FOR SLED SERVICE BUSINESSES · $500K TO $25M+ · WIN STRATEGIST TIER
Win Strategist Services for SLED Service Businesses
The RFP Success® Company works with SLED focused service businesses ($500K to $25M+) as your Win Strategist working alongside your team, not replacing it. $500M+ in client wins to date.
WIN THEME ARCHITECTURE
- EVALUATOR SCORECARD MAP
- WIN STRATEGIST
No commitment. Get your score instantly.
Win Strategist Services
Founded by Lisa Rehurek, who brings 30+ years responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs.
THE WIN STRATEGIST MODEL
WHAT IS A WIN STRATEGIST?
A Win Strategist is a senior RFP specialist who helps your team win more SLED contracts by improving proposal strategy, content, and processes. Depending on your needs, that may mean uncovering why past proposals lost points, pressure-testing a live response, strengthening proposal content, or helping your team build a repeatable approach to pursuing and responding to RFPs.
THE QUESTIONS TEAMS ASK BEFORE ENGAGING
Q1
What is a Win Strategist?
A Win Strategist is a senior specialist who helps organizations improve proposal performance. That includes evaluating past proposals, strengthening active responses, developing win strategies, and improving the internal processes that lead to better proposal outcomes.
Q2
How does a Win Strategist work with our team?
A Win Strategist is a collaborative partner, not an outsourced proposal department. We work alongside your team to provide the strategy, evaluator perspective, and proposal expertise needed to help you win more SLED contracts.
Q3
Who is The RFP Success® Company?
The RFP Success® Company is a focused Win Strategist firm founded by Lisa Rehurek. Lisa brings 30+ years across responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs. The team works with service-based businesses ($500K to $25M+) pursuing State, Local, and Education government contracts and has supported $500M+ in client wins across 30+ industries.
Where Qualified Proposals Lose
Your Proposals Are Technically Sound. That's Why You Keep Losing.
Qualified doesn't win contracts. Positioning does.
Qualified doesn't win contracts. Positioning does.
Evaluators read 30, 40, sometimes 50 proposals for a single contract. The ones that meet requirements but sound like every other response get scored in the middle. The ones that clearly demonstrate why this company is the lowest risk, highest value choice, those are the ones that earn "exceeds expectations" ratings.
Highstreet IT described it this way before engaging The RFP Success® Company: their team was getting down selected consistently but losing at final evaluation. They were good enough to make the shortlist, but their proposals did not position them as the obvious winner. After working with The RFP Success® Company's Win Strategist team, Highstreet IT's win rate climbed from 43% to over 50% within one year, and they secured an $8.5M contract.
The gap between "technically responsive" and "positioned to win" is where most proposals die.
That's the gap The RFP Success® Company closes.
SERVICE OVERVIEW
WIN STRATEGIST ENGAGEMENTS FOR SLED SERVICE BUSINESSES
FROM $500K TO $25M+.
The RFP Success® Company runs Win Strategist engagements for service-based businesses pursuing State, Local, and Education government contracts. RFP-expert Lisa Rehurek brings 30+ years across responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs. The Win Strategist team applies her methodology within a company-wide 76%+ win rate, 92% down-select rate, and $500M+ in client wins across 30+ industries.
01
4x4 Framework™
Proprietary SLED proposal methodology
02
D.A.R.E. Method
Distinction, Answer the Questions for Impact, Readability, Evidence
03
Evaluator Perspective
A scoring-focused perspective that goes beyond compliance
04
Win Strategist Team
In house experts who run the Audit, Strategy Review, and Content Refinement with you
Significant SLED client outcomes include RTA Fleet improving from 50% to 80% finalist rate, Modern Learners scaling revenue from $500K to $1M, and Optumas hitting 6 of 7 wins inside one year.
FOUNDER
Lisa Rehurek
The RFP Success® Company
WHO LEADS YOUR WIN STRATEGY
Meet the Founder Behind Your Win Strategist Team.
Lisa Rehurek has spent 30+ years responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs. She’s been the buyer writing the RFP, the seller responding to it, and the evaluator scoring submissions. She’s the author of 11 books, 5 of them RFP-specific. At The RFP Success® Company, Lisa leads a team of Win Strategists who help SLED-focused businesses improve their strategy, strengthen their proposals, and win more contracts.
