	1,252	465	615
Gain on sale of fixed assets	(9,806)	(7,110)	(10,706)
Write-off of deferred financing fees and premium on long-term debt	2,017	0	0
Amortization of premium on long-term debt	(94)	(397)	(369)
Amortization of debt discount	14,709	0	0
Amortization of debt issuance costs and other	2,875	2,040	1,916
Excess tax benefit from share-based awards	(13,003)	(8,371)	(3,025)
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable, net	2,729	(40,444)	(16,949)
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings, net	(70,957)	(41,021)	(25,356)
Other current assets and inventory	(13,800)	(1,138)	(12,843)
Other assets	(2,936)	(6,875)	(555)
Income taxes receivable/payable	20,148	11,758	6,685
Accounts payable	15,132	7,114	(4,244)
Accrued liabilities, insurance claims, and other liabilities	15,910	30,344	9,993
Net cash provided by operating activities	261,488	141,900	84,185
INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired	(157,183)	(31,909)	(17,088)
Capital expenditures	(186,011)	(102,997)	(89,136)
Proceeds from sale of assets	10,540	9,392	15,407
Changes in restricted cash	(479)	(538)	(303)
Other investing activities	0	(4,000)	0
Net cash used in investing activities	(333,133)	(130,052)	(91,120)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Proceeds from borrowings on senior credit agreement, including term loans	1,310,000	535,750	502,000
Principal payments on senior credit agreement, including term loans	(1,209,000)	(467,563)	(495,813)
Proceeds from issuance of 0.75% convertible senior notes due 2021	485,000	0	0
Proceeds from sale of warrants	74,690	0	0
Purchase of convertible note hedges	(115,818)	0	0
Principal payments for satisfaction and discharge of 7.125% senior subordinated notes	(277,500)	0	0
Debt issuance costs	(16,376)	(3,854)	0
Repurchases of common stock	(169,997)	(87,146)	(9,999)
Exercise of stock options	2,745	8,922	14,568
Restricted stock tax withholdings	(12,604)	(4,711)	(3,781)
Excess tax benefit from share-based awards	13,003	8,371	3,025
Principal payments on other financing activities	0	(1,000)	(1,000)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	84,143	(11,231)	9,000
Net increase in cash and equivalents	12,498	617	2,065
CASH AND EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD	21,289	20,672	18,607
CASH AND EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD	33,787	21,289	20,672
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF OTHER CASH FLOW ACTIVITIES AND NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Cash paid for interest	15,917	25,369	25,291
Cash paid for taxes, net	31,159	39,057	26,738
Purchases of capital assets included in accounts payable or other accrued liabilities at period end	$ 7,196	$ 2,372	$ 2,651

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Parenthetical)	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
0.75% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021
Debt, interest rate (in percent)	0.75%	0.75%	0.75%
7.125% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
Debt, interest rate (in percent)	7.125%	7.125%	7.125%

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Statement - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Total	Common Stock, Shares	Common Stock	Additional Paid-in Capital	AOCI Attributable to Parent	Retained Earnings
Beginning Balance, shares at Jul. 27, 2013		33,264,117
Beginning Balance, value at Jul. 27, 2013	$ 428,361		$ 11,088	$ 115,205	$ 103	$ 301,965
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock options exercised (shares)		803,796
Stock options exercised	14,568		268	14,300
Stock-based compensation	12,596		1	12,595
Stock-based compensation (shares)		3,999
Issuance of restricted stock, net of tax withholdings	(3,781)		93	(3,874)
Issuance of restricted stock, net of tax withholdings (shares)		279,577
Repurchase of common stock	$ (9,999)		(120)	(9,879)
Repurchase of common stock (shares)	(360,900)	(360,900)
Other comprehensive loss	$ (261)				(261)
Tax benefits from stock-based compensation	3,472			3,472
Net income	39,978					39,978
Ending Balance, shares at Jul. 26, 2014		33,990,589
Ending Balance, value at Jul. 26, 2014	484,934		11,330	131,819	(158)	341,943
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock options exercised (shares)		735,330
Stock options exercised	8,922		245	8,677
Stock-based compensation	13,923		1	13,922
Stock-based compensation (shares)		4,062
Issuance of restricted stock, net of tax withholdings	(4,711)		107	(4,818)
Issuance of restricted stock, net of tax withholdings (shares)		321,722
Repurchase of common stock	$ (87,146)		(556)	(86,590)
Repurchase of common stock (shares)	(1,669,924)	(1,669,924)
Other comprehensive loss	$ (1,040)				(1,040)
Tax benefits from stock-based compensation	7,994			7,994
Net income	$ 84,324					84,324
Ending Balance, shares at Jul. 25, 2015	33,381,779	33,381,779
Ending Balance, value at Jul. 25, 2015	$ 507,200		11,127	71,004	(1,198)	426,267
Increase (Decrease) in Stockholders' Equity [Roll Forward]
Stock options exercised (shares)		212,619
Stock options exercised	2,745		71	2,674
Stock-based compensation	16,850		1	16,849
Stock-based compensation (shares)		3,015
Issuance of restricted stock, net of tax withholdings	(12,604)		111	(12,715)
Issuance of restricted stock, net of tax withholdings (shares)		334,475
Repurchase of common stock	$ (169,997)		(837)	(152,033)		(17,127)
Repurchase of common stock (shares)	(2,511,578)	(2,511,578)
Other comprehensive loss	$ (76)				(76)
Tax benefits from stock-based compensation	13,003			13,003
Net income	128,740					128,740
Equity component of 0.75% convertible senior notes due 2021, net	112,554			112,554
Sale of warrants	74,690			74,690
Purchase of convertible note hedges	$ (115,818)			(115,818)
Ending Balance, shares at Jul. 30, 2016	31,420,310	31,420,310
Ending Balance, value at Jul. 30, 2016	$ 557,287		$ 10,473	$ 10,208	$ (1,274)	$ 537,880

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies	12 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies	Jul. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies	Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation Dycom Industries, Inc. (“Dycom” or the “Company”) is a leading provider of specialty contracting services throughout the United States and in Canada. The Company provides program management, engineering, construction, maintenance and installation services for telecommunications providers, underground facility locating services for various utilities, including telecommunications providers, and other construction and maintenance services for electric and gas utilities. The consolidated financial statements include the results of Dycom and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly-owned. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated and the financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring accruals that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of such statements. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Segment Information – The Company operates in one reportable segment. Its services are provided by its operating segments on a decentralized basis. Each operating segment consists of a subsidiary (or in certain instances, the combination of two or more subsidiaries). Management of the operating segments report to the Company’s Chief Operating Officer who reports to the Chief Executive Officer, the chief operating decision maker. All of the Company’s operating segments have been aggregated into one reportable segment based on their similar economic characteristics, nature of services and production processes, type of customers, and service distribution methods. The Company’s operating segments provide services throughout the United States and in Canada. Revenues from services provided in Canada were immaterial during each of fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014. Additionally, the Company had no material long-lived assets in Canada as of July 30, 2016 or July 25, 2015. Accounting Period – The Company’s fiscal year ends on the last Saturday in July. As a result, each fiscal year consists of either 52 weeks or 53 weeks of operations (with the additional week of operations occurring in the fourth quarter). Fiscal 2016 consisted of 53 weeks of operations. Fiscal 2015 and 2014 each consisted of 52 weeks of operations. Fiscal 2017 will consist of 52 weeks of operations. Significant Accounting Policies & Estimates Use of Estimates – The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in these consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. For the Company, key estimates include: the purchase price allocations of businesses acquired, the fair value of reporting units for goodwill impairment analysis, the assessment of impairment of intangibles and other long-lived assets, asset lives used in computing depreciation and amortization, accrued insurance claims, income taxes, accruals for contingencies, including legal matters, recognition of revenue for costs and estimated earnings under the cost-to-cost measure of the percentage of completion method of accounting, allowance for doubtful accounts, and stock-based compensation expense for performance-based stock awards. These estimates are based on the Company’s historical experience and management’s understanding of current facts and circumstances. At the time they are made, the Company believes that such estimates are fair when considered in conjunction with the consolidated financial position and results of operations taken as a whole. However, actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Revenue Recognition. The Company performs a majority of its services under master service agreements and other agreements that contain customer-specified service requirements, such as discrete pricing for individual tasks. Revenue is recognized under these arrangements based on units-of-delivery as each unit is completed. The remainder of the Company’s services, representing less than 5% of its contract revenues during fiscal 2016 and less than 10% of its contract revenues during each of fiscal 2015 and 2014, are performed under contracts using the cost-to-cost measure of the percentage of completion method of accounting. Revenue is recognized under these arrangements based on the ratio of contract costs incurred to date to total estimated contract costs. For contracts using the cost-to-cost measure of the percentage of completion method of accounting, the Company accrues the entire amount of a contract loss at the time the loss is determined to be probable and can be reasonably estimated. During fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, there was no material impact to the Company’s results of operations due to changes in contract estimates. There were no material amounts of unapproved change orders or claims recognized during fiscal 2016, 2015, or 2014. The current asset “Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings” represents revenues recognized in excess of amounts billed. The current liability “Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings” represents billings in excess of revenues recognized. Cash and Equivalents – Cash and equivalents primarily include balances on deposit in banks. The Company maintains substantially all of its cash and equivalents at financial institutions it believes to be of high credit quality. To date, the Company has not experienced any loss or lack of access to cash in its operating accounts. Restricted Cash – As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, the Company had approximately $5.0 million and $4.5 million, respectively, in restricted cash, which is held as collateral in support of the Company’s insurance obligations. Restricted cash is included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets and changes in restricted cash are reported in cash flows used in investing activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts – The Company grants credit under normal payment terms, generally without collateral, to its customers. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses on uncollected balances. Management analyzes the collectability of accounts receivable balances each period. This analysis considers the aging of account balances, historical bad debt experience, changes in customer creditworthiness, current economic trends, customer payment activity, and other relevant factors. Should any of these factors change, the estimate made by management may also change, which could affect the level of the Company’s future provision for doubtful accounts. The company recognizes an increase in the allowance for doubtful accounts when it is probable that a receivable is not collectible and the loss can be reasonably estimated. Any increase in the allowance account has a corresponding negative effect on the Company’s results of operations. Inventories – Inventories consist of materials and supplies used in the ordinary course of business and are carried at the lower of cost (using the first-in, first-out method) or market. Inventories also include certain job specific materials that are valued using the specific identification method. For contracts where the Company is required to supply part or all of the materials on behalf of a customer, the loss of a customer or declines in contract volumes could result in an impairment of the value of materials purchased. Property and Equipment – Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives (see Note 6, Property and Equipment, for the range of useful lives). Leasehold improvements are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the lesser of the estimated useful life of the asset or the remaining lease term. Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred and major improvements are capitalized. When assets are sold or retired, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is included in other income. Capitalized software is accounted for in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Topic 350-40, Internal Use Software. Capitalized software consists primarily of costs to purchase and develop internal-use software and is amortized over its useful life as a component of depreciation expense. Property and equipment includes internally developed capitalized computer software at net book value of $23.0 million and $21.8 million as of July 30, 2016, and July 25, 2015, respectively. Goodwill and Intangible Assets – The Company accounts for goodwill and other intangibles in accordance with ASC Topic 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (“ASC Topic 350”). Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are assessed annually for impairment as of the first day of the fourth fiscal quarter of each year, or more frequently if events occur that would indicate a potential reduction in the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. The Company performs its annual impairment review of goodwill at the reporting unit level. Each of the Company’s operating segments with goodwill represents a reporting unit for the purpose of assessing impairment. If the Company determines the fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangible assets is less than their carrying value as a result of the tests, an impairment loss is recognized and reflected in operating income or loss in the consolidated statements of operations during the period incurred. In accordance with ASC Topic 360, Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, the Company reviews finite-lived intangible assets for impairment whenever an event occurs or circumstances change that indicates that the carrying amount of such assets may not be fully recoverable. Recoverability is determined based on an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows resulting from the use of an asset and its eventual disposition. Should an asset not be recoverable, an impairment loss is measured by comparing the fair value of the asset to its carrying value. If the Company determines the fair value of an asset is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized in operating income or loss in the consolidated statements of operations during the period incurred. The Company uses judgment in assessing whether goodwill and intangible assets are impaired. Estimates of fair value are based on the Company’s projection of revenues, operating costs, and cash flows taking into consideration historical and anticipated future results, general economic and market conditions, as well as the impact of planned business or operational strategies. The Company determines the fair value of its reporting units using a weighting of fair values derived equally from the income approach and the market approach valuation methodologies. The income approach uses the discounted cash flow method and the market approach uses the guideline company method. Changes in the Company’s judgments and projections could result in significantly different estimates of fair value potentially resulting in impairments of goodwill and other intangible assets. The inputs used for fair value measurements of the reporting units and other related indefinite-lived intangible assets are the lowest level (Level 3) inputs. Business Combinations – The Company accounts for business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting. The purchase price of each business acquired is allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and the liabilities assumed based on information regarding their respective fair values on the date of acquisition. Any excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the separately identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed is allocated to goodwill. Management determines the fair values used in purchase price allocations for intangible assets based on historical data, estimated discounted future cash flows, and expected royalty rates for trademarks and trade names, as well as certain other information. The valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires a number of judgments and is subject to revision as additional information about the fair value of assets and liabilities becomes available. Additional information, which existed as of the acquisition date but unknown to the Company at that time, may become known during the remainder of the measurement period, a period not to exceed twelve months from the acquisition date. Adjustments in the purchase price allocation may require a recasting of the amounts allocated to goodwill and intangible assets. Acquisition costs are expensed as incurred. The results of operations of businesses acquired are included in the consolidated financial statements from their dates of acquisition. Long-Lived Tangible Assets – The Company reviews long-lived tangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be fully recoverable. Determination of recoverability is based on an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows resulting from the use of an asset group and its eventual disposition. Measurement of an impairment loss is based on the fair value of the asset compared to its carrying value. Long-lived tangible assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell. Accrued Insurance Claims – For claims within the Company’s insurance program, it retains the risk of loss, up to certain limits, for matters related to automobile liability, general liability (including damages associated with underground facility locating services), workers’ compensation, and employee group health. The Company has established reserves that it believes to be adequate based on current evaluations and its experience with these types of claims. A liability for unpaid claims and the associated claim expenses, including incurred but not reported losses, is determined with the assistance of an actuary and reflected in the consolidated financial statements as accrued insurance claims. The effect on the Company’s financial statements is generally limited to the amount needed to satisfy its insurance deductibles or retentions. The liability for total accrued insurance claims and related processing costs was $89.7 million and $87.3 million as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively, and included incurred but not reported losses of approximately $44.5 million and $39.4 million, respectively. Based on prior payment patterns for similar claims, $36.8 million and $35.8 million of the amounts accrued as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively, were expected to be paid within the next twelve months. Insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015 was $5.7 million and $9.5 million, respectively, of which $5.7 million and $8.9 million, respectively, was included in non-current other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. As of July 25, 2015, $0.6 million of insurance recoveries/receivables was included in other current assets. The Company estimates the liability for claims based on facts, circumstances, and historical experience. Recorded loss reserves are not discounted even though they will not be paid until sometime in the future. Factors affecting the determination of the expected cost for existing and incurred but not reported claims include, but are not limited to, the magnitude and quantity of future claims, the payment pattern of claims which have been incurred, changes in the medical condition of claimants, and other factors such as inflation, tort reform or other legislative changes, unfavorable jury decisions and court interpretations. Per Share Data – Basic earnings per common share is computed based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding unvested restricted share units. Diluted earnings per common share includes the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period and dilutive potential common shares arising from the Company’s stock-based awards (including unvested restricted share units), convertible senior notes and warrants if their inclusion is dilutive under the treasury stock method. Common stock equivalents related to stock-based awards, convertible senior notes and warrants are excluded from diluted earnings per common share calculations if their effect would be anti-dilutive. Stock-Based Compensation – The Company has certain stock-based compensation plans under which it grants stock-based awards, including stock options, restricted share units, and performance share units to attract, retain, and reward talented employees, officers and directors, and to align stockholder and employee interests. The Company has granted stock-based awards under its 2012 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2012 Plan”), 2003 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2003 Plan”) and the 2007 Non-Employee Directors Equity Plan (“2007 Directors Plan” and, together with the 2012 Plan and 2003 Plan, the “Plans”). The Company’s policy is to issue new shares to satisfy equity awards under the Plans. The total number of shares available for grant under the Plans as of July 30, 2016 was 1,023,162. Compensation expense for stock-based awards is based on fair value at the measurement date and fluctuates over time as a result of the vesting period of the stock-based awards and the Company’s performance, as measured by criteria set forth in the performance-based awards. This expense is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and the amount of expense ultimately recognized depends on the number of awards that actually vest. For performance-based restricted share units (“Performance RSUs”), the Company evaluates compensation expense quarterly and recognizes expense for performance-based awards only if it determines it is probable that the performance measures for the awards will be met. Accordingly, stock-based compensation expense may vary from fiscal year to fiscal year. The fair value of stock option grants is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Stock options generally vest ratably over a four-year period and are exercisable over a period of up to ten years. The fair value of time-based restricted share units (“RSUs”) and Performance RSUs is estimated on the date of grant and is generally equal to the closing stock price on that date. RSUs and Performance RSUs are settled in one share of the Company’s common stock upon vesting. RSUs vest ratably over a period of four years. Performance RSUs vest over a period of three years from the date of grant if certain performance measures are achieved. The performance measures are based on the Company’s fiscal year operating earnings (adjusted for certain amounts) as a percentage of contract revenues and its fiscal year operating cash flow level. Additionally, certain Performance RSU awards include three-year performance measures that, if met, result in supplemental shares being awarded. The three-year performance measures required to earn supplemental awards are more difficult to achieve than those required to earn annual target awards and are based on the Company’s three-year cumulative operating earnings (adjusted for certain amounts) as a percentage of contract revenues and its three-year cumulative operating cash flow level. Income Taxes – The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax bases of assets and liabilities. The Company’s effective income tax rate differs from the statutory rate for the tax jurisdictions where it operates primarily as the result of the impact of non-deductible and non-taxable items and tax credits recognized in relation to pre-tax results. Measurement of the Company’s tax position is based on the applicable statutes, federal and state case law, and its interpretations of tax regulations. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records net deferred tax assets to the extent it believes these assets will more likely than not be realized. In making such determination, the Company considers all relevant factors, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies and recent financial operations. In the event the Company determines that it would be able to realize deferred income tax assets in excess of their net recorded amount, the Company would adjust the valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes. In accordance with ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes (“ASC Topic 740”), the Company recognizes tax benefits in the amount that it deems more likely than not will be realized upon ultimate settlement of any tax uncertainty. Tax positions that fail to qualify for recognition are recognized in the period in which the more-likely-than-not standard has been reached, when the tax positions are resolved with the respective taxing authority or when the statute of limitations for tax examination has expired. The Company recognizes applicable interest related to tax amounts in interest expense and penalties within general and administrative expenses. During fiscal 2015, the Company adopted new IRS regulations for capitalizing and deducting costs incurred to acquire, produce, or improve tangible property. The new regulations did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Fair Value of Financial Instruments – The Company’s financial instruments primarily consist of cash and equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, income taxes receivable and payable, accounts payable, certain accrued expenses, and long-term debt. The carrying amounts of these items approximate fair value due to their short maturity, except for certain of the Company’s outstanding long-term debt, which is based on observable market-based inputs (Level 2). See Note 10, Debt, for further information regarding the fair value of such financial instruments. The Company’s cash and equivalents are based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1) as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015. During fiscal 2016 and 2015, the Company had no material nonrecurring fair value measurements of assets or liabilities subsequent to their initial recognition. Taxes Collected from Customers – ASC Topic 605, Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to Governmental Authorities, addresses the income statement presentation of any taxes collected from customers and remitted to a government authority and provides that the presentation of taxes on either a gross basis or a net basis in an accounting policy decision that should be disclosed. The Company’s policy is to present contract revenues net of sales taxes. Other Assets – As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, other non-current assets consist of deferred financing costs related to the Company’s revolving credit facility of $6.4 million and $6.7 million, respectively, insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims of $5.7 million and $8.9 million, respectively, as well as long-term deposits, prepaid discounts, and other non-current assets totaling $17.7 million and $13.5 million, respectively. As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, other non-current assets also included $4.0 million for an investment in nonvoting senior units of a former customer, which is accounted for using the cost method. See Reclassifications below regarding the reclassification of unamortized debt issuance costs as of July 25, 2015. Reclassifications As of July 25, 2015, income taxes payable of $8.9 million has been reclassified in the consolidated balance sheets from Other accrued liabilities to Income taxes payable in order to conform to the current year presentation. In addition, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company early adopted Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, which resulted in the reclassification of $4.9 million of unamortized debt issuance costs from other non-current assets to long-term debt as a contra-liability within the consolidated balance sheets as of July 25, 2015. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted Accounting Standards Discontinued Operations - In April 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity (“ASU 2014-08”). ASU 2014-08 changes the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. In accordance with ASU 2014-08, a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity is required to be reported in discontinued operations only if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. ASU 2014-08 also requires expanded disclosures about the assets, liabilities, income, and expenses of discontinued operations as well as disclosure of the pre-tax income arising from a disposal of a significant part of an organization that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The Company adopted ASU 2014-08 in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Going Concern - In August 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern (“ASU 2014-15”). ASU 2014-15 requires management to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year following the date its financial statements are issued. If such conditions or events exist, an entity should disclose that there is substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year following the date its financial statements are issued. Disclosure should include the principal conditions or events that raise substantial doubt, management’s evaluation of the significance of those conditions or events in relation to the entity’s ability to meet its obligations, and management’s plans that are intended to mitigate those conditions or events. The Company early adopted ASU 2014-15 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Extraordinary and Unusual Items - In January 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-01, Income Statement - Extraordinary and Unusual Items (Subtopic 225-20): Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items (“ASU 2015-01”), which eliminates the concept of an extraordinary item from GAAP. As a result, an entity is no longer required to separately classify, present, or disclose extraordinary events and transactions; however, the presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained. The Company early adopted ASU 2015-01 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Debt Issuance Costs - In April 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs (“ASU 2015-03”), which requires debt issuance costs to be presented as a direct deduction from the associated debt liability on the balance sheet. In August 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-15, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30) Presentation and Subsequent of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements (“ASU 2015-15”), to clarify guidance within ASU 2015-03 with respect to line-of-credit arrangements. ASU 2015-15 allows an entity, in the case of a line-of-credit arrangement, to either follow ASU 2015-03 or defer and present debt issuance costs as an asset and subsequently amortize the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. The Company early adopted ASU 2015-03 and ASU 2015-15 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 on a retrospective basis. The adoption of ASU 2015-15 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as the Company opted to continue to defer and present debt issuance costs related to its revolving credit facility as an asset and subsequently amortize the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the revolving credit facility. The adoption of ASU 2015-03 resulted in the classification of $1.2 million of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company’s convertible senior notes as a direct deduction of long-term debt in the consolidated balance sheet as of July 30, 2016. In addition, $4.9 million of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company’s senior subordinated notes outstanding at July 25, 2015 was reclassified from other non-current assets to long-term debt within the consolidated balance sheet as of July 25, 2015. Internal-Use Software Accounting - In April 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-05, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) Customer's Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement (“ASU 2015-05”), which provides guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The guidance does not change the current treatment for accounting for software licenses or service contracts. The Company early adopted ASU 2015-05 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 on a prospective basis and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted Stock Compensation - In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). ASU 2016-09 includes provisions intended to simplify accounting for share-based payment transactions including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. Under ASU 2016-09, all excess tax benefits (or tax deficiencies) will be recognized as income tax benefit (or expense) in the statement of operations. Additionally, when applying the treasury stock method for computing diluted earnings per share under ASU 2016-09 the assumed proceeds will not include any windfall tax benefits, resulting in equity awards which may result in a greater number of dilutive shares outstanding. Further, excess tax benefits will be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity. ASU 2016-09 also permits withholding up to the maximum statutory tax rate in applicable jurisdictions as the threshold to qualify for equity classification. ASU 2016-09 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2018 and interim reporting periods within that year. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period with all adjustments to be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Revenue Recognition - In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”) requiring entities to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date (“ASU 2015-14”) which defers the effective date for ASU 2014-09. As such, ASU 2014-09 will be effective for the Company beginning in fiscal 2019 and interim reporting periods within that year, using either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is currently evaluating the transition methods and the effect of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net) (“ASU 2016-08”), which clarifies the implementation guidance provided in ASU 2014-09 on principal versus agent considerations. Additionally, in April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing (“ASU 2016-10”), which clarifies the implementation guidance in ASU 2014-09 on licensing and identifying performance obligations. Furthermore, in May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, which clarifies implementation guidance in ASU 2014-09 on assessing collectability, noncash consideration, presentation of sales tax and completed contracts and contract modifications at transition. ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 must be adopted concurrently with ASU 2014-09. The Company is currently evaluating the transition methods and the effect of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Leases - In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”). ASU 2016-02 substantially retains the classification for leasing transactions as finance or operating leases. The new guidance establishes a right-of-use model that requires a lessee to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms greater than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. For finance leases the lessee would recognize interest expense and amortization of the right-of-use asset and for operating leases the lessee would recognize straight-line total lease expense. ASU 2016-02 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2020 and interim reporting periods within that year. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Income Taxes - In November 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes (“ASU 2015-17”). ASU 2015-17 eliminates the current requirement for an entity to separate deferred income tax liabilities and assets into current and non-current amounts in a classified statement of financial position. To simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes, the amendments in ASU 2015-17 require that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as non-current in a classified statement of financial position. ASU 2015-17 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2018 and interim reporting periods within that year. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The adoption of this guidance will change the presentation of deferred tax assets and liabilities within the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Business Combinations - In September 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-16, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments (“ASU 2015-16”). ASU 2015-16 replaces the requirement for an acquirer in a business combination to retrospectively adjust provisional amounts recognized at the acquisition date with a corresponding adjustment to goodwill when measurement period adjustments are identified. The new guidance requires an acquirer to recognize adjustments in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The acquirer must record, in the same period’s financial statements, the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. Additionally, the acquirer must present separately on the face of the income statement, or disclose in the notes, the portion of the amount recorded in current period earnings by line item that would have been recorded in previous reporting periods if the adjustments had been recognized as of the acquisition date. ASU 2015-16 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2017 and interim reporting periods within that year. The adoption of the guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Inventory - In July 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory (“ASU 2015-11”), which provides guidance on the measurement of inventory that uses the first-in, first-out or average cost method. An entity should measure inventory within the scope of ASU 2015-11 at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. ASU 2015-11 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2018 and interim reporting periods within that year and applied on a prospective basis. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Computation of Earnings Per Common Share

