Svensk Elithandboll's journey towards business control
In many organizations, system choices are driven by vendors' sales skills rather than the organization's actual needs. We reverse that dynamic by leading the process throughout the analysis and the RFP journey (from requirements specification and vendor outreach to final decision material), letting the client's needs set the agenda. That's the work we're currently doing with Svensk Elithandboll.
A league investing in its digital development
Svensk Elithandboll brings together Sweden's top women's and men's clubs in Handbollsligan and is the organization driving the joint commercial, organizational and digital development of elite handball. Behind it stand clubs with proud histories, loyal fans and a standard of play at the very top internationally. Shared platforms and digital systems have been in place for several years.
Even so, Svensk Elithandboll chose to pause. Not because anything was wrong, but because something could become significantly better. The league's leadership wanted to bring the whole picture together in a new way, and to do it in an order where every step stands on solid ground. How does a league organization connect its digital presence, its data and its clubs' day-to-day operations so that each part strengthens the rest instead of living a life of its own?
It was with that question in mind that Svensk Elithandboll began working with Stratigo in winter 2026. On the league's side, CEO Peter Gentzel and Administrator/Communications Officer Elin Jansson have been the driving forces behind the work.
"Stratigo understands how the clubs are organized and how they operate, but also what the needs are on the part of both the clubs and the league. It was an easy decision to let Stratigo lead us through the process." - Peter Gentzel, CEO, Svensk Elithandboll
Svensk Elithandboll takes back control
Every week, clubs, leagues and federations in Swedish elite sport are approached by system vendors with revolutionary solutions that promise to change "everything". The sales presentations are polished, the demos look great and there's always a reference customer to point to. The result is that organizations buy based on the seller's pitch rather than their actual needs, which in some cases ends in a patchwork of solutions that don't talk to each other and data locked into platforms that are hard to leave.
That's where we come in. By leading structured RFP processes, we shift control back to the client and let the organization's needs, not the vendors' sales muscle, be the deciding factor.
"You learn an enormous amount during a process like this. What strikes you is how many variables there are to take in, how many things you need to weigh up, not just costs. What do we need from the product, the service or the platform? What should it deliver, and where? The complexity and the big picture are challenging." - Peter Gentzel, CEO, Svensk Elithandboll
Leading the process all the way
A strategic RFP process is a method that runs all the way from the first needs discussion to a signed contract. We carry out that work and drive the entire process, with the client as the decision owner.
In practice, this means we take responsibility for four things, so the client can focus on the strategic decisions rather than the operational legwork.
- Requirements specification. Before anything goes out to the market, we find out what the organization actually needs. We run in-depth needs discussions with leadership and key people, map the current state, data flows and time-consuming manual tasks, and prioritize requirements based on value creation and feasibility. The result is a requirements specification that describes the organization's real use cases, not a generic wish list that fits everyone.
- RFP document and RFP process. Once the requirements are clear, we take charge of the dialogue with potential vendors. We put together a qualified longlist, write a structured RFP document with technical, functional and commercial requirements, and run the entire evaluation process from first contact to final response. We look under the hood, review architecture and documentation, and ask the uncomfortable questions that sales presentations rarely answer.
- Decision material. Every vendor is evaluated against the same criteria, weighted according to the client's priorities. We compile decision material that makes it easy to compare like with like and that includes a clear recommendation. It's built to stand up to scrutiny from the leadership team and the board.
- On the client's side of the table. We don't sell licenses and we take no kickbacks from any platform. We're not a system vendor. That's a deliberate choice, and it's fundamental to how we work. Our only incentive is for the client to get the right system on the right terms, and in negotiations we always sit on the same side of the table as the client.
Three RFP processes in a deliberate order
This way of working is exactly what we're now driving together with Svensk Elithandboll. Following a joint analysis of elite handball's digital and commercial landscape, based in part on a survey answered by 24 representatives from 21 clubs, we and the league have developed a plan in which three strategic RFP processes each activate a focus area in a deliberate order.
The first RFP process, for a shared engagement platform that brings the fan journey together in one place, is already well under way. Requirements have been set, the market has been mapped and qualified vendors are being evaluated against a requirements specification that reflects the needs of both the league and the clubs. The second RFP process, for a collaboration platform between the league and the clubs, starts shortly and addresses what the clubs themselves ranked as their most important need for central support. As a deliberate final step comes the third RFP process, for a modern data and activation platform. Its place at the end is no coincidence: a data platform delivers the most value when there's an engagement platform generating data and ways of working in the clubs that can activate it.
"I feel that Stratigo is on the same side as us in everything. They start from our needs and wishes, then give a recommendation on which way we should go, and in the end it's up to us to choose." - Peter Gentzel, CEO, Svensk Elithandboll
A strategic shift
Svensk Elithandboll has embarked on a strategic shift centered on taking control of its business through a cohesive digital infrastructure, and in doing so building the foundation for long-term commercial growth across elite handball.
About the partnership
In March 2026, Stratigo delivered a strategic analysis and recommendation to Svensk Elithandboll. The partnership continues through 2026 and beyond with three strategic RFP processes.
