How should risk be addressed in contract management?

• A. Through ad hoc reactions and ticketing.
• B. Through only high-level statements and no tracking.
• C. By transferring all risk to the contractor.
• D. Through a risk register, mitigation strategies, assignment of responsibility, and regular risk reviews.

Answer: (D)

Managing risk in contract work means taking a proactive, structured approach to identifying, assessing, and controlling risks throughout the contract’s life. The strongest approach uses a risk register to document each risk, its probability and impact, and its priority; it pairs those risks with concrete mitigation strategies; it assigns clear responsibility so someone is accountable for each action; and it holds regular risk reviews to keep the plan current as conditions change. This combination creates visibility and accountability, and it enables timely adjustments before issues escalate.

Ad hoc reactions and ticketing lack a planned, overarching process; relying only on high-level statements with no tracking provides no actionable guidance; and transferring all risk to the contractor ignores balanced risk allocation and ongoing governance.