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Computation of Earnings Per Common Share

Computation of Earnings per Common Share

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016		2015		2014
Net income available to common stockholders (numerator)	$	128,740	$	84,324	$	39,978

Weighted-average number of common shares (denominator)	32,315,636		34,045,481		33,773,158

Basic earnings per common share	$	3.98	$	2.48	$	1.18

Weighted-average number of common shares	32,315,636		34,045,481		33,773,158
Potential shares of common stock arising from stock options, and unvested restricted share units	800,119		981,207		1,043,223
Total shares-diluted (denominator)	33,115,755		35,026,688		34,816,381

Diluted earnings per common share	$	3.89	$	2.41	$	1.15

The weighted-average number of common shares outstanding used in the computation of diluted earnings per common share does not include the effect of the following instruments because their inclusion would have been anti-dilutive:



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016	2015	2014
Stock-based awards	65,514	103,896	586,389
0.75% convertible senior notes due 2021⁽¹⁾	5,005,734	—	—
Warrants⁽¹⁾	5,005,734	—	—
Total anti-dilutive weighted shares excluded from the calculation of earnings per common share	10,076,982	103,896	586,389

⁽¹⁾See Note 10, Debt, for additional information related to the Company’s convertible senior notes and warrant transactions.

Under the treasury stock method, the convertible senior notes will have a dilutive impact on earnings per common share if the Company’s average stock price for the period exceeds the conversion price for the convertible senior notes of $96.89 per share. The warrants will have a dilutive impact on earnings per common share if the Company’s average stock price for the period exceeds the warrant strike price of $130.43 per share. As the Company’s average stock price for fiscal 2016 was below the conversion price for the convertible senior notes and the strike price for the warrants, the underlying common shares were anti-dilutive as reflected above.

In connection with the offering of the convertible senior notes, the Company entered into convertible note hedge transactions with counterparties for the purpose of reducing the potential dilution to common stockholders from the conversion of the notes and offsetting any potential cash payments in excess of the principal amount of the notes. Prior to conversion, the convertible note hedge is not included for purposes of the calculation of earnings per common share as its effect would be anti-dilutive. Upon conversion, the convertible note hedge is expected to offset the dilutive effect of the convertible senior notes when the stock price is above $96.89 per share. See Note 10, Debt, for additional information related to the Company’s convertible note hedge.

Acquisitions

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisitions

Fiscal 2016 - During August 2015, the Company acquired TelCom Construction, Inc. and an affiliate (together, “TelCom”). The purchase price was $48.8 million paid in cash. TelCom, based in Clearwater, Minnesota, provides construction and maintenance services for telecommunications providers throughout the United States. This acquisition expands the Company’s geographical presence within its existing customer base. During July 2016, the Company acquired certain assets and assumed certain liabilities associated with the wireless network deployment and wireline operations of Goodman Networks Incorporated (“Goodman”) for a cash purchase price of $107.5 million, subject to working capital adjustments. The total cash transaction consideration paid was $102.8 million after a preliminary working capital adjustment of $4.7 million. The acquired operations provide wireless construction services in a number of markets, including Texas, Georgia, and Southern California. The acquisition reinforces the Company’s wireless construction resources and expands the Company’s geographical presence within its existing customer base. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company acquired NextGen Telecom Services Group, Inc. (“NextGen”) for $5.6 million, net of cash acquired. NextGen provides construction and maintenance services for telecommunications providers in the Northeastern United States.

Fiscal 2015 - During the first quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company acquired Hewitt Power & Communications, Inc. (“Hewitt”) for $8.0 million, net of cash acquired. Hewitt provides specialty contracting services primarily for telecommunications providers in the Southeastern United States. During the second quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company acquired the assets of two cable installation contractors for an aggregate purchase price of $1.5 million. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company acquired Moll’s Utility Services, LLC (“Moll’s”) for $6.5 million, net of cash acquired. Moll’s provides specialty contracting services primarily for utilities in the Midwest United States. The Company also acquired the assets of Venture Communications Group, LLC (“Venture”) for $15.6 million during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. Venture provides specialty contracting services primarily for telecommunications providers in the Midwest and Southeastern United States.

Fiscal 2014 - During the third quarter of fiscal 2014, the Company acquired a telecommunications specialty construction contractor in Canada for $0.7 million. Additionally, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, the Company acquired Watts Brothers Cable Construction, Inc. (“Watts Brothers”) for $16.4 million. Watts Brothers provides specialty contracting services primarily for telecommunications providers in the Midwest and Southeastern United States.

Fiscal 2016 and 2015 Purchase Price Allocations

The purchase price allocations of TelCom, Moll’s and Venture were completed during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016. Purchase price allocations of the Goodman and NextGen acquisitions are preliminary and will be completed during fiscal 2017 when valuations for intangible assets and other amounts are finalized. The following table summarizes the aggregate consideration paid for businesses acquired in fiscal 2016 and 2015 and presents the allocation of these amounts to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets based on their estimated fair values as of the respective dates of acquisition (dollars in millions):



	2016		2015
Assets
Accounts receivable	$	16.8	$	2.9
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings	34.3		0.7
Inventories and other current assets	11.7		1.8
Property and equipment	11.5		4.3
Goodwill	38.4		2.3
Intangible assets - customer relationships	94.6		21.8
Intangibles assets - trade names and other	1.8		0.2
Total assets	209.1		34.0

Liabilities
Accounts payable	23.5		1.8
Accrued and other liabilities	28.4		0.6
Total liabilities	51.9		2.4

Net Assets Acquired	$	157.2	$	31.6

With respect to the acquisition from Goodman, $22.5 million of the purchase price was placed into an escrow account, $2.5 million of which is available for working capital adjustments and $20.0 million of which is available to the Company for indemnification obligations of the seller. Of the $20.0 million available for indemnification obligations, $10.0 million will be released to the seller upon the occurrence of certain conditions, but in no event earlier than the twelve-month anniversary of the closing date. The remaining $10.0 million will be released to the seller when the seller satisfies certain conditions with respect to a dispute with the state of Texas over a sales tax liability of approximately $31.7 million (the “Sales Tax Liability”). Under the asset purchase agreement, Goodman has retained responsibility for this Sales Tax Liability. Should Goodman not resolve this matter, the state may assert that the Company is a successor to the operations and seek to recover from the Company. In such event the Company would seek indemnification for recovery from Goodman, including from the funds contained in the escrow account, for any amount the Company pays.

Results of businesses acquired during fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 are included in the consolidated financial statements from their respective dates of acquisition and were not considered material to the Company’s consolidated financial statements. For businesses acquired in fiscal 2016, these aggregate amounts included contract revenues of $119.8 million and intangible amortization expense of $2.1 million during fiscal 2016. Net income since the date of acquisition, inclusive of charges allocated for management costs, was not material. See Note 7, Goodwill and Intangible Assets, for information regarding the goodwill and intangible assets of businesses acquired.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for a business combination (or series of individually immaterial business combinations) completed during the period, including background, timing, and recognized assets and liabilities. The disclosure may include leverage buyout transactions (as applicable).

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
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Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 14: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Reference 15: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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+ Details

Accounts Receivable

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Receivables [Abstract]

Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Contract billings	$	297,532		$	292,029
Retainage	32,101			24,321
Total	329,633			316,350
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts	(1,603		)	(1,216		)
Accounts receivable, net	$	328,030		$	315,134

The Company grants credit under normal payment terms, generally without collateral, to its customers. The Company expects to collect the outstanding balance of accounts receivable, net (including retainage) within the next twelve months. There were no material accounts receivable amounts representing claims or other similar items subject to uncertainty as of July 30, 2016 or July 25, 2015.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company began participating in a customer-sponsored vendor payment program. Under this program, accounts receivable are collected on an expedited basis pursuant to a non-recourse sale of the receivables to a bank partner of the customer. The program significantly reduces the time required to collect that customer’s receivables. The Company incurs a slight discount fee associated with the collection of the accounts receivable that is reflected as an expense component in other income, net in the consolidated statements of operations. For fiscal 2016, the receivables sold under the program totaled $95.3 million. Cash collected from this arrangement is reflected within cash provided by operating activities in the consolidated statement of cash flows for fiscal 2016. The amount of receivables sold which have not been collected from the bank partner as of July 30, 2016 and the discount fees for fiscal 2016 were immaterial.

The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses on uncollected balances. The allowance for doubtful accounts changed as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015
Allowance for doubtful accounts at beginning of period	$	1,216		$	836
Bad debt expense	1,252			465
Amounts charged against the allowance	(865		)	(85		)
Allowance for doubtful accounts at end of period	$	1,603		$	1,216

- Definition

The entire disclosure for claims held for amounts due a entity, excluding financing receivables. Examples include, but are not limited to, trade accounts receivables, notes receivables, loans receivables. Includes disclosure for allowance for credit losses.

+ References + Details

Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Contractors [Abstract]

Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings

Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings (“CIEB”) includes revenue for services performed under contracts using the units-of-delivery method of accounting and the cost-to-cost measure of the percentage of completion method of accounting. Amounts consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Costs incurred on contracts in progress	$	307,826		$	240,077
Estimated to date earnings	92,226			72,446
Total costs and estimated earnings	400,052			312,523
Less: billings to date	(42,637		)	(54,689		)
	$	357,415		$	257,834
Included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets under the captions:
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings	$	376,972		$	274,730
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings	(19,557		)	(16,896		)
	$	357,415		$	257,834

As of July 30, 2016, the Company expects that substantially all of its CIEB will be billed to customers and collected in the normal course of business within the next twelve months. Additionally, there were no material CIEB amounts representing claims or other similar items subject to uncertainty as of July 30, 2016 or July 25, 2015.

Property and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	Estimated Useful Lives (In years)	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Land	—	$	3,475		$	3,475
Buildings	10-35	11,969			11,944
Leasehold improvements	1-10	13,753			8,491
Vehicles	1-5	404,273			316,979
Computer hardware and software	1-7	95,570			80,091
Office furniture and equipment	1-10	10,374			8,183
Equipment and machinery	1-10	242,079			194,943
Total		781,493			624,106
Less: accumulated depreciation		(454,823		)	(392,542		)
Property and equipment, net		$	326,670		$	231,564

Depreciation expense and repairs and maintenance were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016		2015		2014
Depreciation expense	$	105,514	$	79,331	$	74,517
Repairs and maintenance expense	$	29,487	$	22,054	$	21,829

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Goodwill

The Company’s goodwill balance was $310.2 million and $271.7 million as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively. The increase in goodwill during fiscal 2016 was primarily from the acquisitions of TelCom and Goodman. Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for fiscal 2016 and 2015 were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Goodwill		Accumulated Impairment Losses			Total
Balance as of July 26, 2014	$	464,855	$	(195,767	)	$	269,088
Purchase price allocation adjustments	377		—			377
Goodwill from fiscal 2015 acquisitions	2,188		—			2,188
Balance as of July 25, 2015	467,420		(195,767		)	271,653
Purchase price allocation adjustments	101		—			101
Goodwill from fiscal 2016 acquisitions	38,403		—			38,403
Balance as of July 30, 2016	$	505,924	$	(195,767	)	$	310,157

The full amount of goodwill from the fiscal 2016 and 2015 acquisitions is expected to be deductible for tax purposes. Goodwill largely consists of expected synergies resulting from the acquisitions, including the expansion of the Company’s geographic scope and strengthening of its customer base.

The Company’s goodwill resides in multiple reporting units. Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are assessed annually for impairment as of the first day of the fourth fiscal quarter of each year, or more frequently if events occur that would indicate a potential reduction in the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. The profitability of individual reporting units may suffer periodically due to downturns in customer demand and the level of overall economic activity including, in particular, construction and housing activity. The Company’s customers may reduce capital expenditures and defer or cancel pending projects during times of slowing economic conditions. Additionally, adverse conditions in the economy and future volatility in the equity and credit markets could impact the valuation of the Company’s reporting units. The cyclical nature of the Company’s business, the high level of competition existing within its industry, and the concentration of its revenues from a limited number of customers may also cause results to vary. These factors may affect individual reporting units disproportionately, relative to the Company as a whole. As a result, the performance of one or more of the reporting units could decline, resulting in an impairment of goodwill or intangible assets.

The Company evaluates current operating results, including any losses, in the assessment of goodwill and other intangible assets. The estimates and assumptions used in assessing the fair value of the reporting units and the valuation of the underlying assets and liabilities are inherently subject to significant uncertainties. Changes in judgments and estimates could result in significantly different estimates of the fair value of the reporting units and could result in impairments of goodwill or intangible assets of the reporting units. In addition, adverse changes to the key valuation assumptions contributing to the fair value of the Company’s reporting units could result in an impairment of goodwill or intangible assets.

