Requirements to enroll as a CSP direct-bill partner
Appropriate roles: Global admin
As a direct-bill partner, you own the end-to-end relationship with your customer and with Microsoft.
Verify minimum requirements
We've updated enrollment requirements for direct-bill partners. These requirements help you to accelerate your business growth with the right Cloud Solution Provider model, and strengthen your customer relationships with value-added services and support.
Note
You must have transacted as an indirect reseller for a period of at least 12 months before enrolling as a direct partner.
Before you enroll, verify that you meet the following requirements. These are the minimum requirements to be eligible to enroll; Microsoft will review all relevant information and provide applicants with a decision.
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
| PartnerID | An active membership in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and PartnerID for the location you want to sell in. |
| Endorsement | The authority to accept and sign legal agreements on behalf of your organization. |
| Support | The ability to provide the first level of cloud product support to your customers. A Microsoft support plan, either Advanced Support for Partners (ASfP) or Premier Support for Partners (PSfP), depending on your needs. Compare support plans. IMPORTANT: You must pass a credit check before you can purchase a support plan. We'll send you email when you've passed the credit check. |
| Revenue requirement | Your organization must meet at least USD300K in Cloud Solution Provider program annual revenue during the preceding 12 months as an indirect reseller. The sales that make up your USD300K trailing twelve-month revenue are subject to review and verification by Microsoft, and you might be asked to provide additional information. The USD300K revenue requirement is calculated based on cloud revenue in CSP. |
| CSP requirement | Must transact as an indirect reseller for a minimum of 12 months. |
| Accounts receivable | The organizational infrastructure in place to manage customer billing and provisioning. |
| Capabilities | Meet the requirements for minimum infrastructure capabilities including billing, provisioning, customer support, and security. All required capabilities will be reviewed by Microsoft via third-party assessments. Each applicant will be contacted to schedule the assessment interviews after confirmation by Microsoft that the revenue and indirect reseller tenure requirements have been met. Annual reassessment will be required to confirm that all direct-bill program requirements continue to be met. |
| Managed Service | At least one managed service, IP service, or customer solution application. Learn more about adding managed services. |
Start your direct-bill partner enrollment
After you've verified that you meet the minimum requirements to enroll as a direct-bill partner, you can proceed to the application form.
After we've verified that your company meets the eligibility requirements to enroll as a direct-bill partner, and after you've completed the enrollment application, we'll review and verify the business information you provided during the enrollment process. As part of this review, we'll check your company's credit. We'll let you know by email when your company has passed the credit check.
Important
Checking your company's credit can take several days or more to complete. During this time, it's important that you NOT purchase a Microsoft support plan. You should purchase a Microsoft support plan only after we've informed you that you've passed the credit check.
Transition from direct to indirect reseller
Current direct-bill partners must meet the minimum requirements to remain in the CSP direct-bill partner program. Otherwise, their access to direct-bill capabilities will eventually be restricted, and they can no longer perform certain tasks, such as making new purchases for their customers.
If you decide to move from a direct-bill business to indirect reseller business, there are several steps you need to take. To learn more about transitioning, read Transition from Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct partner to CSP indirect reseller.