INC. 5000 (2023, 2024)
ALL THREE SIDES OF THE RFP TABLE
The Win Strategist Model
We Plug Into Your Process. We Don't Replace It.
The RFP Success® Company operates as your Win Strategist. Here’s what that means in practice.
We work alongside your team to provide the expertise your organization needs most. Whether that’s uncovering why past proposals lost points, strengthening an active response, improving proposal content, or building a more effective proposal process. Every engagement is designed to help your team become stronger, not more dependent.
A Win Strategist is an RFP expert who guides your team to win more, without taking over your proposals. Lisa Rehurek, who founded The RFP Success® Company after 30+ years responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs, designed the Win Strategist model around a core principle: most teams know their services well enough to answer the questions. They lose because their responses don’t clearly position them as the best choice.
We fix that.
What We Don’t Do
If You Want Someone to Just Do It, We're Not the Right Fit.
The RFP Success® Company is not a "write it for you" solution. We are not a plug and play proposal service. We are not independently developing the proposal on your behalf.
If you're looking for someone to take the entire process off your plate, we're not the right fit. If you want to win more with the team you already have, we are.
Who This Is For:
We work best with teams who already have internal resources writing proposals, know their services well but want stronger positioning, are tired of submitting strong responses that don't win, want to improve win rates without increasing headcount, and are open to feedback that strengthens strategy and messaging.
FROM LISA
There's no version of this work that scales without a Win Strategist in the process.
OUR SERVICES
The Win Strategist Services
Every team is in a different place. Three core services cover most of them: an RFP Success® Mastery Audit to diagnose why you're losing, a Strategy Review to pressure test a live response before you submit, and Content Refinement to strengthen an active proposal so the writing is more persuasive to evaluators. Play to Win Consult helps teams improve their overall RFP strategy, content, and process. And Library Content Development gives your team a reusable, evaluator-ready content foundation to draw from.
RFP Success® Mastery Audit
$3,500
Find out why you keep losing.
See exactly where your past proposals lost points, scored through the evaluator's lens. For teams that want honest insight on why their proposals aren't winning.
Learn More About the RFP Success® Mastery Audit
Win Strategy Review
$4,500 to $8,500
Know if your proposal will score before you submit it.
Pressure test an active pursuit against the scoring criteria before you submit. For teams on a competitive RFP who want expert feedback early enough to course correct.
Learn More About the Win Strategy Review
Content Refinement
$6,500 to $12,000
This is not editing. This is strategic shaping.
Turn your draft into a more persuasive proposal before submission. For teams that can write the technical content but need it to read as a story, not a data dump.
Learn More About the Content Refinement
Play to Win Consult
$7,500
Stop reinventing every proposal. Start building a winning system.
Build your win strategy, strengthen your content, and create a repeatable proposal process. For teams chasing everything and winning little, who need a process instead of a fire drill.
Learn More About the Play to Win Consult
Library Content Development
$4,200
(6 sections)
Stop starting from scratch on every proposal.
A reusable content foundation so your team stops rewriting the same sections every time. For teams whose boilerplate is dated and whose subject matter experts are buried in rewrites.
Learn More About the Library Content DevelopmentClient Results
We Don't Measure Success by Submission. We Measure It by Win Rate.
The RFP Success® Company has helped clients win $500M+ in state, local, and education government contracts. Here’s what that looks like for teams who brought in a Win Strategist.
Healthcare Consulting
Optumas
86% win rate · 6 of 7 RFPs
“Lisa totally dialed in our strategy, structure, and narrative to highlight our strengths.”
Technology
Highstreet IT
Won $8.5M contract
Down-select rate ↑ 77% · Win rate 43%→50%+
Education
Modern Learners
50% win rate across 8 RFPs
“50% win rate on 8 RFPs changed the entire game.”
Fleet Management Software
RTA Fleet
50% → 80% finalist rate · year over year
Revenue on pace to 2 to 3x
Lisa’s Perspective
You Can't See the Picture When You're Inside the Frame.
Lisa Rehurek, Founder of The RFP Success® Company, has spent 30+ years responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs: writing the response, developing the RFP, and scoring the submissions. She designed the Win Strategist model around what those three perspectives reveal.