The Company performed its annual impairment assessment as of the first day of the fourth quarter of each of fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 and concluded that no impairment of goodwill or the indefinite-lived intangible asset was indicated at any reporting unit for any of the years. Qualitative assessments on reporting units that comprise a substantial portion of the Company’s consolidated goodwill balance and on its indefinite-lived intangible asset were performed. A qualitative assessment includes evaluating all identified events and circumstances that could affect the significant inputs used to determine the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset for the purpose of determining whether it is more likely than not that these assets are impaired. The Company considers various factors while performing qualitative assessments, including macroeconomic conditions, industry and market conditions, financial performance of the reporting units, changes in market capitalization, and any other specific reporting unit considerations. These qualitative assessments indicated that it was more likely than not that the fair value exceeded carrying value for those reporting units. For the remaining reporting units, the Company performed the first step of the quantitative analysis described in ASC Topic 350. Under the income approach, the key valuation assumptions used in determining the fair value estimates of the Company's reporting units for each annual test were (a) a discount rate based on the Company's best estimate of the weighted average cost of capital adjusted for certain risks for the reporting units; (b) terminal value based on terminal growth rates; and (c) seven expected years of cash flow before the terminal value. The table below outlines certain assumptions in each of the Company's fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 annual quantitative impairment analyses:



	2016	2015	2014
Terminal Growth Rate Range	2.0% - 3.0%	1.5% - 2.5%	1.5% - 3.0%
Discount Rate	11.5%	11.5%	11.5%

The discount rate reflects risks inherent within each reporting unit operating individually. These risks are greater than the risks inherent in the Company as a whole. The fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 analyses used the same discount rate and included consideration of market inputs such as the risk-free rate, equity risk premium, industry premium, and cost of debt, among other assumptions. The changes in these inputs from fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014 had offsetting impacts and the discount rate remained at 11.5%. The Company believes the assumptions used in the impairment analysis each year are reflective of the risks inherent in the business models of the reporting units and within the industry. Under the market approach, the guideline company method develops valuation multiples by comparing the reporting units to similar publicly traded companies. Key valuation assumptions and valuation multiples used in determining the fair value estimates of the reporting units rely on (a) the selection of similar companies; (b) obtaining estimates of forecast revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization for the similar companies; and (c) selection of valuation multiples as they apply to the reporting unit characteristics.

The Company determined that the fair values of each of the reporting units were substantially in excess of their carrying values in the fiscal 2016 annual assessment. Management determined that significant changes were not likely in the factors considered to estimate fair value and analyzed the impact of such changes were they to occur. Specifically, if there was a 25% decrease in the fair value of any of the reporting units due to a decline in their discounted cash flows resulting from lower operating performance, the conclusion of the assessment would remain unchanged. Additionally, if the discount rate applied in the fiscal 2016 impairment analysis had been 100 basis points higher than estimated for each of the reporting units, and all other assumptions were held constant, the conclusion of the assessment would remain unchanged and there would be no impairment of goodwill. As of July 30, 2016, the Company believes the goodwill is recoverable for all of the reporting units; however, there can be no assurances that goodwill may not be impaired in future periods.

Intangible Assets

The Company’s intangible assets consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	Weighted Average Remaining Useful Lives (In years)	July 30, 2016		July 25, 2015
Gross carrying amount:
Customer relationships	12.7	$	289,955	$	195,375
Contract backlog	0.3	4,780		8,076
Trade names	7.1	9,800		8,200
UtiliQuest trade name	—	4,700		4,700
Non-compete agreements	2.6	685		635
		309,920		216,986
Accumulated amortization:
Customer relationships		101,012		83,772
Contract backlog		4,666		7,381
Trade names		6,034		4,650
Non-compete agreements		329		257
		112,041		96,060
Net Intangible Assets		$	197,879	$	120,926

During fiscal 2016, the gross carrying amount of intangible assets for customer relationships, trade names, and non-compete agreements increased $94.6 million, $1.6 million, and $0.2 million, respectively, for businesses acquired during fiscal 2016. During fiscal 2016, certain contract backlog intangible assets and non-compete agreement intangible assets became fully amortized. As a result, the gross carrying amount and the associated accumulated amortization decreased $3.4 million. This decrease had no effect on the net carrying value of intangible assets.

Amortization of the Company’s customer relationship intangibles and contract backlog intangibles is recognized on an accelerated basis as a function of the expected economic benefit. Amortization for the Company’s other finite-lived intangibles is recognized on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life. Amortization expense for finite-lived intangible assets was $19.4 million, $16.7 million, and $18.3 million for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.

As of July 30, 2016, total amortization expense for existing finite-lived intangible assets for each of the five succeeding fiscal years and thereafter is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Amount
2017	$	24,374
2018	22,073
2019	19,719
2020	18,810
2021	17,394
Thereafter	90,809
Total	$	193,179

As of July 30, 2016, the Company believes that the carrying amounts of its intangible assets are recoverable. However, if adverse events were to occur or circumstances were to change indicating that the carrying amount of such assets may not be fully recoverable, the assets would be reviewed for impairment and the assets could be impaired.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the aggregate amount of goodwill and a description of intangible assets, which may include (a) for amortizable intangible assets (also referred to as finite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, the amount of any significant residual value, and the weighted-average amortization period, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization (also referred to as indefinite-lived intangible assets), the carrying amount, and (c) the amount of research and development assets acquired and written off in the period, including the line item in the income statement in which the amounts written off are aggregated, if not readily apparent from the income statement. Also discloses (a) for amortizable intangibles assets in total and by major class, the gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization, the total amortization expense for the period, and the estimated aggregate amortization expense for each of the five succeeding fiscal years, (b) for intangible assets not subject to amortization the carrying amount in total and by major class, and (c) for goodwill, in total and for each reportable segment, the changes in the carrying amount of goodwill during the period (including the aggregate amount of goodwill acquired, the aggregate amount of impairment losses recognized, and the amount of goodwill included in the gain (loss) on disposal of a reporting unit). If any part of goodwill has not been allocated to a reportable segment, discloses the unallocated amount and the reasons for not allocating. For each impairment loss recognized related to an intangible asset (excluding goodwill), discloses: (a) a description of the impaired intangible asset and the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method for determining fair value, (c) the caption in the income statement or the statement of activities in which the impairment loss is aggregated, and (d) the segment in which the impaired intangible asset is reported. For each goodwill impairment loss recognized, discloses: (a) a description of the facts and circumstances leading to the impairment, (b) the amount of the impairment loss and the method of determining the fair value of the associated reporting unit, and (c) if a recognized impairment loss is an estimate not finalized and the reasons why the estimate is not final. May also disclose the nature and amount of any significant adjustments made to a previous estimate of an impairment loss.

+ References + Details

Accrued Insurance Claims	12 Months Ended
Accrued Insurance Claims	Jul. 30, 2016
Accrued Insurance Claims [Abstract]
Accrued Insurance Claims	Accrued Insurance Claims For claims within its insurance program, the Company retains the risk of loss, up to certain limits, for matters related to automobile liability, general liability (including damages associated with underground facility locating services), workers’ compensation, and employee group health. With regard to losses occurring in fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2016, the Company retains the risk of loss up to $1.0 million on a per occurrence basis for automobile liability, general liability, and workers’ compensation. The Company has maintained this same level of retention for fiscal 2017. These retention amounts are applicable to all of the states in which the Company operates, except with respect to workers’ compensation insurance in two states in which the Company participates in state-sponsored insurance funds. Aggregate stop-loss coverage for automobile liability, general liability, and workers’ compensation claims was $84.6 million for fiscal 2016 and is $103.7 million for fiscal 2017. The Company is party to a stop-loss agreement for losses under its employee group health plan. For calendar year 2014 and 2015, the Company retained the risk of loss up to the first $250,000 of claims per participant as well as an annual aggregate amount. With regard to losses occurring in calendar year 2016, the Company retains the risk of loss, on an annual basis, up to the first $400,000 of claims per participant as well as an annual aggregate amount. The liability for total accrued insurance claims and related processing costs was $89.7 million and $87.3 million as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively, of which $52.8 million and $51.5 million, respectively, was long-term and reflected in non-current liabilities in the consolidated financial statements. Insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015 were $5.7 million and $9.5 million, respectively, of which $5.7 million and $8.9 million, respectively, was included in non-current other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. As of July 25, 2015 $0.6 million of insurance recoveries/receivables was included in other current assets.

Other Accrued Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Other Accrued Liabilities

Other accrued liabilities consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016		July 25, 2015
Accrued payroll and related taxes	$	23,908	$	18,673
Accrued employee benefit and incentive plan costs	40,943		29,528
Accrued construction costs	41,123		26,395
Other current liabilities	16,328		14,894
Total other accrued liabilities	$	122,302	$	89,490

Debt

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

The Company’s outstanding indebtedness consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Credit Agreement - Revolving facility (matures April 2020)	$	—		$	95,250
Credit Agreement - Term loan facilities (mature April 2020)	346,250			150,000
0.75% convertible senior notes, net (matures September 2021)⁽¹⁾	373,077			—
7.125% senior subordinated notes, net⁽¹⁾	—			272,559
Long-term debt premium on 7.125% senior subordinated notes	—			2,841
	719,327			520,650
Less: current portion	(13,125		)	(3,750		)
Long-term debt	$	706,202		$	516,900

⁽¹⁾During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company early adopted ASU 2015-03 which resulted in the classification of $1.2 million of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company’s convertible senior notes as a direct deduction of long-term debt in the consolidated balance sheet as of July 30, 2016. In addition, $4.9 million of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company’s senior subordinated notes outstanding at July 25, 2015 was reclassified from other non-current assets to long-term debt within the consolidated balance sheet as of July 25, 2015.

Senior Credit Agreement

The Company and certain of its subsidiaries are party to a credit agreement with the various lenders named therein dated as of December 3, 2012 (as amended as of June 17, 2016, May 20, 2016, April 24, 2015 and September 9, 2015), that matures on April 24, 2020 (as amended, the “Credit Agreement”). The Credit Agreement provides for a $450.0 million revolving facility, $350.0 million in aggregate term loan facilities, and contains a sublimit of $200.0 million for the issuance of letters of credit. Subject to certain conditions, the Credit Agreement provides the Company the ability to enter into one or more incremental facilities, either by increasing the revolving commitments under the Credit Agreement and/or in the form of term loans, up to the greater of (i) $150.0 million and (ii) an amount such that, after giving effect to such incremental facility on a pro forma basis (assuming that the amount of the incremental commitments are fully drawn and funded), the consolidated senior secured leverage ratio does not exceed 2.25 to 1.00. The consolidated senior secured leverage ratio is the ratio of the Company’s consolidated senior secured indebtedness to its trailing twelve month consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“EBITDA”), as defined by the Credit Agreement. The incremental facilities can be in the form of revolving commitments under the Credit Agreement and/or in the form of term loans. Payments under the Credit Agreement are guaranteed by substantially all of the Company’s subsidiaries and secured by the equity interests of the substantial majority of the Company’s subsidiaries.

Borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear interest at rates described below based upon the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio, which is the ratio of the Company’s consolidated total funded debt to its trailing twelve month consolidated EBITDA, as defined by the Credit Agreement. In addition, the Company incurs certain fees for unused balances and letters of credit at the rates described below, also based upon the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio:



Borrowings - Eurodollar Rate Loans	1.25% - 2.00% plus LIBOR
Borrowings - Base Rate Loans	0.25% - 1.00% plus administrative agent’s base rate⁽¹⁾
Unused Revolver Commitment	0.25% - 0.40%
Standby Letters of Credit	1.25% - 2.00%
Commercial Letters of Credit	0.625% - 1.00%

⁽¹⁾The agent’s base rate is described in the Credit Agreement as the highest of (i) the administrative agent’s prime rate, (ii) the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.50%, and (iii) the Eurodollar rate plus 1.00%, plus an applicable margin.

Standby letters of credit of approximately $57.6 million and $54.4 million, issued as part of the Company’s insurance program, were outstanding under the Credit Agreement as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively. The weighted average interest rates and fees for balances under the Credit Agreement as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015 were as follows:



	Weighted Average Rate End of Period
	July 30, 2016	July 25, 2015
Borrowings - Term loan facilities	2.49%	1.94%
Borrowings - Revolving facility⁽¹⁾	—%	2.02%
Standby Letters of Credit	2.00%	1.75%
Unused Revolver	0.40%	0.35%

⁽¹⁾There were no outstanding borrowings under the revolving facility as of July 30, 2016.

The Credit Agreement contains a financial covenant that requires the Company to maintain a consolidated leverage ratio of not greater than 3.50 to 1.00, as measured at the end of each fiscal quarter. It provides for certain increases to this ratio in connection with permitted acquisitions on the terms and conditions specified in the Credit Agreement. In addition, the Credit Agreement contains a financial covenant that requires the Company to maintain a consolidated interest coverage ratio, which is the ratio of the Company’s trailing twelve-month consolidated EBITDA to its consolidated interest expense, as defined by the Credit Agreement, of not less than 3.00 to 1.00, as measured at the end of each fiscal quarter. At July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, the Company was in compliance with the financial covenants of the Credit Agreement and had additional borrowing availability in the revolving facility of $392.4 million and $300.3 million, respectively, as determined by the most restrictive covenants.

0.75% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021

On September 15, 2015, the Company issued $485.0 million principal amount of 0.75% convertible senior notes due September 2021 (the “Notes”) in a private placement. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $471.7 million after deducting the initial purchasers’ discount of approximately $13.3 million. The Company used approximately $60.0 million of the net proceeds to repurchase 805,000 shares of its common stock from the initial purchasers of the Notes in privately negotiated transactions. In addition, the Company used approximately $296.6 million of the net proceeds to fund the redemption of all of its 7.125% senior subordinated notes and approximately $41.1 million for the net cost of convertible note hedge transactions and warrant transactions as further described below. The remainder of the proceeds of approximately $73.9 million is intended for general corporate purposes.

The Notes, governed by the terms of an indenture between the Company and a bank trustee are unsecured obligations and do not contain any financial covenants or restrictions on the payments of dividends, the incurrence of indebtedness or the issuance or repurchase of securities by the Company. The Notes bear interest at a rate of 0.75% per year, payable in cash semiannually in March and September, and will mature on September 15, 2021, unless earlier purchased by the Company or converted. In the event the Company fails to perform certain obligations under the indenture, the Notes will accrue additional interest. Certain events are considered “events of default” under the Notes, which may result in the acceleration of the maturity of the Notes, as described in the indenture.

Each $1,000 of principal of the Notes is convertible into 10.3211 shares of the Company’s common stock, which is equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $96.89 per share. The conversion rate is subject to adjustment in certain circumstances, including in connection with specified fundamental changes (as defined in the indenture). In addition, holders of the Notes have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or a portion of their notes on the occurrence of a fundamental change at a price of 100% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest.

Prior to June 15, 2021, the Notes are convertible by the Note holder under the following circumstances: (1) during any fiscal quarter commencing after October 24, 2015 (and only during such fiscal quarter) if the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the 30 consecutive trading days period ending on the last trading day of the immediately preceding fiscal quarter is greater than or equal to 130% of the applicable conversion price on such trading day; (2) during the five consecutive business day period after any five consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the trading price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes for each trading day of such measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock and the applicable conversion rate on each such trading day; or (3) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events. On or after June 15, 2021 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders may convert all or a portion of their Notes at any time regardless of the foregoing circumstances. Upon conversion, the Notes will be settled, at the Company’s election, in cash, shares of the Company’s common stock, or a combination of cash and shares of the Company’s common stock. The Company intends to settle the principal amount of the Notes with cash.

In accordance with ASC Topic 470, Debt (“ASC Topic 470”), certain convertible debt instruments that may be settled in cash upon conversion are required to be separately accounted for as liability and equity components. The carrying amount of the liability component is calculated by measuring the fair value of a similar instrument that does not have an associated convertible feature using an indicative market interest rate (“Comparable Yield”) as of the date of issuance. The difference between the principal amount of the notes and the carrying amount represents a debt discount. The debt discount is amortized to interest expense using the Comparable Yield (5.5% with respect to the Notes) using the effective interest rate method over the term of the notes. The Company incurred $14.7 million of interest expense during fiscal 2016 for the non-cash amortization of the debt discount. The equity component represents the difference between the principal amount of the Notes and the debt discount, both measured at issuance. The equity component is not remeasured as long as it continues to meet the conditions for equity classification.

The Notes consist of the following components (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016
Liability component
Principal amount of 0.75% convertible senior notes due September 2021	$	485,000
Less: Debt discount	(101,679		)
Less: Debt issuance costs⁽¹⁾	(10,244		)
Net carrying amount of Notes	$	373,077
Equity Component⁽²⁾	$	112,554

⁽¹⁾Issuance costs of approximately $15.1 million related to the Notes included the initial purchasers’ discount of approximately $13.3 million and approximately $1.8 million paid to third parties. Approximately $11.5 million of issuance costs of the Notes was allocated to the liability component and recorded as a contra-liability, presented net against the carrying amount for the Notes on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet, of which $10.2 million remains unamortized as of July 30, 2016. Debt issuance costs attributable to the liability component are amortized to interest expense on the effective interest rate method over the term of the Notes. During fiscal 2016, the Company recorded $1.2 million related to the amortization of debt issuance costs of the Notes.

⁽²⁾ Approximately $3.6 million of issuance costs paid to the initial purchasers of the Notes and third parties was allocated to the equity component and recorded net against the equity component in stockholders’ equity on the consolidated balance sheets.

The Company determined that the fair value of the Notes as of July 30, 2016 was approximately $458.7 million, based on quoted market prices (level 2), compared to a $373.1 million net carrying amount. The fair value and net carrying amount are both reflected net of the debt discount of $101.7 million and debt issuance costs of $10.2 million as of July 30, 2016.

Convertible Note Hedge and Warrant Transactions

In connection with the offering of the Notes, the Company entered into convertible note hedge transactions with counterparties for the purpose of reducing the potential dilution to common stockholders from the conversion of the Notes and offsetting any potential cash payments in excess of the principal amount of the Notes. In the event that shares or cash are deliverable to holders of the Notes upon conversion at limits defined in the indenture, counterparties to the convertible note hedge will be required to deliver up to 5.006 million shares of the Company’s common stock or pay cash to the Company in a similar amount as the value that the Company delivers to the holders of the Notes based on a conversion price of $96.89 per share. The total cost of the convertible note hedge transactions was $115.8 million.

In addition, the Company entered into separately negotiated warrant transactions with the same counterparties as the convertible note hedge transactions whereby the Company sold warrants to purchase, subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments, up to 5.006 million shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $130.43 per share. The warrants will not have a dilutive effect on the Company’s earnings per share unless the Company’s quarterly average share price exceeds the warrant strike price of $130.43 per share. In this event, the Company expects to settle the warrant transactions on a net share basis whereby it will issue shares of its common stock. The Company received proceeds of approximately $74.7 million from the sale of these warrants.

Upon settlement of the conversion premium of the Notes, convertible note hedge, and warrants, the resulting dilutive impact of these transactions, if any, would be the number of shares necessary to settle the value of the warrant transactions above $130.43 per share. The net amounts incurred in connection with the convertible note hedge and warrant transactions were recorded as a reduction to additional paid-in capital on the consolidated balance sheets during the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and are not expected to be remeasured in subsequent reporting periods.

The Company recorded a deferred tax liability of $43.4 million in connection with the debt discount associated with the Notes and recorded a deferred tax asset of $43.2 million in connection with the convertible note hedge transactions. Both the deferred tax liability and deferred tax asset are included in non-current deferred tax liabilities as of July 30, 2016.

7.125% Senior Subordinated Notes - Loss on Debt Extinguishment

As of July 25, 2015, Dycom Investments, Inc. (the “Issuer”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, had outstanding an aggregate principal amount of $277.5 million of 7.125% senior subordinated notes due 2021 (the “7.125% Notes”). The outstanding 7.125% Notes were redeemed on October 15, 2015 (the “Redemption Date”) with a portion of the proceeds from the Notes offering described above. The aggregate amount paid in connection with the redemption was $296.6 million and was comprised of the $277.5 million principal amount of the outstanding 7.125% Notes, $4.9 million for accrued and unpaid interest to the Redemption Date, and approximately $14.2 million for the applicable call premium as defined in the indenture governing the 7.125% Notes. The call premium amount consisted of (a) the present value as defined under the indenture of the sum of (i) approximately $4.9 million representing interest for the period from the Redemption Date through January 15, 2016, and (ii) the redemption price of 103.563% (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) of the 7.125% Notes at January 15, 2016, minus (b) the principal amount of the 7.125% Notes.

