How managers think (Score 1)

The manager will want to know is the cost of implementing version control worth the risk of not having it. (Even though most version control systems are free - the time for the contractors to implement them are not) Your job is to show what the risks are for not having version control and combined with the total costs that it would take to implement a solution. This is why they want a task brief. It is then up to them to make a decision if they can afford the risk.