Our team has scored thousands of SLED proposals from the evaluator’s seat. The teams that lose are rarely unqualified. They are undisciplined in how they present their qualifications, over explaining their own company instead of showing the evaluator why their approach is the lowest risk, highest value choice for this contract. The 4×4 Framework™ and the D.A.R.E. Method exist because proposal writing isn’t a creative exercise. It’s a strategic one.
CLIENT VOICES · WIN STRATEGIST ENGAGEMENTS
WHY CLIENTS USE A WIN STRATEGIST.
Win Strategist engagements are tailored to where your team needs the greatest impact. Here are the outcomes from clients who partnered with us.
FEATURED · TECHNOLOGY CLIENT
“One of the best business decisions we ever made. Inside the engagement our win rate climbed from 43% to 50%, we landed at 77% on the shortlist round, and we won the $8.5M contract.”
Highstreet IT
Technology · Win Strategist Services
CONTRACT WON
$8.5M
Single SLED contract won during engagement. Win rate climbed 43% to 50% within a single year.
HEALTHCARE CONSULTING
“RFP whisperers.”
6 of 7 wins inside the first year after engagement.
86%
WIN RATE
Optumas
Healthcare Consulting
EDUCATION
“Changed the entire game.”
50% win rate across 8 RFPs. Revenue scaled from $500K to $1M during the engagement.
2X
REVENUE GROWTH
Modern Learners
Education / Learning
TRANSPORTATION
Finalist rate climbed from 50% to 80% in one engagement cycle. Same submission volume, more wins.
Finalist rate moved from 50% to 80% inside one quarter. Revenue trajectory now 2 to 3× pre engagement baseline.
50% → 80%
FINALIST RATE
RTA Fleet
Fleet Management / Transit
HEALTHCARE CONSULTING
“Training exceeded all expectations.”
60% reduction in proposal writing time. Internal team now produces evaluator ready content without outside help.
−60%
WRITING TIME
Myers & Stauffer
Healthcare Consulting
WHY VERIFIED RESULTS MATTER
“We don’t take over your proposals. We strengthen how your expertise is presented.”
Lisa Rehurek · Founder, The RFP Success® Company
FROM LISA
A senior strategist who has scored hundreds of SLED proposals reads them differently than the people writing them.
The Methodology
A Proven System. Behind Every Win Strategist Engagement
Every service The RFP Success® Company offers is powered by the 4×4 Framework™, the proprietary methodology Lisa Rehurek developed across 30+ years responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs. The framework covers four pillars that determine whether a proposal wins or loses: Strategy, Content, People, and Process. Each pillar has four subcomponents drawn from what evaluators actually reward.
Inside the Content pillar lives the D.A.R.E. Method: Distinction, Answer the Questions for Impact, Readability, and Evidence & Authority. It’s the tactical writing system that turns generic proposals into evaluator ready responses that score.
The 4×4 Framework™ drives every service we offer. It’s why our win rate is 76%+.
It's not luck. It's a system.
Learn How the 4x4 Framework WorksSee how the 4×4 Framework™ delivered Optumas’s 86% win rate, Highstreet’s $8.5M contract, and Modern Learners’ revenue growth.
76%+
CLIENT WIN RATE
Across $500M+ in client wins
STRATEGY
· Foundation
· Positioning
· Mindset
· Beyond RFP intel
CONTENT
· Distinction
· Answer the Questions for Impact
· Readability
· Evidence & Authority
PEOPLE
· Right roles
· Teamwork
· Specialized seats
· Management cadence
PROCESS
· Go/No Go selectivity
· Planning
· Repeatable workflows
· Review rigor
INSIDE THE CONTENT PILLAR
D.A.R.E. Method
- Distinction
- Answer the Questions for Impact
- Readability
- Evidence & Authority
FROM THE FOUNDER · WIN STRATEGIST SERVICES
By RFP-expert Lisa Rehurek
Founder · The RFP Success® Company
Author of 11 books · Lisa’s 30+ years across responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs.
“You’re not losing because you’re unqualified. You’re losing because you’re undisciplined.”