In connection with the redemption of the 7.125% Notes, the Company incurred a pre-tax charge for early extinguishment of debt of approximately $16.3 million during the first quarter of fiscal 2016. This charge is comprised of: (i) $4.9 million for the present value of the interest payments for the period from the Redemption Date through January 15, 2016, (ii) $6.5 million for the excess of the present value of the redemption price over the carrying value of the 7.125% Notes, and (iii) $4.9 million for the write-off of deferred financing charges related to the fees incurred in connection with the issuance of the 7.125% Notes.

Income Taxes

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

The components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015		2014
Current:
Federal	$	42,096		$	42,516	$	27,161
Foreign	310			502		416
State	8,399			6,998		5,087
	50,805			50,016		32,664
Deferred:
Federal	26,467			305		(5,706		)
Foreign	(296		)	268		—
State	611			671		(617		)
	26,782			1,244		(6,323		)
Total Tax Provision	$	77,587		$	51,260	$	26,341

The Company is subject to federal income taxes in the United States and the income taxes of multiple state jurisdictions and in Canada. There were immaterial amounts of pre-tax earnings related to Canadian operations for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014. With few exceptions, the Company is no longer subject to U.S. federal, state and local, or Canadian income tax examinations for fiscal years ended 2012 and prior. During fiscal 2016, the Company was notified by the Internal Revenue Service that its federal income tax return for fiscal 2014 was selected for examination. The Company believes its provision for income taxes is adequate; however, any assessment would affect the Company’s results of operations and cash flows. The increase in deferred tax expense and related increase in deferred tax liabilities, net non-current, during fiscal 2016 was primarily related to the extension of bonus depreciation pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of December 2015. Income taxes payable totaled $15.3 million and $8.9 million as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively. Income taxes receivable totaled $1.4 million and $2.1 million as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively, and are included in current assets in the consolidated balance sheets.

The deferred tax provision represents the change in the deferred tax assets and the liabilities representing the tax consequences of changes in the amount of temporary differences and changes in tax rates during the year. The significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Deferred tax assets:
Insurance and other reserves	$	33,847		$	31,222
Allowance for doubtful accounts and reserves	1,013			1,047
Net operating loss carryforwards	1,151			1,443
Stock-based compensation	6,424			5,149
Other	1,363			1,303
Total deferred tax assets	43,798			40,164
Valuation allowance	(358		)	(870		)
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance	$	43,440		$	39,294
Deferred tax liabilities:
Property and equipment	$	63,926		$	34,702
Goodwill and intangibles	32,632			29,930
Other	736			1,420
Deferred tax liabilities	$	97,294		$	66,052

Net deferred tax liabilities	$	53,854		$	26,758

The valuation allowance above reduces the deferred tax asset balances to the amount that the Company has determined is more likely than not to be realized. The valuation allowance primarily relates to immaterial state net operating loss carryforwards, which generally begin to expire in fiscal 2022.

The difference between the total tax provision and the amount computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rates to pre-tax income is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015			2014
Statutory rate applied to pre-tax income	$	72,214		$	47,454		$	23,212
State taxes, net of federal tax benefit	7,398			5,159			2,863
Non-taxable and non-deductible items, net	(2,013		)	(1,220		)	491
Change in accruals for uncertain tax positions	113			(74		)	53
Other items, net	(125		)	(59		)	(278		)
Total tax provision	$	77,587		$	51,260		$	26,341

Non-taxable and non-deductible items during fiscal 2016 and 2015 consisted of a production related tax deduction of $4.5 million and $4.0 million, respectively, offset by $2.5 million and $2.8 million of non-deductible items, respectively.

As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, the Company had total unrecognized tax benefits of $2.4 million and $2.3 million, respectively, resulting from uncertain tax positions. The Company’s effective tax rate will be reduced during future periods if it is determined these tax benefits are realizable. The Company had approximately $1.0 million and $0.9 million accrued for the payment of interest and penalties as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively. Interest expense related to unrecognized tax benefits for the Company was immaterial.

A summary of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015			2014
Balance at beginning of year	$	2,327		$	2,401		$	2,348
Additions based on tax positions related to the fiscal year	161			44			137
Additions (reductions) based on tax positions related to prior years	86			(98		)	10
Reductions related to the expiration of statutes of limitation	(134		)	(20		)	(94		)
Balance at end of year	$	2,440		$	2,327		$	2,401

Other Income, Net

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]

Other Income, Net

The components of other income, net, were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016		2015		2014
Gain on sale of fixed assets	$	9,806	$	7,110	$	10,706
Miscellaneous income, net of other expense	627		1,181		522
Total other income, net	$	10,433	$	8,291	$	11,228

Employee Benefit Plans (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits Disclosure

13. Employee Benefit Plans

The Company sponsors a defined contribution plan that provides retirement benefits to eligible employees who elect to participate (the “Dycom Plan”). Under the plan, participating employees may defer up to 75% of their base pre-tax eligible compensation up to the IRS limits. The Company contributes 30% of the first 5% of base eligible compensation that a participant contributes to the plan and may make discretionary matching contributions from time to time. The Company’s contributions were $4.8 million, $4.0 million, and $1.9 million related to the fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 periods, respectively.

In connection with the businesses acquired in fiscal 2013, the Company assumed the obligation to make future contributions under an employee benefit plan in effect for certain hourly employees. Contributions for fiscal 2015 and 2014 under this plan were $0.8 million and $1.2 million, respectively. This plan was merged into the Dycom Plan in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015.

Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries contribute amounts to multiemployer defined benefit pension plans under the terms of collective bargaining agreements (“CBA”) that cover employees represented by unions. Contributions are generally based on fixed amounts per hour per employee for employees covered by the plan. Participating in a multiemployer plan entails risks different from single-employer plans in the following aspects:


•	assets contributed to the multiemployer plan by one employer may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating employers;


•	if a participating employer stops contributing to the plan, the unfunded obligations of the plan may be allocated to the remaining participating employers; and


•	if the Company stops participating in the multiemployer plan, the Company may be required to pay the plan an amount based on the underfunded status of the plan. This payment is referred to as a withdrawal liability.

The information available to the Company about the multiemployer plans in which it participates is generally dated due to the nature of the reporting cycle of multiemployer plans and legal requirements under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”) as amended by the Multiemployer Pension Plan Amendments Act (“MPPAA”). Based upon the most recently available annual reports, the Company’s contribution to each of the plans was less than 5% of each plans’ total contributions. The Pension, Hospitalization and Benefit Plan of the Electrical Industry – Pension Trust Fund (“the Plan”) was considered individually significant and is presented separately below. All other plans are presented in the aggregate in the following table (dollars in thousands):



		PPA Zone Status⁽¹⁾			Company Contributions							Expiration Date of CBA
Fund	EIN	2015	2014	FIP/RP Status⁽²⁾	2016		2015		2014		Surcharge Imposed	Expiration Date of CBA
The Plan	13-6123601	Green	Green	No	$	3,057	$	3,852	$	3,044	No	05/05/2016
Other Plans					622		934		635			Various
Total Contributions					$	3,679	$	4,786	$	3,679

⁽¹⁾ The most recent Pension Protection Act (the “PPA”) zone status was provided by the Plan for Plan years ending September 30, 2015 and September 30, 2014, respectively. The zone status is based on information provided by the Plan and is certified by the Plan’s actuary. Generally, plans in the red zone are less than 65% funded, plans in the yellow zone are between 65% and 80% funded, and plans in the green zone are at least 80% funded.

⁽²⁾ The “FIR/RP Status” column indicates plans for which a financial improvement plan (FIP) or rehabilitation plan (RP), as required by the Internal Revenue Code, is either pending or has been implemented.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, one of the Company’s subsidiaries, which previously contributed to the Plan, ceased operations. The Company does not expect to incur a withdrawal liability under the Plan because the Company believes there is a statutory exemption available under ERISA for multiemployer pension plans that primarily cover employees in the building and construction industry. However, there can be no assurance that the Plan will not make a claim for withdrawal liability or that, if made, the Company will be successful in asserting the statutory exemption as a defense.

Capital Stock

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Capital Stock

Repurchases of Common Stock - The Company made the following share repurchases during fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014:



Period	Number of Shares Repurchased	Total Consideration (In thousands)		Average Price Per Share
Fiscal 2014	360,900	$	9,999	$	27.71
Fiscal 2015	1,669,924	$	87,146	$	52.19
Fiscal 2016	2,511,578	$	169,997	$	67.69

In connection with the Notes offering in September 2015, the Company used approximately $60.0 million of the net proceeds from the Notes to repurchase 805,000 shares of its common stock from the initial purchasers of the Notes in privately negotiated transactions at a price of $74.53 per share, the closing price of Dycom’s common stock on September 9, 2015. The additional $110.0 million spent during fiscal 2016 was for shares repurchased under authorized share repurchase programs. All shares repurchased during fiscal 2016 have been canceled. Upon cancellation, the excess over par value is recorded as a reduction in additional paid-in capital until the balance is reduced to zero, with any additional excess recorded to retained earnings. During fiscal 2016, $17.1 million was charged to retained earnings related to the Company’s share repurchases. As of July 30, 2016, $100.0 million authorized on April 26, 2016 remained available for repurchases through October 2017 in open market or private transactions.

Restricted Stock Tax Withholdings - During fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, the Company withheld 161,988 shares, 145,395 shares, and 136,604 shares, respectively, totaling $12.6 million, $4.7 million, and $3.8 million, respectively, to meet payroll tax withholdings obligations arising from the vesting of restricted share units. All shares withheld have been canceled. Shares withheld for tax withholdings do not reduce the Company’s total share repurchase authority.

Stock-Based Awards

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Stock-Based Awards

Stock-based compensation expense and the related tax benefit recognized and realized related to stock options and restricted share units during fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016		2015		2014
Stock-based compensation	$	16,850	$	13,923	$	12,596
Tax benefit recognized in the statement of operations	$	6,436	$	5,458	$	4,819
Cash tax benefit realized from option exercises and stock vestings	$	18,097	$	13,976	$	7,116

During fiscal 2016 and 2015, the Company recognized approximately $10.4 million and $8.5 million, respectively, in stock-based compensation expense in connection with certain performance-based target awards related to the fiscal 2016 performance criteria. In addition, during fiscal 2016, the Company recognized approximately $0.6 million in stock-based compensation expense in connection with supplemental shares for the three-year performance period ending fiscal 2016. The Company did not recognize any stock-based compensation expense in connection with supplemental shares during fiscal 2015 or 2014.

As of July 30, 2016, the Company had unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options, RSUs, and target Performance RSUs (based on the Company’s estimate of performance goal achievement) of $2.9 million, $8.0 million, and $15.4 million, respectively. This expense will be recognized over a weighted-average number of years of 2.6, 2.7, and 1.4, respectively, based on the average remaining service periods for the awards. As of July 30, 2016, the Company may recognize an additional $4.3 million in compensation expense in future periods if the maximum amount of Performance RSUs is earned based on certain performance measures being met.

The following table summarizes the valuation of stock options and restricted share units granted during fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 and the significant valuation assumptions:



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015			2014
Weighted average fair value of RSUs granted	$	72.41		$	31.42		$	27.54
Weighted average fair value of Performance RSUs granted	$	77.86		$	31.03		$	27.66
Weighted average fair value of stock options granted	$	78.20		$	19.48		$	17.43
Stock option assumptions:
Risk-free interest rate	2.0		%	2.1		%	2.7		%
Expected life (in years)	7.3			8.8			8.8
Expected volatility	55.0		%	54.5		%	55.1		%
Expected dividends	—			—			—

Stock Options

The following table summarizes stock option award activity during fiscal 2016:



	Stock Options
	Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (In years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (In thousands)
Outstanding as of July 25, 2015	915,323		$	16.86
Granted	35,863		$	78.20
Options exercised	(212,619	)	$	12.91
Canceled	(1,300	)	$	13.88
Outstanding as of July 30, 2016	737,267		$	20.99	5.5	$	53,862

Exercisable options as of July 30, 2016	553,495		$	15.63	4.7	$	43,405

The total amount of exercisable options as of July 30, 2016 presented above reflects the approximate amount of options expected to vest after giving effect to estimated forfeitures at an insignificant rate. The aggregate intrinsic values for stock options presented above are based on the Company’s closing stock price of $94.05 on July 29, 2016. These amounts represent the total intrinsic value that would have been received by the holders of the stock-based awards had the awards been exercised and sold as of that date, excluding applicable taxes. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised was $15.0 million, $24.9 million, and $8.4 million for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. The Company received cash from the exercise of stock options of $2.7 million, $8.9 million, and $14.6 million during fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.

RSUs and Performance RSUs

The following table summarizes RSU and Performance RSU award activity during fiscal 2016:



	Restricted Stock
	RSUs						Performance RSUs
	Share Units		Weighted Average Grant Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (In thousands)		Share Units		Weighted Average Grant Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (In thousands)
Outstanding as of July 25, 2015	322,008		$	24.46			945,540		$	26.46
Granted	92,429		$	72.41			238,209		$	77.86
Share units vested	(139,921	)	$	23.67			(361,998	)	$	25.28
Forfeited or canceled	(23,252	)	$	24.28			(195,780	)	$	23.40
Outstanding as of July 30, 2016	251,264		$	42.56	$	23,631	625,971		$	47.66	$	58,873

The total amount of granted Performance RSUs presented above consists of 170,304 target shares granted to officers and employees and 67,905 supplemental shares granted to officers of the Company and its subsidiaries. During fiscal 2016, the Company canceled approximately 169,790 supplemental shares of Performance RSUs outstanding as of July 25, 2015, as a result of fiscal 2015 performance criteria for attaining supplemental shares not being met. The total amount of Performance RSUs outstanding as of July 30, 2016 consists of 500,681 target shares and 125,290 supplemental shares. Of the supplemental shares outstanding as of July 30, 2016, approximately 11,043 shares will vest and approximately 49,797 will be canceled in fiscal 2017 as a result of the fiscal 2016 performance criteria for attaining supplemental shares being partially met.

The unvested RSUs reflect the approximate amount of units expected to vest after giving effect to estimated forfeitures at an insignificant rate. The total fair value of restricted share units vested during fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 was $39.1 million, $15.2 million, and $11.7 million, respectively.

The aggregate intrinsic values presented above for restricted share units are based on the Company’s closing stock price of $94.05 on July 29, 2016. These amounts represent the total intrinsic value that would have been received by the holders of the stock-based awards had the awards been exercised and sold as of that date, excluding applicable taxes.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for compensation-related costs for equity-based compensation, which may include disclosure of policies, compensation plan details, allocation of equity compensation, incentive distributions, equity-based arrangements to obtain goods and services, deferred compensation arrangements, employee stock ownership plan details and employee stock purchase plan details.

+ References + Details

Concentration of Credit Risk

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]

Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company is subject to concentrations of credit risk relating primarily to its cash and equivalents, accounts receivable, and costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings. The Company grants credit under normal payment terms, generally without collateral, to its customers. These customers primarily consist of telephone companies, cable television multiple system operators, wireless carriers, network operators, telecommunication equipment and infrastructure providers, and electric and gas utilities and others. With respect to a portion of the services provided to these customers, the Company has statutory lien rights which may in certain circumstances assist in the Company’s collection efforts. Adverse changes in overall business and economic factors may impact the Company’s customers and increase credit risks. These risks may become elevated as a result of economic weakness and market volatility. In the past, some of the Company’s customers have experienced significant financial difficulties and likewise, some may experience financial difficulties in the future. These difficulties expose the Company to increased risks related to the collectability of amounts due for services performed.

The Company’s customer base is highly concentrated, with its top five customers in each of fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 accounting for approximately 69.7%, 61.1%, and 58.3% of its total contract revenues, respectively. Customers whose contract revenues exceeded 10% of total contract revenue during fiscal 2016, 2015, or 2014, were as follows:



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016	2015	2014
AT&T Inc.	24.4%	20.8%	19.2%
CenturyLink, Inc.	14.5%	14.2%	13.8%
Comcast Corporation	13.6%	12.9%	11.7%
Verizon Communications Inc.	11.0%	7.6%	8.2%

Customers whose combined amounts of trade accounts receivable and costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings, net (“CIEB, net”) exceeded 10% of total combined trade receivables and CIEB, net as of July 30, 2016 or July 25, 2015 were as follows (dollars in millions):



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
	Amount		% of Total	Amount		% of Total
AT&T Inc.	$	138.8	20.3%	$	101.7	17.7%
Comcast Corporation	$	95.3	13.9%	$	63.0	11.0%
CenturyLink, Inc.	$	79.0	11.5%	$	80.1	14.0%
Windstream Corporation	$	79.0	11.5%	$	47.8	8.3%
Verizon Communications Inc.	$	69.0	10.1%	$	50.8	8.9%

In addition, another customer had $71.5 million, or 10.4% as of July 30, 2016, and $64.5 million, or 11.2% as of July 25, 2015.

The Company believes that none of its significant customers were experiencing financial difficulties that would materially impact the collectability of the Company’s trade accounts receivable and costs in excess of billings as of July 30, 2016. See Note 4, Accounts Receivable, and Note 5, Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings, for additional information regarding the Company’s trade accounts receivable and costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings.

Commitments and Contingencies

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

In May 2013, CertusView Technologies, LLC (“CertusView”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, filed suit against S & N Communications, Inc. and S&N Locating Services, LLC (together, “S&N”) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia alleging infringement of certain United States patents. In January 2015, the District Court granted S&N’s motion for judgment on the pleadings for failure to claim patent-eligible subject matter, and entered final judgment on those claims the same day. CertusView filed a Notice of Appeal in February 2015 with the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In May 2015, the District Court reopened the case to allow S&N to proceed with inequitable conduct counterclaims. In July 2015, the Court of Appeals dismissed the appeal in that court pending resolution of proceedings in the District Court. A bench trial in the District Court on the inequitable conduct counterclaims whereby S&N was seeking additional grounds to find the patents unenforceable took place in March 2016 and post-trial briefs were filed with the District Court in April 2016. In August 2016, the District Court ruled against S&N and in favor of CertusView on the inequitable conduct counterclaims and entered final judgment. Subsequent to the judgment being entered, on August 24, 2016, S&N filed a motion requesting the District Court make a finding that the suit was an exceptional case and award S&N recovery of its attorney fees. It is too early to evaluate the likelihood of an outcome to this motion and CertusView intends to vigorously defend itself.

From time to time, the Company is party to various other claims and legal proceedings. It is the opinion of management, based on information available at this time, that such other pending claims or proceedings will not have a material effect on its financial statements.

For claims within its insurance program, the Company retains the risk of loss, up to certain limits, for matters related to automobile liability, general liability (including damages associated with underground facility locating services), workers’ compensation, and employee group health. The Company has established reserves that it believes to be adequate based on current evaluations and experience with these types of claims. For these claims, the effect on the Company’s financial statements is generally limited to the amount needed to satisfy insurance deductibles or retentions.

Commitments

The Company and its subsidiaries have operating leases covering office facilities, vehicles, and equipment that have original noncancelable terms in excess of one year. Certain of these leases contain renewal provisions and generally require the Company to pay insurance, maintenance, and other operating expenses. Total expense incurred under these operating lease agreements was $26.8 million, $18.5 million, and $17.7 million for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. The Company also incurred rental expense of approximately $23.0 million, $20.4 million, and $20.4 million for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively, related to facilities, vehicles, and equipment which are being leased under original terms that are one year or less. The future minimum obligation under the leases with noncancelable terms in excess of one year is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Future Minimum Lease Payments
2017	$	19,845
2018	15,289
2019	10,704
2020	5,425
2021	3,075
Thereafter	5,098
Total	$	59,436

Performance Bonds and Guarantees - The Company has obligations under performance and other surety contract bonds related to certain of its customer contracts. Performance bonds generally provide a customer with the right to obtain payment and/or performance from the issuer of the bond if the Company fails to perform its contractual obligations. As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, the Company had $165.8 million and $294.9 million of outstanding performance and other surety contract bonds, respectively.

