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5 closed pursuits · 2 won · 3 lost
40%
2 won · 3 lost
5
opportunities
2
with named competitor
The Greystar Resident App initiative was put on hold due to 2026 budget freeze driven by rising interest rates impacting multifamily development. No competitor was selected — the project was simply deferred.
Lessons: Macroeconomic headwinds in multifamily real estate directly impact Greystar's discretionary tech spend. Monitor NMHC sentiment and Greystar earnings before investing in large-scale pursuit for this account. Smaller entry-point engagements ($50–100K) are better suited to budget freeze environments.
LifeStance selected Elevate based on the strength of the existing Discovery engagement relationship, our demonstrated healthcare-sector expertise, and the compelling Ascend™ methodology proof points. The adjusted v2 investment range met their budget parameters.
Lessons: Early executive alignment on Synapse™ brand positioning was the deciding factor — name-brand DXP programs sell better than generic 'portal projects'. Proof points from comparable healthcare work are table stakes for this vertical.
Driven Brands selected Elevate for the Meineke rebuild after two competing bids came in at 40% higher with longer timelines. The Take5 reference engagement was decisive — proof of delivery at scale in the automotive aftermarket vertical on an identical tech stack.
Lessons: Leveraging existing client relationships within an enterprise portfolio (Driven Brands umbrella) significantly compresses the sales cycle. The reference call with Take5 GM cut 3 weeks off the evaluation period.
STERIS selected Deloitte Digital citing the firm's existing Microsoft relationship and enterprise-wide managed services contract. Elevate's proposal was technically preferred but could not match Deloitte's enterprise-level SLA commitments and SOC 2 Type II documentation which procurement required.
Lessons: Enterprise healthcare manufacturing companies with large IT footprints have entrenched vendor relationships that override technical merit. Must qualify procurement constraints in discovery, not during final evaluation. SOC 2 Type II certification is a hard gate for this segment — prioritize completing our certification.
Hayward ultimately selected Accenture based on global resourcing capacity and the ability to staff the project with offshore teams to hit aggressive cost targets. Elevate was the finalist but the gap in team size and geographic coverage was insurmountable at this scope.
Lessons: Hayward needed enterprise-scale staffing that Elevate cannot credibly offer at this time. Qualification step should include a headcount/timeline question early — if client expects >15 FTE for >$1M engagement, escalate to partner level before investing full proposal effort.