11 BOOKS
RFP SUCCESS PODCAST
GOLDMAN SACHS 10KSB
INC 5000 (2023, 2024)
SIGNED
FREQUENTLY ASKED · evaluator-aware ANSWERS
COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT WIN STRATEGIST ENGAGEMENTS.
Real questions from SLED service businesses considering the Win Strategist tier. Answered by Lisa Rehurek.
01
WHAT EXACTLY DOES A WIN STRATEGIST DO DURING AN ENGAGEMENT?
It depends on which service you engage. A full Win Strategist engagement addresses strategy, content, people, and process using the 4x4 Framework™: win theme architecture, evaluation criteria mapping, content positioning, compliance discipline, and continuous improvement planning. Individual services focus on a specific need, whether that's diagnosing past proposal performance, strengthening an active response, building reusable content, or improving your overall proposal process.
02
HOW IS A WIN STRATEGIST DIFFERENT FROM A PROPOSAL WRITER OR CONSULTANT?
A writer writes. A consultant advises. A Win Strategist runs the strategy layer in your pursuit, against the actual evaluation criteria buyers use. Our team has scored SLED proposals from the evaluator's seat, on the framework Lisa Rehurek built over 30+ years responding to, developing, and evaluating RFPs. Strategy is built backward from how the response will be scored.
03
HOW LONG DOES A WIN STRATEGIST ENGAGEMENT RUN?
The timeline depends on the service you choose. Active RFP engagements are built around the submission deadline, while other services are scoped based on the work involved. At the start of every engagement, we'll provide a clear timeline and milestones so you know exactly what to expect.
04
WHAT IS THE PRICE RANGE FOR A WIN STRATEGIST ENGAGEMENT?
Project based, by service. RFP Success® Mastery Audit: $3,500 flat. Strategy Review: $4,500 to $8,500. Content Refinement: $6,500 to $12,000. Play to Win Consult: $7,500 flat. Library Content Development: $4,200 (6 sections). No hourly billing and no retainer. Pricing scales with the complexity of the engagement, and you know the number before we begin.
05
DO YOU WORK ON ONE RFP AT A TIME, OR ONGOING?
We work pursuit by pursuit. Each engagement is scoped to a single RFP and gets the full 4x4 Framework™ treatment: Strategy, Content, People, and Process. Many clients come back for the next pursuit, but we do not lock you into a multi RFP program.
06
WHO FROM YOUR TEAM IS INVOLVED IN OUR ENGAGEMENT?
Your engagement is led by one of our senior Win Strategists, working from the framework Lisa Rehurek developed. Depending on the service, your Win Strategist may be supported by other members of our team to provide additional expertise in proposal strategy, content development, process improvement, or quality review. We collaborate closely with your team throughout the engagement to achieve your goals.
07
WE ALREADY HAVE AN INTERNAL PROPOSAL TEAM. WILL A WIN STRATEGIST REPLACE THEM?
No. Win Strategist engagements work alongside your internal team, not over them. Your team knows your business, your clients, and your services better than anyone. Our role is to complement that expertise with evaluator insight, strategic guidance, objective feedback, and proven methodologies that help your team perform at a higher level.
08
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? WHAT IF WE DO NOT WIN?
Success depends on the service and your goals. Some engagements are measured by proposal outcomes, such as finalist rate and contract wins. Others are measured by improvements in proposal quality, team capability, content assets, or process maturity. Regardless of the service, our objective is the same: help your organization become more competitive in the SLED space.
How do we choose the right Win Strategist engagement?
Start with the RFP Assessment. It identifies whether your immediate need is a past-proposal audit, live-pursuit strategy, draft refinement, pursuit planning, or reusable library content, then routes qualified people to the next step.
READY TO WIN · BRING IN A WIN STRATEGIST
THE STRATEGY LAYER.
A Win Strategist works the Strategy, Content, People, and Process layer of your pursuit alongside your team. Take the RFP Assessment and we’ll help you identify the right path for your team.
76%+
AVG WIN RATE
$500M+
CLIENT WINS
30+
YEARS · LISA REHUREK
92%
DOWN SELECT RATE
“Anyone can help you submit a proposal. Very few can help you win one. We don’t measure success by submission. We measure it by win rate.”
Lisa Rehurek
Founder, The RFP Success® Company