The Company periodically guarantees certain obligations of its subsidiaries, including obligations in connection with obtaining state contractor licenses and leasing real property and equipment.

Letters of Credit - The Company has standby letters of credit issued under its Credit Agreement as part of its insurance program. These standby letters of credit collateralize the Company’s obligations to its insurance carriers in connection with the settlement of potential claims. As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, the Company had $57.6 million and $54.4 million, respectively, of outstanding standby letters of credit issued under the Credit Agreement.

Quarterly Financial Data (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Quarterly Financial Data [Abstract]

Quarterly Financial Information

Quarterly Financial Data (Unaudited)

In the opinion of management, the following unaudited quarterly data from fiscal 2016 and 2015 reflect all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals), which are necessary to present a fair presentation of amounts shown for such periods (the sum of the quarterly results may not equal the reported annual amounts due to rounding). The earnings per common share calculation for each quarter is based on the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding plus the dilutive effect of stock options and restricted share units, if any.



Fiscal 2016⁽²⁾:	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter⁽¹⁾
	(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
Revenues	$	659,268	$	559,470	$	664,645	$	789,159
Costs of earned revenues, excluding depreciation and amortization	$	506,978	$	450,284	$	520,408	$	605,909
Gross profit	$	152,290	$	109,186	$	144,237	$	183,250
Net income	$	30,824	$	15,473	$	33,083	$	49,360
Earnings per common share - Basic	$	0.94	$	0.47	$	1.02	$	1.57
Earnings per common share - Diluted	$	0.91	$	0.46	$	1.00	$	1.54

⁽¹⁾ The Company uses a fiscal year ending on the last Saturday in July. As a result, each fiscal year consists of either 52 weeks or 53 weeks of operations (with the additional week of operations occurring in the fourth quarter). Fiscal 2016 consisted of 53 weeks with 14 weeks of operations during the fourth quarter, compared to fiscal 2015 which consisted of 52 weeks with 13 weeks of operations during the fourth quarter.

⁽²⁾ During the first quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company incurred a pre-tax charge of approximately $16.3 million for early extinguishment of debt in connection with the redemption of the Company’s 7.125% senior subordinated notes. In addition, the Company incurred $14.7 million of interest expense during fiscal 2016 for the non-cash amortization of the debt discount associated with the Company’s 0.75% convertible senior notes due September 2021, issued in September 2015. See Note 10, Debt, for additional information regarding the Company’s debt transactions.



Fiscal 2015:	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
	(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
Revenues	$	510,389	$	441,081	$	492,363	$	578,479
Costs of earned revenues, excluding depreciation and amortization	$	403,468	$	355,429	$	388,239	$	446,114
Gross profit	$	106,921	$	85,652	$	104,124	$	132,365
Net income	$	20,807	$	9,432	$	20,258	$	33,827
Earnings per common share - Basic	$	0.61	$	0.28	$	0.59	$	1.00
Earnings per common share - Diluted	$	0.59	$	0.27	$	0.58	$	0.97

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies (Policies)	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation Dycom Industries, Inc. (“Dycom” or the “Company”) is a leading provider of specialty contracting services throughout the United States and in Canada. The Company provides program management, engineering, construction, maintenance and installation services for telecommunications providers, underground facility locating services for various utilities, including telecommunications providers, and other construction and maintenance services for electric and gas utilities. The consolidated financial statements include the results of Dycom and its subsidiaries, all of which are wholly-owned. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated and the financial statements reflect all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring accruals that are, in the opinion of management, necessary for a fair presentation of such statements. These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Segment Information	Segment Information – The Company operates in one reportable segment. Its services are provided by its operating segments on a decentralized basis. Each operating segment consists of a subsidiary (or in certain instances, the combination of two or more subsidiaries). Management of the operating segments report to the Company’s Chief Operating Officer who reports to the Chief Executive Officer, the chief operating decision maker. All of the Company’s operating segments have been aggregated into one reportable segment based on their similar economic characteristics, nature of services and production processes, type of customers, and service distribution methods. The Company’s operating segments provide services throughout the United States and in Canada. Revenues from services provided in Canada were immaterial during each of fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014. Additionally, the Company had no material long-lived assets in Canada as of July 30, 2016 or July 25, 2015.
Accounting Period	Accounting Period – The Company’s fiscal year ends on the last Saturday in July. As a result, each fiscal year consists of either 52 weeks or 53 weeks of operations (with the additional week of operations occurring in the fourth quarter). Fiscal 2016 consisted of 53 weeks of operations. Fiscal 2015 and 2014 each consisted of 52 weeks of operations. Fiscal 2017 will consist of 52 weeks of operations.
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates – The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in these consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. For the Company, key estimates include: the purchase price allocations of businesses acquired, the fair value of reporting units for goodwill impairment analysis, the assessment of impairment of intangibles and other long-lived assets, asset lives used in computing depreciation and amortization, accrued insurance claims, income taxes, accruals for contingencies, including legal matters, recognition of revenue for costs and estimated earnings under the cost-to-cost measure of the percentage of completion method of accounting, allowance for doubtful accounts, and stock-based compensation expense for performance-based stock awards. These estimates are based on the Company’s historical experience and management’s understanding of current facts and circumstances. At the time they are made, the Company believes that such estimates are fair when considered in conjunction with the consolidated financial position and results of operations taken as a whole. However, actual results could differ materially from those estimates.
Revenue Recognition, Policy	Revenue Recognition. The Company performs a majority of its services under master service agreements and other agreements that contain customer-specified service requirements, such as discrete pricing for individual tasks. Revenue is recognized under these arrangements based on units-of-delivery as each unit is completed. The remainder of the Company’s services, representing less than 5% of its contract revenues during fiscal 2016 and less than 10% of its contract revenues during each of fiscal 2015 and 2014, are performed under contracts using the cost-to-cost measure of the percentage of completion method of accounting. Revenue is recognized under these arrangements based on the ratio of contract costs incurred to date to total estimated contract costs. For contracts using the cost-to-cost measure of the percentage of completion method of accounting, the Company accrues the entire amount of a contract loss at the time the loss is determined to be probable and can be reasonably estimated. During fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, there was no material impact to the Company’s results of operations due to changes in contract estimates. There were no material amounts of unapproved change orders or claims recognized during fiscal 2016, 2015, or 2014. The current asset “Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings” represents revenues recognized in excess of amounts billed. The current liability “Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings” represents billings in excess of revenues recognized.
Restricted Cash	Cash and Equivalents – Cash and equivalents primarily include balances on deposit in banks. The Company maintains substantially all of its cash and equivalents at financial institutions it believes to be of high credit quality. To date, the Company has not experienced any loss or lack of access to cash in its operating accounts. Restricted Cash – As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, the Company had approximately $5.0 million and $4.5 million, respectively, in restricted cash, which is held as collateral in support of the Company’s insurance obligations. Restricted cash is included in other assets in the consolidated balance sheets and changes in restricted cash are reported in cash flows used in investing activities in the consolidated statements of cash flows.
Receivables, Trade and Other Accounts Receivable, Allowance for Doubtful Accounts, Policy	Allowance for Doubtful Accounts – The Company grants credit under normal payment terms, generally without collateral, to its customers. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses on uncollected balances. Management analyzes the collectability of accounts receivable balances each period. This analysis considers the aging of account balances, historical bad debt experience, changes in customer creditworthiness, current economic trends, customer payment activity, and other relevant factors. Should any of these factors change, the estimate made by management may also change, which could affect the level of the Company’s future provision for doubtful accounts. The company recognizes an increase in the allowance for doubtful accounts when it is probable that a receivable is not collectible and the loss can be reasonably estimated. Any increase in the allowance account has a corresponding negative effect on the Company’s results of operations.
Inventory, Policy	Inventories – Inventories consist of materials and supplies used in the ordinary course of business and are carried at the lower of cost (using the first-in, first-out method) or market. Inventories also include certain job specific materials that are valued using the specific identification method. For contracts where the Company is required to supply part or all of the materials on behalf of a customer, the loss of a customer or declines in contract volumes could result in an impairment of the value of materials purchased.
Property, Plant and Equipment, Policy	Property and Equipment – Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives (see Note 6, Property and Equipment, for the range of useful lives). Leasehold improvements are depreciated on a straight-line basis over the lesser of the estimated useful life of the asset or the remaining lease term. Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred and major improvements are capitalized. When assets are sold or retired, the cost and related accumulated depreciation are removed from the accounts and the resulting gain or loss is included in other income. Capitalized software is accounted for in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) Topic 350-40, Internal Use Software. Capitalized software consists primarily of costs to purchase and develop internal-use software and is amortized over its useful life as a component of depreciation expense. Property and equipment includes internally developed capitalized computer software at net book value of $23.0 million and $21.8 million as of July 30, 2016, and July 25, 2015, respectively.
Goodwill and Intangible Assets, Policy	Goodwill and Intangible Assets – The Company accounts for goodwill and other intangibles in accordance with ASC Topic 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (“ASC Topic 350”). Goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are assessed annually for impairment as of the first day of the fourth fiscal quarter of each year, or more frequently if events occur that would indicate a potential reduction in the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. The Company performs its annual impairment review of goodwill at the reporting unit level. Each of the Company’s operating segments with goodwill represents a reporting unit for the purpose of assessing impairment. If the Company determines the fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangible assets is less than their carrying value as a result of the tests, an impairment loss is recognized and reflected in operating income or loss in the consolidated statements of operations during the period incurred. In accordance with ASC Topic 360, Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, the Company reviews finite-lived intangible assets for impairment whenever an event occurs or circumstances change that indicates that the carrying amount of such assets may not be fully recoverable. Recoverability is determined based on an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows resulting from the use of an asset and its eventual disposition. Should an asset not be recoverable, an impairment loss is measured by comparing the fair value of the asset to its carrying value. If the Company determines the fair value of an asset is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized in operating income or loss in the consolidated statements of operations during the period incurred. The Company uses judgment in assessing whether goodwill and intangible assets are impaired. Estimates of fair value are based on the Company’s projection of revenues, operating costs, and cash flows taking into consideration historical and anticipated future results, general economic and market conditions, as well as the impact of planned business or operational strategies. The Company determines the fair value of its reporting units using a weighting of fair values derived equally from the income approach and the market approach valuation methodologies. The income approach uses the discounted cash flow method and the market approach uses the guideline company method. Changes in the Company’s judgments and projections could result in significantly different estimates of fair value potentially resulting in impairments of goodwill and other intangible assets. The inputs used for fair value measurements of the reporting units and other related indefinite-lived intangible assets are the lowest level (Level 3) inputs.
Business Combinations	Business Combinations – The Company accounts for business combinations under the acquisition method of accounting. The purchase price of each business acquired is allocated to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and the liabilities assumed based on information regarding their respective fair values on the date of acquisition. Any excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the separately identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed is allocated to goodwill. Management determines the fair values used in purchase price allocations for intangible assets based on historical data, estimated discounted future cash flows, and expected royalty rates for trademarks and trade names, as well as certain other information. The valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed requires a number of judgments and is subject to revision as additional information about the fair value of assets and liabilities becomes available. Additional information, which existed as of the acquisition date but unknown to the Company at that time, may become known during the remainder of the measurement period, a period not to exceed twelve months from the acquisition date. Adjustments in the purchase price allocation may require a recasting of the amounts allocated to goodwill and intangible assets. Acquisition costs are expensed as incurred. The results of operations of businesses acquired are included in the consolidated financial statements from their dates of acquisition.
Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets, Policy	Long-Lived Tangible Assets – The Company reviews long-lived tangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be fully recoverable. Determination of recoverability is based on an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows resulting from the use of an asset group and its eventual disposition. Measurement of an impairment loss is based on the fair value of the asset compared to its carrying value. Long-lived tangible assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell.
Accrued Insurance Claims	Accrued Insurance Claims – For claims within the Company’s insurance program, it retains the risk of loss, up to certain limits, for matters related to automobile liability, general liability (including damages associated with underground facility locating services), workers’ compensation, and employee group health. The Company has established reserves that it believes to be adequate based on current evaluations and its experience with these types of claims. A liability for unpaid claims and the associated claim expenses, including incurred but not reported losses, is determined with the assistance of an actuary and reflected in the consolidated financial statements as accrued insurance claims. The effect on the Company’s financial statements is generally limited to the amount needed to satisfy its insurance deductibles or retentions. The liability for total accrued insurance claims and related processing costs was $89.7 million and $87.3 million as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively, and included incurred but not reported losses of approximately $44.5 million and $39.4 million, respectively. Based on prior payment patterns for similar claims, $36.8 million and $35.8 million of the amounts accrued as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, respectively, were expected to be paid within the next twelve months. Insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015 was $5.7 million and $9.5 million, respectively, of which $5.7 million and $8.9 million, respectively, was included in non-current other assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. As of July 25, 2015, $0.6 million of insurance recoveries/receivables was included in other current assets. The Company estimates the liability for claims based on facts, circumstances, and historical experience. Recorded loss reserves are not discounted even though they will not be paid until sometime in the future. Factors affecting the determination of the expected cost for existing and incurred but not reported claims include, but are not limited to, the magnitude and quantity of future claims, the payment pattern of claims which have been incurred, changes in the medical condition of claimants, and other factors such as inflation, tort reform or other legislative changes, unfavorable jury decisions and court interpretations.
Earnings Per Share, Policy	Per Share Data – Basic earnings per common share is computed based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding unvested restricted share units. Diluted earnings per common share includes the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period and dilutive potential common shares arising from the Company’s stock-based awards (including unvested restricted share units), convertible senior notes and warrants if their inclusion is dilutive under the treasury stock method. Common stock equivalents related to stock-based awards, convertible senior notes and warrants are excluded from diluted earnings per common share calculations if their effect would be anti-dilutive.
Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy	Stock-Based Compensation – The Company has certain stock-based compensation plans under which it grants stock-based awards, including stock options, restricted share units, and performance share units to attract, retain, and reward talented employees, officers and directors, and to align stockholder and employee interests. The Company has granted stock-based awards under its 2012 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2012 Plan”), 2003 Long-Term Incentive Plan (“2003 Plan”) and the 2007 Non-Employee Directors Equity Plan (“2007 Directors Plan” and, together with the 2012 Plan and 2003 Plan, the “Plans”). The Company’s policy is to issue new shares to satisfy equity awards under the Plans. The total number of shares available for grant under the Plans as of July 30, 2016 was 1,023,162. Compensation expense for stock-based awards is based on fair value at the measurement date and fluctuates over time as a result of the vesting period of the stock-based awards and the Company’s performance, as measured by criteria set forth in the performance-based awards. This expense is included in general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and the amount of expense ultimately recognized depends on the number of awards that actually vest. For performance-based restricted share units (“Performance RSUs”), the Company evaluates compensation expense quarterly and recognizes expense for performance-based awards only if it determines it is probable that the performance measures for the awards will be met. Accordingly, stock-based compensation expense may vary from fiscal year to fiscal year. The fair value of stock option grants is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model. Stock options generally vest ratably over a four-year period and are exercisable over a period of up to ten years. The fair value of time-based restricted share units (“RSUs”) and Performance RSUs is estimated on the date of grant and is generally equal to the closing stock price on that date. RSUs and Performance RSUs are settled in one share of the Company’s common stock upon vesting. RSUs vest ratably over a period of four years. Performance RSUs vest over a period of three years from the date of grant if certain performance measures are achieved. The performance measures are based on the Company’s fiscal year operating earnings (adjusted for certain amounts) as a percentage of contract revenues and its fiscal year operating cash flow level. Additionally, certain Performance RSU awards include three-year performance measures that, if met, result in supplemental shares being awarded. The three-year performance measures required to earn supplemental awards are more difficult to achieve than those required to earn annual target awards and are based on the Company’s three-year cumulative operating earnings (adjusted for certain amounts) as a percentage of contract revenues and its three-year cumulative operating cash flow level.
Income Tax, Policy	Income Taxes – The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts and the tax bases of assets and liabilities. The Company’s effective income tax rate differs from the statutory rate for the tax jurisdictions where it operates primarily as the result of the impact of non-deductible and non-taxable items and tax credits recognized in relation to pre-tax results. Measurement of the Company’s tax position is based on the applicable statutes, federal and state case law, and its interpretations of tax regulations. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company records net deferred tax assets to the extent it believes these assets will more likely than not be realized. In making such determination, the Company considers all relevant factors, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies and recent financial operations. In the event the Company determines that it would be able to realize deferred income tax assets in excess of their net recorded amount, the Company would adjust the valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes. In accordance with ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes (“ASC Topic 740”), the Company recognizes tax benefits in the amount that it deems more likely than not will be realized upon ultimate settlement of any tax uncertainty. Tax positions that fail to qualify for recognition are recognized in the period in which the more-likely-than-not standard has been reached, when the tax positions are resolved with the respective taxing authority or when the statute of limitations for tax examination has expired. The Company recognizes applicable interest related to tax amounts in interest expense and penalties within general and administrative expenses. During fiscal 2015, the Company adopted new IRS regulations for capitalizing and deducting costs incurred to acquire, produce, or improve tangible property. The new regulations did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	Fair Value of Financial Instruments – The Company’s financial instruments primarily consist of cash and equivalents, restricted cash, accounts receivable, income taxes receivable and payable, accounts payable, certain accrued expenses, and long-term debt. The carrying amounts of these items approximate fair value due to their short maturity, except for certain of the Company’s outstanding long-term debt, which is based on observable market-based inputs (Level 2). See Note 10, Debt, for further information regarding the fair value of such financial instruments. The Company’s cash and equivalents are based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets (Level 1) as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015. During fiscal 2016 and 2015, the Company had no material nonrecurring fair value measurements of assets or liabilities subsequent to their initial recognition.
Taxes Collected From Customers And Remitted To Governmental Authorities	Taxes Collected from Customers – ASC Topic 605, Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to Governmental Authorities, addresses the income statement presentation of any taxes collected from customers and remitted to a government authority and provides that the presentation of taxes on either a gross basis or a net basis in an accounting policy decision that should be disclosed. The Company’s policy is to present contract revenues net of sales taxes.
Other Assets	Other Assets – As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, other non-current assets consist of deferred financing costs related to the Company’s revolving credit facility of $6.4 million and $6.7 million, respectively, insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims of $5.7 million and $8.9 million, respectively, as well as long-term deposits, prepaid discounts, and other non-current assets totaling $17.7 million and $13.5 million, respectively. As of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015, other non-current assets also included $4.0 million for an investment in nonvoting senior units of a former customer, which is accounted for using the cost method.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Recently Adopted Accounting Standards Discontinued Operations - In April 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360): Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity (“ASU 2014-08”). ASU 2014-08 changes the criteria for reporting discontinued operations. In accordance with ASU 2014-08, a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity is required to be reported in discontinued operations only if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity’s operations and financial results. ASU 2014-08 also requires expanded disclosures about the assets, liabilities, income, and expenses of discontinued operations as well as disclosure of the pre-tax income arising from a disposal of a significant part of an organization that does not qualify for discontinued operations reporting. The Company adopted ASU 2014-08 in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Going Concern - In August 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-15, Presentation of Financial Statements—Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40): Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern (“ASU 2014-15”). ASU 2014-15 requires management to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year following the date its financial statements are issued. If such conditions or events exist, an entity should disclose that there is substantial doubt about the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of one year following the date its financial statements are issued. Disclosure should include the principal conditions or events that raise substantial doubt, management’s evaluation of the significance of those conditions or events in relation to the entity’s ability to meet its obligations, and management’s plans that are intended to mitigate those conditions or events. The Company early adopted ASU 2014-15 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Extraordinary and Unusual Items - In January 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-01, Income Statement - Extraordinary and Unusual Items (Subtopic 225-20): Simplifying Income Statement Presentation by Eliminating the Concept of Extraordinary Items (“ASU 2015-01”), which eliminates the concept of an extraordinary item from GAAP. As a result, an entity is no longer required to separately classify, present, or disclose extraordinary events and transactions; however, the presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained. The Company early adopted ASU 2015-01 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Debt Issuance Costs - In April 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-03, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30): Simplifying the Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs (“ASU 2015-03”), which requires debt issuance costs to be presented as a direct deduction from the associated debt liability on the balance sheet. In August 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-15, Interest - Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30) Presentation and Subsequent of Debt Issuance Costs Associated with Line-of-Credit Arrangements (“ASU 2015-15”), to clarify guidance within ASU 2015-03 with respect to line-of-credit arrangements. ASU 2015-15 allows an entity, in the case of a line-of-credit arrangement, to either follow ASU 2015-03 or defer and present debt issuance costs as an asset and subsequently amortize the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. The Company early adopted ASU 2015-03 and ASU 2015-15 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 on a retrospective basis. The adoption of ASU 2015-15 did not have an impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as the Company opted to continue to defer and present debt issuance costs related to its revolving credit facility as an asset and subsequently amortize the deferred debt issuance costs ratably over the term of the revolving credit facility. The adoption of ASU 2015-03 resulted in the classification of $1.2 million of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company’s convertible senior notes as a direct deduction of long-term debt in the consolidated balance sheet as of July 30, 2016. In addition, $4.9 million of unamortized debt issuance costs related to the Company’s senior subordinated notes outstanding at July 25, 2015 was reclassified from other non-current assets to long-term debt within the consolidated balance sheet as of July 25, 2015. Internal-Use Software Accounting - In April 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-05, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40) Customer's Accounting for Fees Paid in a Cloud Computing Arrangement (“ASU 2015-05”), which provides guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license. If a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license, then the customer should account for the software license element of the arrangement consistent with the acquisition of other software licenses. If a cloud computing arrangement does not include a software license, the customer should account for the arrangement as a service contract. The guidance does not change the current treatment for accounting for software licenses or service contracts. The Company early adopted ASU 2015-05 during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 on a prospective basis and it did not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted Stock Compensation - In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”). ASU 2016-09 includes provisions intended to simplify accounting for share-based payment transactions including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. Under ASU 2016-09, all excess tax benefits (or tax deficiencies) will be recognized as income tax benefit (or expense) in the statement of operations. Additionally, when applying the treasury stock method for computing diluted earnings per share under ASU 2016-09 the assumed proceeds will not include any windfall tax benefits, resulting in equity awards which may result in a greater number of dilutive shares outstanding. Further, excess tax benefits will be classified along with other income tax cash flows as an operating activity. ASU 2016-09 also permits withholding up to the maximum statutory tax rate in applicable jurisdictions as the threshold to qualify for equity classification. ASU 2016-09 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2018 and interim reporting periods within that year. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period with all adjustments to be reflected as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Revenue Recognition - In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”) requiring entities to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the entity expects to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date (“ASU 2015-14”) which defers the effective date for ASU 2014-09. As such, ASU 2014-09 will be effective for the Company beginning in fiscal 2019 and interim reporting periods within that year, using either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is currently evaluating the transition methods and the effect of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. In March 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net) (“ASU 2016-08”), which clarifies the implementation guidance provided in ASU 2014-09 on principal versus agent considerations. Additionally, in April 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing (“ASU 2016-10”), which clarifies the implementation guidance in ASU 2014-09 on licensing and identifying performance obligations. Furthermore, in May 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, which clarifies implementation guidance in ASU 2014-09 on assessing collectability, noncash consideration, presentation of sales tax and completed contracts and contract modifications at transition. ASU 2016-08, ASU 2016-10 and ASU 2016-12 must be adopted concurrently with ASU 2014-09. The Company is currently evaluating the transition methods and the effect of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Leases - In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”). ASU 2016-02 substantially retains the classification for leasing transactions as finance or operating leases. The new guidance establishes a right-of-use model that requires a lessee to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms greater than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. For finance leases the lessee would recognize interest expense and amortization of the right-of-use asset and for operating leases the lessee would recognize straight-line total lease expense. ASU 2016-02 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2020 and interim reporting periods within that year. The Company is currently evaluating the effect of the adoption of this guidance on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Income Taxes - In November 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-17, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes (“ASU 2015-17”). ASU 2015-17 eliminates the current requirement for an entity to separate deferred income tax liabilities and assets into current and non-current amounts in a classified statement of financial position. To simplify the presentation of deferred income taxes, the amendments in ASU 2015-17 require that deferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as non-current in a classified statement of financial position. ASU 2015-17 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2018 and interim reporting periods within that year. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The adoption of this guidance will change the presentation of deferred tax assets and liabilities within the Company’s consolidated balance sheets and is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Business Combinations - In September 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-16, Business Combinations (Topic 805): Simplifying the Accounting for Measurement-Period Adjustments (“ASU 2015-16”). ASU 2015-16 replaces the requirement for an acquirer in a business combination to retrospectively adjust provisional amounts recognized at the acquisition date with a corresponding adjustment to goodwill when measurement period adjustments are identified. The new guidance requires an acquirer to recognize adjustments in the reporting period in which the adjustment amounts are determined. The acquirer must record, in the same period’s financial statements, the effect on earnings of changes in depreciation, amortization, or other income effects, if any, as a result of the change to the provisional amounts, calculated as if the accounting had been completed at the acquisition date. Additionally, the acquirer must present separately on the face of the income statement, or disclose in the notes, the portion of the amount recorded in current period earnings by line item that would have been recorded in previous reporting periods if the adjustments had been recognized as of the acquisition date. ASU 2015-16 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2017 and interim reporting periods within that year. The adoption of the guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Inventory - In July 2015, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2015-11, Inventory (Topic 330): Simplifying the Measurement of Inventory (“ASU 2015-11”), which provides guidance on the measurement of inventory that uses the first-in, first-out or average cost method. An entity should measure inventory within the scope of ASU 2015-11 at the lower of cost and net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. ASU 2015-11 will be effective for the Company in fiscal 2018 and interim reporting periods within that year and applied on a prospective basis. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Computation of Earnings Per Common Share (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Schedule of Earnings Per Share Reconciliation

