We did not discuss the details of the differences in contracts, only that they exist.

I was after a relationship between "customer deposits" and order backlog. Without any specifics, he stated that some agreements required a deposit, in my mind at that point, varying amounts depending on the contract details, while others did not.

Regarding penalties and cancelable orders, there may be clauses if the product included modifications beyond what would be considered as standard.

If you draft the question, e-mail it to RP, he will probably want to call you back and discuss the details. That's his MO on issues of this type.