Most importantly: you need to articulate your key points clearly and concisely. So, length of time is different per case.

That being said, you should "Carry" your Rec with you throughout your case so that you do not need to spend much time thinking of the recommendation. Ultimately, it should only take you 15-30 seconds to prepare the rec.

Remember, you may ask to prepare and the interview responds "sorry, the CEO is calling right now, you don't have time", so be prepared throughout the case with a recommendation!

Recommendation

Direct, clear, sharp, and to the point. Then, include reasons why. (So, what do we need to do any why)

• Lead with the rec and be "strong" about it
• Use key supporting information to defend the recommendation

Risks

This is what you're asking about! You need to state 2-3 risks that relate to your recommendation. So 1) If the competition offers better bids 2) If we lose the project

• 2-3
• Should relate to your recommendation and the general situation

Next Steps

Next steps have to mitigate your risks. So, everything you've said above, what do we need to do? Let's look at alternatives just in case we lose the bit. Let's do research and try to figure out what their bids are so that we can outbid them (or be prepared to lose).

• 2-3
• Should mitigate your risks

How to think about risks

Risks are anything that could go wrong. They are anything that the company would need to consider in moving forward with the recommendation.

As an example, with a merger, risks could be culture clash, regulatory approval, integration costs, merger synergies aren't realized etc.

As another example, any process/operational change comes with risks that your employees will be upset, that the changes cause more disruption than good, that the changes are not successful etc.

Always think about your company, the competition, and the environment in which you operate when considering risks :)