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per common share (dollars in thousands, except per share amounts):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016		2015		2014
Net income available to common stockholders (numerator)	$	128,740	$	84,324	$	39,978

Weighted-average number of common shares (denominator)	32,315,636		34,045,481		33,773,158

Basic earnings per common share	$	3.98	$	2.48	$	1.18

Weighted-average number of common shares	32,315,636		34,045,481		33,773,158
Potential shares of common stock arising from stock options, and unvested restricted share units	800,119		981,207		1,043,223
Total shares-diluted (denominator)	33,115,755		35,026,688		34,816,381

Diluted earnings per common share	$	3.89	$	2.41	$	1.15

Schedule of Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016	2015	2014
Stock-based awards	65,514	103,896	586,389
0.75% convertible senior notes due 2021⁽¹⁾	5,005,734	—	—
Warrants⁽¹⁾	5,005,734	—	—
Total anti-dilutive weighted shares excluded from the calculation of earnings per common share	10,076,982	103,896	586,389

⁽¹⁾See Note 10, Debt, for additional information related to the Company’s convertible senior notes and warrant transactions.

Acquisitions (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Business Acquisition [Line Items]

Schedule of Recognized Identified Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed [Table Text Block]

The following table summarizes the aggregate consideration paid for businesses acquired in fiscal 2016 and 2015 and presents the allocation of these amounts to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets based on their estimated fair values as of the respective dates of acquisition (dollars in millions):



	2016		2015
Assets
Accounts receivable	$	16.8	$	2.9
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings	34.3		0.7
Inventories and other current assets	11.7		1.8
Property and equipment	11.5		4.3
Goodwill	38.4		2.3
Intangible assets - customer relationships	94.6		21.8
Intangibles assets - trade names and other	1.8		0.2
Total assets	209.1		34.0

Liabilities
Accounts payable	23.5		1.8
Accrued and other liabilities	28.4		0.6
Total liabilities	51.9		2.4

Net Assets Acquired	$	157.2	$	31.6

Accounts Receivable (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Receivables [Abstract]

Schedule of Accounts Receivable

Accounts receivable consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Contract billings	$	297,532		$	292,029
Retainage	32,101			24,321
Total	329,633			316,350
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts	(1,603		)	(1,216		)
Accounts receivable, net	$	328,030		$	315,134

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable

The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses on uncollected balances. The allowance for doubtful accounts changed as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015
Allowance for doubtful accounts at beginning of period	$	1,216		$	836
Bad debt expense	1,252			465
Amounts charged against the allowance	(865		)	(85		)
Allowance for doubtful accounts at end of period	$	1,603		$	1,216

Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Contractors [Abstract]

Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings, Net



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Costs incurred on contracts in progress	$	307,826		$	240,077
Estimated to date earnings	92,226			72,446
Total costs and estimated earnings	400,052			312,523
Less: billings to date	(42,637		)	(54,689		)
	$	357,415		$	257,834
Included in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets under the captions:
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings	$	376,972		$	274,730
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings	(19,557		)	(16,896		)
	$	357,415		$	257,834

Property and Equipment (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Schedule of Property and Equipment

Property and equipment consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	Estimated Useful Lives (In years)	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Land	—	$	3,475		$	3,475
Buildings	10-35	11,969			11,944
Leasehold improvements	1-10	13,753			8,491
Vehicles	1-5	404,273			316,979
Computer hardware and software	1-7	95,570			80,091
Office furniture and equipment	1-10	10,374			8,183
Equipment and machinery	1-10	242,079			194,943
Total		781,493			624,106
Less: accumulated depreciation		(454,823		)	(392,542		)
Property and equipment, net		$	326,670		$	231,564

Depreciation expense and repairs and maintenance were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016		2015		2014
Depreciation expense	$	105,514	$	79,331	$	74,517
Repairs and maintenance expense	$	29,487	$	22,054	$	21,829

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Goodwill and Intangible Assets Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Goodwill

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for fiscal 2016 and 2015 were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Goodwill		Accumulated Impairment Losses			Total
Balance as of July 26, 2014	$	464,855	$	(195,767	)	$	269,088
Purchase price allocation adjustments	377		—			377
Goodwill from fiscal 2015 acquisitions	2,188		—			2,188
Balance as of July 25, 2015	467,420		(195,767		)	271,653
Purchase price allocation adjustments	101		—			101
Goodwill from fiscal 2016 acquisitions	38,403		—			38,403
Balance as of July 30, 2016	$	505,924	$	(195,767	)	$	310,157

Impairment Testing Assumptions

The table below outlines certain assumptions in each of the Company's fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 annual quantitative impairment analyses:



	2016	2015	2014
Terminal Growth Rate Range	2.0% - 3.0%	1.5% - 2.5%	1.5% - 3.0%
Discount Rate	11.5%	11.5%	11.5%

Schedule of Intangible Assets

The Company’s intangible assets consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	Weighted Average Remaining Useful Lives (In years)	July 30, 2016		July 25, 2015
Gross carrying amount:
Customer relationships	12.7	$	289,955	$	195,375
Contract backlog	0.3	4,780		8,076
Trade names	7.1	9,800		8,200
UtiliQuest trade name	—	4,700		4,700
Non-compete agreements	2.6	685		635
		309,920		216,986
Accumulated amortization:
Customer relationships		101,012		83,772
Contract backlog		4,666		7,381
Trade names		6,034		4,650
Non-compete agreements		329		257
		112,041		96,060
Net Intangible Assets		$	197,879	$	120,926

Future Amortization Expense

As of July 30, 2016, total amortization expense for existing finite-lived intangible assets for each of the five succeeding fiscal years and thereafter is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Amount
2017	$	24,374
2018	22,073
2019	19,719
2020	18,810
2021	17,394
Thereafter	90,809
Total	$	193,179

Other Accrued Liabilities (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Payables and Accruals [Abstract]

Schedule of Other Accrued Liabilities

Other accrued liabilities consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016		July 25, 2015
Accrued payroll and related taxes	$	23,908	$	18,673
Accrued employee benefit and incentive plan costs	40,943		29,528
Accrued construction costs	41,123		26,395
Other current liabilities	16,328		14,894
Total other accrued liabilities	$	122,302	$	89,490

Debt (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Outstanding Indebtedness

The Company’s outstanding indebtedness consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Credit Agreement - Revolving facility (matures April 2020)	$	—		$	95,250
Credit Agreement - Term loan facilities (mature April 2020)	346,250			150,000
0.75% convertible senior notes, net (matures September 2021)⁽¹⁾	373,077			—
7.125% senior subordinated notes, net⁽¹⁾	—			272,559
Long-term debt premium on 7.125% senior subordinated notes	—			2,841
	719,327			520,650
Less: current portion	(13,125		)	(3,750		)
Long-term debt	$	706,202		$	516,900

Convertible Debt

The Notes consist of the following components (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016
Liability component
Principal amount of 0.75% convertible senior notes due September 2021	$	485,000
Less: Debt discount	(101,679		)
Less: Debt issuance costs⁽¹⁾	(10,244		)
Net carrying amount of Notes	$	373,077
Equity Component⁽²⁾	$	112,554

Schedule Interest Rates for the Credit Agreement

The weighted average interest rates and fees for balances under the Credit Agreement as of July 30, 2016 and July 25, 2015 were as follows:



	Weighted Average Rate End of Period
	July 30, 2016	July 25, 2015
Borrowings - Term loan facilities	2.49%	1.94%
Borrowings - Revolving facility⁽¹⁾	—%	2.02%
Standby Letters of Credit	2.00%	1.75%
Unused Revolver	0.40%	0.35%



Borrowings - Eurodollar Rate Loans	1.25% - 2.00% plus LIBOR
Borrowings - Base Rate Loans	0.25% - 1.00% plus administrative agent’s base rate⁽¹⁾
Unused Revolver Commitment	0.25% - 0.40%
Standby Letters of Credit	1.25% - 2.00%
Commercial Letters of Credit	0.625% - 1.00%

Income Taxes (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Unrecognized Tax Benefits Roll Forward

A summary of unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015			2014
Balance at beginning of year	$	2,327		$	2,401		$	2,348
Additions based on tax positions related to the fiscal year	161			44			137
Additions (reductions) based on tax positions related to prior years	86			(98		)	10
Reductions related to the expiration of statutes of limitation	(134		)	(20		)	(94		)
Balance at end of year	$	2,440		$	2,327		$	2,401

Schedule of Deferred Tax Assets and Liabilities

The significant components of deferred tax assets and liabilities consisted of the following (dollars in thousands):



	July 30, 2016			July 25, 2015
Deferred tax assets:
Insurance and other reserves	$	33,847		$	31,222
Allowance for doubtful accounts and reserves	1,013			1,047
Net operating loss carryforwards	1,151			1,443
Stock-based compensation	6,424			5,149
Other	1,363			1,303
Total deferred tax assets	43,798			40,164
Valuation allowance	(358		)	(870		)
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance	$	43,440		$	39,294
Deferred tax liabilities:
Property and equipment	$	63,926		$	34,702
Goodwill and intangibles	32,632			29,930
Other	736			1,420
Deferred tax liabilities	$	97,294		$	66,052

Net deferred tax liabilities	$	53,854		$	26,758

Schedule of Components of Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

The components of the provision (benefit) for income taxes were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015		2014
Current:
Federal	$	42,096		$	42,516	$	27,161
Foreign	310			502		416
State	8,399			6,998		5,087
	50,805			50,016		32,664
Deferred:
Federal	26,467			305		(5,706		)
Foreign	(296		)	268		—
State	611			671		(617		)
	26,782			1,244		(6,323		)
Total Tax Provision	$	77,587		$	51,260	$	26,341

Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation

The difference between the total tax provision and the amount computed by applying the statutory federal income tax rates to pre-tax income is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015			2014
Statutory rate applied to pre-tax income	$	72,214		$	47,454		$	23,212
State taxes, net of federal tax benefit	7,398			5,159			2,863
Non-taxable and non-deductible items, net	(2,013		)	(1,220		)	491
Change in accruals for uncertain tax positions	113			(74		)	53
Other items, net	(125		)	(59		)	(278		)
Total tax provision	$	77,587		$	51,260		$	26,341

Other Income, Net (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]

Schedule of Other Income, Net

The components of other income, net, were as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016		2015		2014
Gain on sale of fixed assets	$	9,806	$	7,110	$	10,706
Miscellaneous income, net of other expense	627		1,181		522
Total other income, net	$	10,433	$	8,291	$	11,228

Employee Benefit Plans (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Compensation and Retirement Disclosure [Abstract]

Schedule of Multiemployer Plans

The Pension, Hospitalization and Benefit Plan of the Electrical Industry – Pension Trust Fund (“the Plan”) was considered individually significant and is presented separately below. All other plans are presented in the aggregate in the following table (dollars in thousands):



		PPA Zone Status⁽¹⁾			Company Contributions							Expiration Date of CBA
Fund	EIN	2015	2014	FIP/RP Status⁽²⁾	2016		2015		2014		Surcharge Imposed	Expiration Date of CBA
The Plan	13-6123601	Green	Green	No	$	3,057	$	3,852	$	3,044	No	05/05/2016
Other Plans					622		934		635			Various
Total Contributions					$	3,679	$	4,786	$	3,679

Capital Stock (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Schedule of Share Repurchases Under Current and Previously Authorized Share Repurchase Programs

Repurchases of Common Stock - The Company made the following share repurchases during fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014:



Period	Number of Shares Repurchased	Total Consideration (In thousands)		Average Price Per Share
Fiscal 2014	360,900	$	9,999	$	27.71
Fiscal 2015	1,669,924	$	87,146	$	52.19
Fiscal 2016	2,511,578	$	169,997	$	67.69

Stock-Based Awards (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]

Schedule of Share-based Payment Award, Stock Options, Valuation Assumptions

The following table summarizes the valuation of stock options and restricted share units granted during fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 and the significant valuation assumptions:



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016			2015			2014
Weighted average fair value of RSUs granted	$	72.41		$	31.42		$	27.54
Weighted average fair value of Performance RSUs granted	$	77.86		$	31.03		$	27.66
Weighted average fair value of stock options granted	$	78.20		$	19.48		$	17.43
Stock option assumptions:
Risk-free interest rate	2.0		%	2.1		%	2.7		%
Expected life (in years)	7.3			8.8			8.8
Expected volatility	55.0		%	54.5		%	55.1		%
Expected dividends	—			—			—

Schedule of Stock-based Compensation Expense and Related Tax Benefit Recognized



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016		2015		2014
Stock-based compensation	$	16,850	$	13,923	$	12,596
Tax benefit recognized in the statement of operations	$	6,436	$	5,458	$	4,819
Cash tax benefit realized from option exercises and stock vestings	$	18,097	$	13,976	$	7,116

Schedule of Share-based Compensation, Stock Options Award Activity

The following table summarizes stock option award activity during fiscal 2016:



	Stock Options
	Shares		Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Life (In years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value (In thousands)
Outstanding as of July 25, 2015	915,323		$	16.86
Granted	35,863		$	78.20
Options exercised	(212,619	)	$	12.91
Canceled	(1,300	)	$	13.88
Outstanding as of July 30, 2016	737,267		$	20.99	5.5	$	53,862

Exercisable options as of July 30, 2016	553,495		$	15.63	4.7	$	43,405

Schedule of Share-based Compensation, RSU and Performance RSU Activity

The following table summarizes RSU and Performance RSU award activity during fiscal 2016:



	Restricted Stock
	RSUs						Performance RSUs
	Share Units		Weighted Average Grant Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (In thousands)		Share Units		Weighted Average Grant Price		Aggregate Intrinsic Value (In thousands)
Outstanding as of July 25, 2015	322,008		$	24.46			945,540		$	26.46
Granted	92,429		$	72.41			238,209		$	77.86
Share units vested	(139,921	)	$	23.67			(361,998	)	$	25.28
Forfeited or canceled	(23,252	)	$	24.28			(195,780	)	$	23.40
Outstanding as of July 30, 2016	251,264		$	42.56	$	23,631	625,971		$	47.66	$	58,873

