Strategic & Market Intelligence

Decision support reports for committees and boards

A written report built for a specific decision: the question, the material collected, the options with their conditions, the uncertainties, and what would change the conclusion.

The problem this service answers

A decision has to be taken at the next committee and the material available is a set of internal opinions, a supplier presentation and a report written for another purpose two years ago.

Committees rarely fail for lack of intelligence. They fail because the material in front of them mixes established fact, plausible inference and internal preference in a single document, with no way to tell which is which. A decision taken on that basis cannot be revisited rationally when circumstances change, because nobody knows which assumption gave way.

A decision support report is therefore built backwards from the decision. It asks what has to be established for the arbitration to be possible, collects that specific material, presents the options with the conditions attached to each, and states the uncertainties instead of absorbing them into a confident recommendation.

What the assignment covers

We start from the decision and its calendar: what exactly is being arbitrated, by whom, on what date, and what alternatives are genuinely on the table. Reports that begin from a subject rather than from a decision tend to be exhaustive and unusable; the constraint of a real arbitration is what makes the document short and pointed.

The material is then collected specifically for that question, drawing on whichever of our assignments is relevant: market structure, competitive position, partner verification, procurement calendars, capital movements or economic exposure. Existing internal material you provide is integrated and its origin is identified, so the report does not confuse your assumptions with observed findings.

The report sets out the question, the method, the material, the options and their conditions of success, the risks and the uncertainties, followed by the indicators that would confirm or invalidate the reasoning later. Where our reading points in a direction, it is presented as a reading, clearly separated from the evidence supporting it.

How we work on it

  1. We define the decision, the decision makers, the date and the real alternatives.
  2. We establish what has to be known for the arbitration to be possible.
  3. Material is collected specifically for that question from selected sources.
  4. Internal material you provide is integrated with its origin identified.
  5. Options are built with their conditions, risks and reversibility stated.
  6. The report separates observed fact, inference and our own reading.
  7. A working session presents the report and answers the committee questions.

Where the information comes from

Sources are selected with you at the start of the assignment and reviewed as the subject evolves.

  • Findings from the intelligence assignments relevant to the question.
  • Corporate registries, filings and public financial material.
  • Institutional, regulatory and sector publications.
  • Public procurement, contract and award records where relevant.
  • Internal material provided by you, identified as such in the report.

Possible deliverables

The format is chosen with you. A single assignment can combine several of them.

  • A structured report built around the decision to be taken.
  • A summary written for readers who will not read the full document.
  • Options presented with their conditions, risks and reversibility.
  • An explicit statement of uncertainties and missing elements.
  • Indicators to monitor that would confirm or invalidate the reasoning.

Who this service is designed for

  • Executive and investment committees.
  • Boards and supervisory bodies.
  • General management preparing an arbitration.
  • Investors preparing a commitment decision.
  • Public and institutional decision makers.

What this service does not promise

The report organises the available material and makes the arbitration possible. It does not take the decision, it cannot remove the uncertainty inherent in it, and no report can assure the result of the option you retain.

How to start

Describe the decision, the date of the committee and the options on the table. We come back with what can realistically be established before then.

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Questions about this service

Will the report contain a recommendation?

It contains a reading, clearly identified as ours and separated from the evidence. Where the material genuinely points in one direction we say so; where it does not, we present the options with their conditions rather than manufacturing a preference. The arbitration belongs to the people accountable for it.

Can you work to a committee deadline?

Usually, provided the deadline allows serious collection. When it does not, we say so and propose a reduced perimeter that can be treated properly rather than a full one treated superficially. A report delivered on time with stated gaps is more useful than one that looks complete and is not.

Do you present the report to our committee?

Yes if you wish. A working session lets the readers question the material directly, test the options and identify what they would still like established. That exchange frequently produces a short complementary phase, since committees often discover the real question during the discussion.

Tell us what you need to monitor

Describe your subject, your markets and your decision timeline. We study every request individually before proposing a monitoring set-up.

Every request is reviewed confidentially. No commitment is required to discuss a scope of work.