Concentration of Credit Risk (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Risks and Uncertainties [Abstract]

Schedule that Represents A Significant Portion of the Company’s Customer Base and Each Over 10% of Total Revenue

Customers whose contract revenues exceeded 10% of total contract revenue during fiscal 2016, 2015, or 2014, were as follows:



	Fiscal Year Ended
	2016	2015	2014
AT&T Inc.	24.4%	20.8%	19.2%
CenturyLink, Inc.	14.5%	14.2%	13.8%
Comcast Corporation	13.6%	12.9%	11.7%
Verizon Communications Inc.	11.0%	7.6%	8.2%

Commitments and Contingencies Future Minimum Lease Obligations (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Leases [Abstract]

Schedule of Future Minimum Rental Payments for Operating Leases

The future minimum obligation under the leases with noncancelable terms in excess of one year is as follows (dollars in thousands):



	Future Minimum Lease Payments
2017	$	19,845
2018	15,289
2019	10,704
2020	5,425
2021	3,075
Thereafter	5,098
Total	$	59,436

Quarterly Financial Data (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Jul. 30, 2016

Quarterly Financial Data [Abstract]

Quarterly Financial Information



Fiscal 2016⁽²⁾:	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter⁽¹⁾
	(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
Revenues	$	659,268	$	559,470	$	664,645	$	789,159
Costs of earned revenues, excluding depreciation and amortization	$	506,978	$	450,284	$	520,408	$	605,909
Gross profit	$	152,290	$	109,186	$	144,237	$	183,250
Net income	$	30,824	$	15,473	$	33,083	$	49,360
Earnings per common share - Basic	$	0.94	$	0.47	$	1.02	$	1.57
Earnings per common share - Diluted	$	0.91	$	0.46	$	1.00	$	1.54



Fiscal 2015:	First Quarter		Second Quarter		Third Quarter		Fourth Quarter
	(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
Revenues	$	510,389	$	441,081	$	492,363	$	578,479
Costs of earned revenues, excluding depreciation and amortization	$	403,468	$	355,429	$	388,239	$	446,114
Gross profit	$	106,921	$	85,652	$	104,124	$	132,365
Net income	$	20,807	$	9,432	$	20,258	$	33,827
Earnings per common share - Basic	$	0.61	$	0.28	$	0.59	$	1.00
Earnings per common share - Diluted	$	0.59	$	0.27	$	0.58	$	0.97

Basis of Presentation and Accounting Policies (Details) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($) shares	Apr. 23, 2016 USD ($)	Jan. 23, 2016 USD ($)	Oct. 24, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($)	Apr. 25, 2015 USD ($)	Jan. 24, 2015 USD ($)	Oct. 25, 2014 USD ($)	Jul. 29, 2017	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($) segment shares	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 26, 2014
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Number of Shares Available for Grant \| shares	1,023,162									1,023,162
Capitalized Computer Software, Net	$ 23,000				$ 21,800					$ 23,000	$ 21,800
Revenues	789,159	$ 664,645	$ 559,470	$ 659,268	578,479	$ 492,363	$ 441,081	$ 510,389
Accrued Insurance	89,700				87,300					89,700	87,300
Liability for Unpaid Claims and Claims Adjustment Expense, Incurred but Not Reported (IBNR) Claims, Amount	44,500				39,400					44,500	39,400
Accrued insurance claims	36,844				35,824					$ 36,844	35,824
Number of reportable segments \| segment										1
Prepaid Expense and Other Assets	17,700				13,500					$ 17,700	13,500
Debt Issuance Costs, Net	6,400				6,700					6,400	6,700
Insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims	5,700				9,500					5,700	9,500
Restricted cash	5,000				4,500					$ 5,000	4,500
Measurement period										12 months
Investments and other noncurrent assets	4,000				4,000					$ 4,000	$ 4,000
Fiscal period duration										371 days	364 days	364 days
Non-Current Other Assets
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims					8,900						$ 8,900
Income taxes payable
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Prior period reclassification adjustment											$ 8,900
Revenue Recognized Using Cost To Cost Percentage of Completion Method \| Maximum
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Contract revenues										5.00%	10.00%	10.00%
Stock Options
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period										4 years	4 years
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Expiration Period										10 years	10 years
Performance RSUs
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period										3 years	3 years
Supplemental Shares
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period										3 years	3 years
RSUs
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Award Vesting Period										4 years	4 years
Accounting Standards Update 2015-03 \| Non-Current Other Assets
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Debt Issuance Costs, Net	(1,200)				(4,900)					$ (1,200)	$ (4,900)
Accounting Standards Update 2015-03 \| Long-term Debt
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Debt Issuance Costs, Net	$ 1,200				$ 4,900					$ 1,200	$ 4,900
Scenario, Forecast
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Fiscal period duration									364 days

Computation of Earnings Per Common Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Apr. 23, 2016	Jan. 23, 2016	Oct. 24, 2015	Jul. 25, 2015	Apr. 25, 2015	Jan. 24, 2015	Oct. 25, 2014	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014	Sep. 15, 2015
Basic earnings per unit
Net income	$ 49,360	$ 33,083	$ 15,473	$ 30,824	$ 33,827	$ 20,258	$ 9,432	$ 20,807	$ 128,740	$ 84,324	$ 39,978
Weighted-average number of common shares (in shares)									32,315,636	34,045,481	33,773,158
Basic earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.57	$ 1.02	$ 0.47	$ 0.94	$ 1.00	$ 0.59	$ 0.28	$ 0.61	$ 3.98	$ 2.48	$ 1.18
Diluted earnings per unit
Weighted-average number of common shares (in shares)									32,315,636	34,045,481	33,773,158
Potential common stock arising from stock options, and unvested restricted share units (in shares)									800,119	981,207	1,043,223
Total shares-diluted (in shares)									33,115,755	35,026,688	34,816,381
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.54	$ 1.00	$ 0.46	$ 0.91	$ 0.97	$ 0.58	$ 0.27	$ 0.59	$ 3.89	$ 2.41	$ 1.15
Anti-dilutive weighted shares excluded from the calculation of earnings per share (in shares)									10,076,982	103,896	586,389
Stock-based awards
Diluted earnings per unit
Anti-dilutive weighted shares excluded from the calculation of earnings per share (in shares)									65,514	103,896	586,389
Convertible senior notes
Diluted earnings per unit
Anti-dilutive weighted shares excluded from the calculation of earnings per share (in shares)									5,005,734	0	0
Warrants
Diluted earnings per unit
Anti-dilutive weighted shares excluded from the calculation of earnings per share (in shares)									5,005,734	0	0
Convertible Note Hedge
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price												$ 96.89
0.75% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]
Debt, interest rate (in percent)	0.75%				0.75%				0.75%	0.75%	0.75%
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price												96.89
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Warrants or Rights												$ 130.43

Acquisitions (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended						12 Months Ended
Acquisitions (Details) $ in Millions	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Oct. 24, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($)	Jan. 24, 2015 USD ($) business	Oct. 25, 2014 USD ($)	Jul. 26, 2014 USD ($)	Apr. 26, 2014 USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 26, 2014 USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Amortization of Intangible Assets								$ 19.4	$ 16.7	$ 18.3
TelCom Construction, Inc.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payment to acquire business, net of cash acquired		$ 48.8
Goodman Networks, Inc. Wireline Operations
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Escrow Deposit	$ 22.5							22.5
Payment to acquire business, net of cash acquired	107.5
Business Combination, Consideration Transferred	102.8
Business Combination, Provisional Information, Initial Accounting Incomplete, Adjustment, Consideration Transferred	4.7
NextGen Telecom Services Group, Inc.
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payment to acquire business, net of cash acquired	5.6
Hewitt Power & Communications, Inc
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payment to acquire business, net of cash acquired					$ 8.0
Series of Individually Immaterial Business Acquisitions [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payment to acquire business, net of cash acquired				$ 1.5		$ 16.4	$ 0.7
Number of businesses acquired \| business				2
Moll's Utility Services, LLC
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payment to acquire business, net of cash acquired			$ 6.5
Venture Communications Group, LLC
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Payment to acquire business, net of cash acquired			$ 15.6
Businesses Acquired, Fiscal 2016
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Pro Forma Information, Revenue of Acquiree since Acquisition Date, Actual								119.8
Amortization of Intangible Assets								2.1
Working Capital Adjustment [Member] \| Goodman Networks, Inc. Wireline Operations
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Escrow Deposit	2.5							2.5
Indemnification Agreement [Member] \| Goodman Networks, Inc. Wireline Operations
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Escrow Deposit	20.0							20.0
Indemnification Portion Subject to Certain Conditions, Not Less Than Twelve Months \| Goodman Networks, Inc. Wireline Operations
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Escrow Deposit	10.0							10.0
Indemnification Portion Subject to Seller Satisfaction of Certain Liabilities \| Goodman Networks, Inc. Wireline Operations
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Escrow Deposit	10.0							10.0
Seller Liability, Satisfaction Required for Contingent Consideration	$ 31.7							$ 31.7

Acquisitions Purchase Price Allocation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Assets, Receivables	$ 16.8	$ 2.9
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings	34.3	0.7
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Inventory	11.7	1.8
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Property, Plant, and Equipment	11.5	4.3
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets	38.4	2.3
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Assets	209.1	34.0
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities, Accounts Payable	23.5	1.8
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Current Liabilities, Other	28.4	0.6
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Liabilities	51.9	2.4
Net Assets Acquired	157.2	31.6
Trade names
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles	1.8	0.2
Customer relationships
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles	$ 94.6	$ 21.8

Accounts Receivable (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Accounts Receivable (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Receivables [Abstract]
Trade Receivables Sold	$ 95,300
Contract billings	297,532	$ 297,532	$ 292,029
Retainage	32,101	32,101	24,321
Total	329,633	329,633	316,350
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts	(1,603)	(1,603)	(1,216)
Accounts receivable, net	328,030	328,030	315,134
Allowance for Doubtful Accounts Receivable [Roll Forward]
Allowance for doubtful accounts at beginning of period		1,216	836
Bad debt expense, net		1,252	465	$ 615
Amounts charged against the allowance		(865)	(85)
Allowance for doubtful accounts at end of period	$ 1,603	$ 1,603	$ 1,216	$ 836

Costs and Estimated Earnings in Excess of Billings (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Contractors [Abstract]
Costs incurred on contracts in progress	$ 307,826	$ 240,077
Estimated to date earnings	92,226	72,446
Total costs and estimated earnings	400,052	312,523
Less: billings to date	(42,637)	(54,689)
Total costs in excess of billings	357,415	257,834
Costs and estimated earnings in excess of billings	376,972	274,730
Billings in excess of costs and estimated earnings	(19,557)	(16,896)
Total costs in excess of billings	$ 357,415	$ 257,834

Property and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Property and Equipment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total	$ 781,493	$ 624,106
Less: accumulated depreciation	(454,823)	(392,542)
Property and equipment, net	326,670	231,564
Depreciation expense	105,514	79,331	$ 74,517
Cost of Property Repairs and Maintenance	29,487	22,054	$ 21,829
Land
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total	3,475	3,475
Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total	11,969	11,944
Leasehold improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total	13,753	8,491
Vehicles
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total	404,273	316,979
Computer hardware and software
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total	95,570	80,091
Office furniture and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total	10,374	8,183
Equipment and machinery
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Total	$ 242,079	$ 194,943
Minimum \| Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	10 years	10 years
Minimum \| Leasehold improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	1 year	1 year
Minimum \| Vehicles
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	1 year	1 year
Minimum \| Computer hardware and software
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	1 year	3 years
Minimum \| Office furniture and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	1 year	1 year
Minimum \| Equipment and machinery
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	1 year	1 year
Maximum \| Buildings
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	35 years	35 years
Maximum \| Leasehold improvements
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	10 years	10 years
Maximum \| Vehicles
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	5 years	5 years
Maximum \| Computer hardware and software
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	7 years	10 years
Maximum \| Office furniture and equipment
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	10 years	7 years
Maximum \| Equipment and machinery
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]
Estimated Useful Lives (Years)	10 years	10 years

Goodwill and Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Goodwill	$ 310,157	$ 271,653	$ 269,088
Amortization expense for finite-lived intangible assets	$ 19,400	16,700	$ 18,300
Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Term	7 years
Change in fair value, percentage	25.00%
Customer relationships
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Carrying amount	$ 289,955	195,375
Trade names
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Carrying amount	9,800	8,200
Non-compete agreements
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Carrying amount	685	$ 635
TelCom Construction, Inc. \| Customer relationships
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Carrying amount	94,600
TelCom Construction, Inc. \| Trade names
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Carrying amount	1,600
TelCom Construction, Inc. \| Non-compete agreements
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Carrying amount	$ 200
Maximum \| Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Fair Value Inputs, Long-term Revenue Growth Rate	3.00%	2.50%	3.00%
Percentage change in fair value input	1.00%
Minimum \| Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Fair Value Inputs, Long-term Revenue Growth Rate	2.00%	1.50%	1.50%
Fair Value Inputs, Discount Rate	11.50%	11.50%	11.50%

Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Changes in the Carrying Amount of Goodwill (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Goodwill, gross, beginning balance	$ 467,420	$ 464,855
Goodwill, purchase price allocation adjustments	101	377
Goodwill acquisitions	38,403	2,188
Goodwill, gross, ending balance	505,924	467,420	$ 464,855
Accumulated impairment losses	(195,767)	(195,767)	(195,767)
Goodwill	$ 310,157	$ 271,653	$ 269,088
Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Term	7 years
Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets \| Maximum
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Fair Value Inputs, Long-term Revenue Growth Rate	3.00%	2.50%	3.00%
Goodwill and Other Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets \| Minimum
Goodwill [Roll Forward]
Fair Value Inputs, Long-term Revenue Growth Rate	2.00%	1.50%	1.50%
Fair Value Inputs, Discount Rate	11.50%	11.50%	11.50%

Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Intangible Assets (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Intangible Assets Gross Excluding Goodwill	$ 309,920	$ 216,986
Accumulated amortization:	112,041	96,060
Intangible assets, net	197,879	120,926
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Period Increase (Decrease)	$ 3,400
Customer relationships
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average remaining useful lives (in years)	12 years 8 months 12 days
Carrying amount	$ 289,955	195,375
Accumulated amortization:	$ 101,012	83,772
Contract backlog
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average remaining useful lives (in years)	3 months 18 days
Carrying amount	$ 4,780	8,076
Accumulated amortization:	$ 4,666	7,381
Trade names
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average remaining useful lives (in years)	7 years 1 month 6 days
Carrying amount	$ 9,800	8,200
Accumulated amortization:	$ 6,034	4,650
Non-compete agreements
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Weighted average remaining useful lives (in years)	2 years 7 months 6 days
Carrying amount	$ 685	635
Accumulated amortization:	329	257
UtiliQuest
Finite-Lived and Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
UtiliQuest trade name	$ 4,700	$ 4,700

Goodwill and Intangible Assets - Future Amortization Expense (Details) $ in Thousands	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net, Amortization Expense, Fiscal Year Maturity [Abstract]
2017	$ 24,374
2018	22,073
2019	19,719
2020	18,810
2021	17,394
Thereafter	90,809
Total	$ 193,179

Accrued Insurance Claims (Details)	Jul. 29, 2017 USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($) state	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 26, 2014 USD ($)
Accrued Insurance Claims [Line Items]
Number of States with State-Sponsored Insurance Fund \| state		2
Aggregate stop loss coverage for automobile liability, general liability, and workers' compensation claims before adjustment		$ 84,600,000
Insurance liability, annual retained risk loss		400,000	$ 250,000	$ 250,000
Accrued Insurance		89,700,000	87,300,000
Accrued insurance claims, Noncurrent		52,835,000	51,476,000
Insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims		5,700,000	9,500,000
Other Current Assets
Accrued Insurance Claims [Line Items]
Insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims			600,000
Non-Current Other Assets
Accrued Insurance Claims [Line Items]
Insurance recoveries/receivables related to accrued claims			$ 8,900,000
Scenario, Forecast
Accrued Insurance Claims [Line Items]
Aggregate stop loss coverage for automobile liability, general liability, and workers' compensation claims before adjustment	$ 103,700,000
Maximum
Accrued Insurance Claims [Line Items]
Retained risk of loss, general liability and workers' compensation, maximum automobile liability		$ 1,000,000

Other Accrued Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Payables and Accruals [Abstract]
Accrued payroll and related taxes	$ 23,908	$ 18,673
Accrued employee benefit and incentive plan costs	40,943	29,528
Accrued construction costs	41,123	26,395
Other current liabilities	16,328	14,894
Total other accrued liabilities	$ 122,302	$ 89,490

Debt Schedule of Debt (Details) - USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2016	Sep. 15, 2015	Sep. 09, 2015	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	$ 719,327,000			$ 520,650,000
Less: current portion	(13,125,000)			(3,750,000)
Long-term debt	706,202,000			516,900,000
Debt Issuance Costs, Net	6,400,000			$ 6,700,000
0.75% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount	$ 485,000,000	$ 485,000,000
Debt, interest rate (in percent)	0.75%			0.75%	0.75%
Debt and capital lease obligations	$ 373,077,000			$ 0
7.125% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt, interest rate (in percent)	7.125%			7.125%	7.125%
Debt and capital lease obligations	$ 0			$ 272,559,000
Long-term debt premium on 7.125% senior subordinated notes	0			2,841,000
Credit Agreement - Revolving facility (matures April 2020)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	0			95,250,000
Credit Agreement - Term Loan (matures April 2020)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			$ 350,000,000
Debt and capital lease obligations	346,250,000			150,000,000
Incremental Facility, Minimum
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount			$ 150,000,000
Non-Current Other Assets \| Accounting Standards Update 2015-03
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Issuance Costs, Net	$ (1,200,000)			$ (4,900,000)

Debt Senior Credit Agreement (Details)		3 Months Ended
Debt Senior Credit Agreement (Details)	Sep. 09, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Covenant Compliance, Consolidated Leverage Ratio, Maximum		3.50
Letters of credit outstanding amount		$ 57,600,000	$ 54,400,000
Debt Instrument, Covenant Compliance, Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio, Maximum		3.00
Additional borrowing availability		$ 392,400,000	300,300,000
Standby Letters of Credit
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit current borrowing capacity	$ 200,000,000
Letters of credit outstanding amount		$ 57,600,000	$ 54,400,000
Credit Agreement - Term Loan (matures April 2020)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount	$ 350,000,000
Debt Instrument, Covenant Compliance, Consolidated Leverage Ratio, Maximum	2.25
Credit Agreement - Revolving facility (matures April 2020)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Line of credit current borrowing capacity	$ 450,000,000

Debt Interest Rates of the Credit Agreement (Details)	12 Months Ended
Debt Interest Rates of the Credit Agreement (Details)	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Minimum \| Standby Letters of Credit
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Unutilized commitment fee (in percent)	1.25%
Minimum \| Commercial Letters of Credit
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Unutilized commitment fee (in percent)	0.625%
Maximum \| Standby Letters of Credit
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Unutilized commitment fee (in percent)	2.00%
Maximum \| Commercial Letters of Credit
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Unutilized commitment fee (in percent)	1.00%
Eurodollar
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Eurodollar \| Minimum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.25%
Eurodollar \| Maximum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	2.00%
Administrative Agent Base Rate \| Minimum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	0.25%
Administrative Agent Base Rate \| Maximum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	1.00%
Federal Funds Rate
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Basis spread on variable rate	0.50%
Credit Agreement - Revolving facility (matures April 2020)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Unutilized commitment fee (in percent)	0.40%	0.35%
Credit Agreement - Revolving facility (matures April 2020) \| Minimum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Unutilized commitment fee (in percent)	0.25%
Credit Agreement - Revolving facility (matures April 2020) \| Maximum
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Unutilized commitment fee (in percent)	0.40%

Debt Interest Rates at Period End (Details)	12 Months Ended
Debt Interest Rates at Period End (Details)	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Standby Letters of Credit
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate at Period End	2.00%	1.75%
Credit Agreement - Term Loan (matures April 2020)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate at Period End	2.49%	1.94%
Credit Agreement - Revolving facility (matures April 2020)
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Interest Rate at Period End	0.00%	2.02%
Unutilized commitment fee (in percent)	0.40%	0.35%

Debt Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021 (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		2 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 15, 2015 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Sep. 11, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Oct. 24, 2015 USD ($) trading_day	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($) shares	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($) shares	Jul. 26, 2014 USD ($) shares
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Stock repurchased and retired during period, value	$ 60,000	$ 110,000			$ 169,997	$ 87,146	$ 9,999
Stock repurchased and retired during period, shares \| shares	805,000				2,511,578	1,669,924	360,900
Payments for Hedge, Financing Activities					$ 115,818	$ 0	$ 0
Amortization of debt discount					14,709	$ 0	$ 0
0.75% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount	$ 485,000		$ 485,000		$ 485,000
Proceeds from Convertible Debt	471,700
Payments for Hedge, Financing Activities	41,100
Proceeds from Debt for General Corporate Purposes	$ 73,900
Debt, interest rate (in percent)			0.75%		0.75%	0.75%	0.75%
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Ratio	0.0103211
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price \| $ / shares	$ 96.89
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Threshold Trading Days \| trading_day				20
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Threshold Consecutive Trading Days				30 days
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Threshold Percentage of Stock Price Trigger				130.00%
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Measurement Period, Threshold Consecutive Business Days				5 days
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Measurement Period, Threshold Consecutive Trading Days				5 days
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Measurement Period, Threshold Percentage of Product of Sale Price of Common Stock and Applicable Conversion Rate				98.00%
Debt Instrument, Comparable Yield					5.50%
Amortization of debt discount			$ 14,700
Long-term Debt, Fair Value			458,700		$ 458,700
Net carrying amount of Notes			373,077		373,077
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount			(101,679)		(101,679)
Debt Issuance Cost	$ 15,100		$ 10,244		$ 10,244
7.125% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayments of Debt				$ 296,600
Debt, interest rate (in percent)			7.125%		7.125%	7.125%	7.125%

Debt Components of the Convertible Notes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 15, 2015	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs			$ 16,376	$ 3,854	$ 0
Amortization of debt discount			14,709	$ 0	$ 0
0.75% Convertible Notes Liability Component [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Issuance Cost	$ (11,500)
Amortization of debt discount			1,200
0.75% Convertible Notes Equity Component [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Issuance Cost	(3,600)
0.75% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Face Amount	485,000	$ 485,000	485,000
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount		(101,679)	(101,679)
Debt Issuance Cost	(15,100)	(10,244)	(10,244)
Net carrying amount of Notes		373,077	373,077
Equity component of 0.75% senior convertible notes due 2021, net		112,554	$ 112,554
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount (Premium), Net	13,300
Payments of Debt Issuance Costs	$ 1,800
Amortization of debt discount		$ 14,700

Debt Convertible Note Hedge and Warrant Transactions (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 15, 2015	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Payments for Hedge, Financing Activities		$ 115,818	$ 0	$ 0
Proceeds from sale of warrants		$ 74,690	$ 0	$ 0
Convertible Note Hedge
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Derivative, Number of Instruments Held	5,006
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price	$ 96.89
Payments for Hedge, Financing Activities	$ 115,800
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Derivatives	43,400
Deferred Tax Assets, Derivative Instruments	$ 43,200
0.75% Convertible Senior Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Convertible, Conversion Price	$ 96.89
Payments for Hedge, Financing Activities	$ 41,100
Class of Warrant or Right, Number of Securities Called by Warrants or Rights	5,006
Class of Warrant or Right, Exercise Price of Warrants or Rights	$ 130.43
Proceeds from sale of warrants	$ 74,700

Debt Senior Subordinated Notes - Loss on Debt Extinguishment (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 15, 2015	Oct. 24, 2015	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on debt extinguishment			$ (16,260)	$ 0	$ 0
Write-off of deferred financing fees and premium on long-term debt			$ 2,017	0	$ 0
7.125% Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt outstanding				$ 277,500
Debt, interest rate (in percent)			7.125%	7.125%	7.125%
Repayments of Debt		$ 296,600
Debt Instrument, Increase, Accrued Interest	$ 4,900
Redemption Premium	$ 14,200
Debt Instrument, Redemption Price, Percentage	103.563%
Loss on debt extinguishment		16,300
Gains (Losses) on Extinguishment of Debt, before Write off of Deferred Debt Issuance Cost		6,500
Write-off of deferred financing fees and premium on long-term debt		$ 4,900

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Operating Loss Carryforwards, Expiration Date	Aug. 01, 2021
Income taxes receivable	$ 1,400	$ 2,100
Income taxes payable	15,307	8,916
Payment of interest and penalties accrued	1,000	900
Current Taxes
Federal	42,096	42,516	$ 27,161
Foreign	310	502	416
State	8,399	6,998	5,087
Current	50,805	50,016	32,664
Deferred Taxes
Federal	26,467	305	(5,706)
Foreign	(296)	268	0
State	611	671	(617)
Deferred	26,782	1,244	(6,323)
Total provision for income taxes	77,587	51,260	$ 26,341
Deferred Tax Assets
Insurance and other reserves	33,847	31,222
Allowance for doubtful accounts and reserves	1,013	1,047
Net operating loss carryforwards	1,151	1,443
Stock-based compensation	6,424	5,149
Other	1,363	1,303
Total deferred tax assets	43,798	40,164
Valuation allowance	(358)	(870)
Deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowance	43,440	39,294
Deferred Tax Liabilities
Property and equipment	63,926	34,702
Goodwill and intangibles	32,632	29,930
Other	736	1,420
Deferred tax liabilities	97,294	66,052
Deferred Tax Liabilities, Net	$ 53,854	$ 26,758

Income Taxes Schedule of Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation at Federal Statutory Income Tax Rate, Amount	$ 72,214	$ 47,454	$ 23,212
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, State and Local Income Taxes, Amount	7,398	5,159	2,863
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Nondeductible Expense, Amount	(2,013)	(1,220)	491
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Change in Deferred Tax Assets Valuation Allowance, Amount	113	(74)	53
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Other Adjustments, Amount	(125)	(59)	$ (278)
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Deduction, Qualified Production Activity, Amount	4,500	4,000
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Nondeductible Expense, Other, Amount	$ 2,500	$ 2,800

Income Taxes Unrecognized Tax Benefits Rollforward (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Beginning Balance	$ 2,327	$ 2,401	$ 2,348
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Increase Resulting from Current Period Tax Positions	161	44	137
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Increase Resulting from Prior Period Tax Positions	86	(98)	10
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Reduction Resulting from Lapse of Applicable Statute of Limitations	134	20	94
Unrecognized Tax Benefits, Ending Balance	$ 2,440	$ 2,327	$ 2,401

Other Income, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
Other Income, Net (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Other Income and Expenses [Abstract]
Gain on sale of fixed assets	$ 9,806	$ 7,110	$ 10,706
Miscellaneous income, net of other expense	627	1,181	522
Total other income, net	$ 10,433	$ 8,291	$ 11,228

Employee Benefit Plans Dycom Plan (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Defined Contribution Plan, Employer Matching Contribution, Percent of Match	30.00%
Defined Contribution Plan, Maximum Annual Contributions Per Employee, Percent	75.00%
Defined Contribution Plan, Employer Matching Contribution, Percent of Employees' Gross Pay	5.00%
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Expense	$ 4.8	$ 4.0	$ 1.9
Acquired Businesses Obligations Assumed
Defined Contribution Plan Disclosure [Line Items]
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Expense		$ 0.8	$ 1.2

Employee Benefit Plans Multiemployer Plan (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Multiemployer Plan, Period Contributions	$ 3,679	$ 4,786	$ 3,679
Entity Tax Identification Number	136123601
Maximum
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Contribution to Plan, Company Percentage of Total	5.00%
Multiemployer Plans, Red Zone Threshold	65.00%
Multiemployer Plans, Yellow Zone Threshold	80.00%
Minimum
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Multiemployer Plans, Yellow Zone Threshold	65.00%
Multiemployer Plans, Green Zone Threshold	80.00%
The Plan
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Multiemployer Plans, Certified Zone Status		Green	Green
Multiemployer Plans, Funding Improvement Plan and Rehabilitation Plan	No
Multiemployer Plan, Period Contributions	$ 3,057	$ 3,852	$ 3,044
Multiemployer Plans, Surcharge	No
Multiemployer Plans, Collective-Bargaining Arrangement, Expiration Date	May 05, 2016
Multiemployer Plans, Certified Zone Status, Date		Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2014
Multiemployer Plan, Individually Insignificant Multiemployer Plans
Multiemployer Plans [Line Items]
Multiemployer Plan, Period Contributions	$ 622	$ 934	$ 635

Capital Stock (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands		2 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 15, 2015	Sep. 11, 2015	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares repurchased	805,000			2,511,578	1,669,924	360,900
Total Consideration (Dollars in thousands)				$ 169,997	$ 87,146	$ 9,999
Average Price Per Share (in dollars per share)	$ 74.53			$ 67.69	$ 52.19	$ 27.71
Stock repurchased and retired during period, value	$ 60,000	$ 110,000		$ 169,997	$ 87,146	$ 9,999
Remaining authorized repurchase amount			$ 100,000	$ 100,000
Shares paid for tax withholding for share based compensation				161,988	145,395	136,604
Value of shares paid for tax withholding for share based compensation				$ 12,600	$ 4,700	$ 3,800
Retained Earnings
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Stock repurchased and retired during period, value			$ 17,100	$ 17,127

Stock-Based Awards (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 29, 2017	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014	Jul. 29, 2016
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share Price						$ 94.05
Stock-based compensation			$ 16,850	$ 13,923	$ 12,596
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercises in Period, Intrinsic Value			15,000	24,900	8,400
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Cash Received from Exercise of Stock Options			2,700	$ 8,900	$ 14,600
Stock Options
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options	$ 2,900		$ 2,900
Total compensation cost not yet recognized, period for recognition	2 years 6 months 29 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value			$ 78.20	$ 19.48	$ 17.43
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Risk Free Interest Rate			2.00%	2.10%	2.70%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Term			7 years 3 months 29 days	8 years 9 months 11 days	8 years 9 months 11 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Volatility Rate			55.00%	54.50%	55.10%
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Fair Value Assumptions, Expected Dividend Rate			0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
RSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted (in dollars per shares)			$ 72.41	$ 31.42	$ 27.54
Unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options	$ 8,000		$ 8,000
Total compensation cost not yet recognized, period for recognition	2 years 7 months 25 days
Granted (in shares)			92,429
Shares outstanding (in shares)	251,264		251,264	322,008
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Vested in Period, Fair Value			$ 39,100	$ 15,200	$ 11,700
Performance RSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Granted (in dollars per shares)			$ 77.86	$ 31.03	$ 27.66
Award service period			3 years
Unrecognized compensation expense related to stock options	$ 15,400		$ 15,400
Total compensation cost not yet recognized, period for recognition	1 year 4 months 24 days
Compensation expense	$ 4,300		$ 4,300
RSUs outstanding (in shares)			170,304
Granted (in shares)			238,209
Shares outstanding (in shares)	625,971		625,971	945,540
Target Share Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation			$ 10,400	$ 8,500
Shares outstanding (in shares)	500,681		500,681
Supplemental Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation			$ 600
Granted (in shares)			67,905
Forfeited or cancelled (in shares)			169,790
Shares outstanding (in shares)	125,290		125,290
Scenario, Forecast \| Supplemental Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Awards Other than Options, Shares Expected to Vest		11,043
Share-based Compensation by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Awards Other than Options, Shares Expected to be Canceled		49,797

Stock-Based Awards - Tax Benefit Recognized (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Employee Service Share-based Compensation, Tax Benefit Realized from Exercise of Stock Options	$ 18,097	$ 13,976	$ 7,116
Stock-based compensation	16,850	13,923	12,596
Tax benefit recognized in the statement of operations	$ 6,436	$ 5,458	$ 4,819

Stock-Based Awards - Stock Options (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	5 years 6 months 14 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Outstanding, Intrinsic Value \| $	$ 53,862
Stock Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price [Roll Forward]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Weighted Average Remaining Contractual Term	4 years 8 months 26 days
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Exercisable, Intrinsic Value \| $	$ 43,405
Stock Options
Stock Options, Outstanding [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in shares) \| shares	915,323
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Options, Grants in Period, Gross \| shares	35,863
Options exercised (in shares) \| shares	(212,619)
Canceled (in shares) \| shares	(1,300)
Ending balance (in shares) \| shares	737,267
Exercisable options (in shares) \| shares	553,495
Stock Options, Outstanding, Weighted Average Exercise Price [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in dollars per shares) \| $ / shares	$ 16.86
Options granted (in dollars per shares) \| $ / shares	78.20
Options exercised (in dollars per shares) \| $ / shares	12.91
Canceled (in dollars per shares) \| $ / shares	13.88
Ending balance (in dollars per shares) \| $ / shares	20.99
Exercisable options (in dollars per shares) \| $ / shares	$ 15.63

Stock-Based Awards - RSU's and Performance RSU's (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	$ 16,850	$ 13,923	$ 12,596
Target Share Units
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	$ 10,400	$ 8,500
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Non Option Equity Instruments Outstanding [Roll Forward]
Ending balance (in shares)	500,681
RSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Outstanding	$ 23,631
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Non Option Equity Instruments Outstanding [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in shares)	322,008
Granted (in shares)	92,429
Share units vested (in shares)	(139,921)
Forfeited or canceled (in shares)	(23,252)
Ending balance (in shares)	251,264	322,008
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Equity Instruments Other Than Options Nonvested Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in dollars per shares)	$ 24.46
Granted (in dollars per shares)	72.41	$ 31.42	$ 27.54
Share units vested (in dollars per shares)	23.67
Forfeited or canceled (in dollars per shares)	24.28
Ending balance (in dollars per shares)	$ 42.56	$ 24.46
Performance RSUs
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award, Equity Instruments Other than Options, Aggregate Intrinsic Value, Outstanding	$ 58,873
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Non Option Equity Instruments Outstanding [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in shares)	945,540
Granted (in shares)	238,209
Share units vested (in shares)	(361,998)
Forfeited or canceled (in shares)	(195,780)
Ending balance (in shares)	625,971	945,540
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Equity Instruments Other Than Options Nonvested Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value [Roll Forward]
Beginning balance (in dollars per shares)	$ 26.46
Granted (in dollars per shares)	77.86	$ 31.03	$ 27.66
Share units vested (in dollars per shares)	25.28
Forfeited or canceled (in dollars per shares)	23.40
Ending balance (in dollars per shares)	$ 47.66	$ 26.46
Supplemental Shares
Share-based Compensation Arrangement by Share-based Payment Award [Line Items]
Stock-based compensation	$ 600
Share Based Compensation Arrangement By Share Based Payment Award Non Option Equity Instruments Outstanding [Roll Forward]
Granted (in shares)	67,905
Ending balance (in shares)	125,290

Concentration of Credit Risk (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
Concentration of Credit Risk (Details) $ in Millions	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($) customer	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 30, 2016 USD ($) customer	Jul. 25, 2015 USD ($)	Jul. 26, 2014
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Number of customers classified as highly concentrated \| customer	5		5
Sales Revenue, Services, Net \| Customer Concentration Risk \| Five Unnamed Customers
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage			69.70%	61.10%	58.30%
Sales Revenue, Services, Net \| Customer Concentration Risk \| AT&T Inc.
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage			24.40%	20.80%	19.20%
Sales Revenue, Services, Net \| Customer Concentration Risk \| Verizon
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage			11.00%	7.60%	8.20%
Sales Revenue, Services, Net \| Customer Concentration Risk \| Comcast
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage			13.60%	12.90%	11.70%
Sales Revenue, Services, Net \| Customer Concentration Risk \| CenturyLink
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage			14.50%	14.20%	13.80%
Trade Accounts Receivable and Costs and Estimated Earnings \| Customer Concentration Risk \| AT&T Inc.
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage	20.30%	17.70%
Accounts receivable, costs, and estimated earnings in excess of billings	$ 138.8	$ 101.7	$ 138.8	$ 101.7
Trade Accounts Receivable and Costs and Estimated Earnings \| Customer Concentration Risk \| Windstream Corporation
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage	11.50%	8.30%
Accounts receivable, costs, and estimated earnings in excess of billings	$ 79.0	$ 47.8	79.0	47.8
Trade Accounts Receivable and Costs and Estimated Earnings \| Customer Concentration Risk \| Another Customer
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage	10.40%	11.20%
Accounts receivable, costs, and estimated earnings in excess of billings	$ 71.5	$ 64.5	71.5	64.5
Trade Accounts Receivable and Costs and Estimated Earnings \| Customer Concentration Risk \| Verizon
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage	10.10%	8.90%
Accounts receivable, costs, and estimated earnings in excess of billings	$ 69.0	$ 50.8	69.0	50.8
Trade Accounts Receivable and Costs and Estimated Earnings \| Customer Concentration Risk \| Comcast
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage	13.90%	11.00%
Accounts receivable, costs, and estimated earnings in excess of billings	$ 95.3	$ 63.0	95.3	63.0
Trade Accounts Receivable and Costs and Estimated Earnings \| Customer Concentration Risk \| CenturyLink
Concentration Risk [Line Items]
Concentration risk percentage	11.50%	14.00%
Accounts receivable, costs, and estimated earnings in excess of billings	$ 79.0	$ 80.1	$ 79.0	$ 80.1

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding amount	$ 57.6	$ 54.4
Standby Letters of Credit
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding amount	57.6	54.4
Performance Guarantee and Surety Bond
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Outstanding performance and other surety contract bonds	$ 165.8	$ 294.9

Commitments and Contingencies Leases (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
2017	$ 19,845
2018	15,289
2019	10,704
2020	5,425
2021	3,075
Thereafter	5,098
Total	59,436
Minimum Lease Term, Excess Of One Year
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Operating Leases, Rent Expense, Net	26,800	$ 18,500	$ 17,700
Minimum Lease Term, One Year or Less
Operating Leased Assets [Line Items]
Operating Leases, Rent Expense, Net	$ 23,000	$ 20,400	$ 20,400

Quarterly Financial Data (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Jul. 30, 2016	Apr. 23, 2016	Jan. 23, 2016	Oct. 24, 2015	Jul. 25, 2015	Apr. 25, 2015	Jan. 24, 2015	Oct. 25, 2014	Jul. 30, 2016	Jul. 25, 2015	Jul. 26, 2014
Interim Period, Costs Not Allocable [Line Items]
Loss on debt extinguishment									$ (16,260)	$ 0	$ 0
Amortization of debt discount									14,709	0	0
Revenues	$ 789,159	$ 664,645	$ 559,470	$ 659,268	$ 578,479	$ 492,363	$ 441,081	$ 510,389
Costs of earned revenues, excluding depreciation and amortization	605,909	520,408	450,284	506,978	446,114	388,239	355,429	403,468	2,083,579	1,593,250	1,475,045
Gross Profit	183,250	144,237	109,186	152,290	132,365	104,124	85,652	106,921
Net income	$ 49,360	$ 33,083	$ 15,473	$ 30,824	$ 33,827	$ 20,258	$ 9,432	$ 20,807	$ 128,740	$ 84,324	$ 39,978
Basic earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.57	$ 1.02	$ 0.47	$ 0.94	$ 1.00	$ 0.59	$ 0.28	$ 0.61	$ 3.98	$ 2.48	$ 1.18
Earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.54	$ 1.00	$ 0.46	$ 0.91	$ 0.97	$ 0.58	$ 0.27	$ 0.59	$ 3.89	$ 2.41	$ 1.15
Seven Point One Two Five Percent Senior Subordinated Notes Due 2021 [Member]
Interim Period, Costs Not Allocable [Line Items]
Loss on debt extinguishment				$ 16,300