Manage customer private offers

This article explains how to manage your customer private offers by using the Private offers dashboard in Partner Center.

Prerequisites

• You created a commercial marketplace account in Partner Center.
• Your account is enrolled in the commercial marketplace program.
• The offer that you want to sell privately is published to the marketplace and is publicly transactable.
• You have a marketplace developer, manager, or account owner role associated with your seller ID.

Create a new private offer for a customer

1. Sign in to Partner Center, and then select the Marketplace offers workspace.

2. On the left menu, select Private offers.

3. Select the Customers tab.

4. Select + New private offer.

5. Enter a name for the private offer. This is a descriptive name for use within Partner Center. It is visible to your customer in the Azure portal.

6. Select the type of private offer that you want to submit, based on the private offer attributes that you want to customize for your customer. These attributes include pricing (can be absolute or percentage discounts), meter quantities, and user limits for transactable marketplace offer types.

   Choose one of these options:

   • Customize pricing for existing public offers and plans: Use this option to create a private offer and customize product pricing and terms for eligible offer types including SaaS, Azure VMs, Azure Apps, and Azure containers. You can customize your pricing with either absolute pricing or percentage discounts. This option excludes professional services offer types and the ability to set absolute pricing for VM software reservations.
   • Customize pricing, metering dimensions, and user limits for SaaS and professional service offers: Use this option to create new plans based on an existing offer and customize product pricing and terms for SaaS and professional services offer types. This option creates a new plan with a unique plan ID. You can set up a standard or flexible charge schedule and customize the absolute price, metering dimension quantities, and user limits. This option excludes Azure VMs, Azure Apps, Azure containers, and VM software reservations offer types.
   • Customize pricing and specific quantities for VM software reservation offers: Use this option to create a private offer to sell VM software reservations (one year or three years). You can set up a standard or flexible charge schedule and customize the absolute price, quantities of reservations, and vCPU size. This option excludes SaaS, professional services, Azure VMs, Azure Apps, and Azure containers offer types.

   

Complete details on the Offer setup page

Use the Offer setup page to define private offer terms, notification contacts, and pricing for your customer.

Customer Information

For Customer Information, specify the billing account for the customer who's receiving this private offer. This offer is available only to the configured customer billing account. The customer needs to be an owner, contributor, or signatory to the billing account to accept the offer.

To create a private offer, you need the billing account ID of your customer. Billing account information is available only to customers. Customers can find their billing account ID in three ways:

• They can scan their account by using the private offer precheck functionality, and then export the report with the billing account ID included.

• In the Azure portal, they can go to Cost Management + Billing > Properties > ID. A user in the customer organization should have access to the billing account to see the ID in the Azure portal.

  

• If customers know the subscription that they plan to use for the purchase, they can select Subscriptions, select the relevant subscription, and then go to Properties (or Billing Properties) > Billing Account ID. See Billing account scopes in the Azure portal.

  

Note

A customer's market currency and billing account currency must match to be eligible to purchase products configured with an absolute price through private offers. Private offers configured with discounted pricing don't have this requirement. To provide offers to customers where market currency and billing account currency don't match, a Private plan can be created. For help with creating a Private plan view Private plans in the Microsoft commercial marketplace.

Customer dates for your private pricing

The customer private offer start date and end date defines the date range during which your private pricing applies to your customer's purchase or usage, just like a discount. These dates are different from the contract durations you configure for your products and from the customer's related subscription or asset start and end dates.

• Customer private pricing start date:
  • Choose Accepted date if you want the private offer to start as soon as your customer accepts it. This option makes the private offer immediately visible to the customer in the marketplace on the Private Offer Management pane in the Azure portal. For pay-as-you-go consumption products including Azure VM, Azure Apps, and Azure containers, selecting "accepted date" makes your private price applicable for the entire month.
  • Choose Specific month to have your private offer start in an upcoming month. The start date for this option is always the first day of the selected month in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The private offer and your private pricing won't be available for your customer to purchase until that month.
• Customer private pricing end date: Choose the expiration date for your private pricing. Your customer must purchase the products within the private offer before the end of this date in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Otherwise, the private offer pricing expires.
• Customer private offer accept by date: Set the deadline for your customer to accept the terms of the private offer. Your customer must accept the private offer before the end of this date in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or the private offer will expire, and your customer won't be able to purchase your products and with your private pricing.

Review information on how to configure these dates across offer types:

• SaaS: For SaaS products, your customer must purchase your private offer within this date range to receive your private pricing. For SaaS products with custom meters configured under the first dropdown option, customize pricing for public offers and plans, this date range must be configured to account for the full duration of time you'd like your private pricing to be available to your customer for your meter charges. For SaaS products with custom meters configured under the second dropdown option, customize pricing, metering quantities and user limits for SaaS and professional services offers, the availability of your private pricing for your meter charges aligns with the contract duration you configure for the product plan.

• VM software reservations: For VM products with software reservations enabled, your customer must purchase your private offer within this date range to receive your private pricing. Your customer is unable to auto-renew their VMSR assets.

• Consumption products: For pay-as-you-go consumption products including Azure VMs, Azure Apps, and Azure containers, this date range must be configured to account for the full duration of time you'd like your private pricing to be available to your customer for consumption charges. If you select "accepted date", your customer will receive your private pricing for the entire month regardless of when they purchase the private offer.

• Professional services: For professional services products, your customer must purchase your private offer within this date range to receive your private pricing. Your customer is unable to auto-renew their professional services subscriptions.

Customer terms and conditions

Optionally, upload a PDF with terms and conditions that your customer must accept as part of the private offer. Your terms and conditions must adhere to Microsoft supported billing models and offer types, along with the Microsoft Publisher Agreement.

Customer renewals

For Customer renewals, indicate the customer renewal status for your private offer. Customer renewals receive a 50% discounted store fee. Learn more about this benefit.

Notification Contacts

For Notification contacts, provide up to five email addresses for the people within your company to receive email updates on the status of your private offer. These emails are sent when your offer status changes to Pending acceptance, Accepted, or Expired. You must also provide a Prepared by email address, which the Azure portal displays to the customer in the private offer listing.

Pricing

For Pricing, your steps depend on the option that you selected under step 6 in Create a new private offer for a customer.

Customize pricing for existing public offers and plans

If you selected Customize pricing for existing public offers and plans, configure the percentage-based discount or absolute price for up to 10 offers or plans in a private offer. For a percentage-based discount, the customer receives this discount off your plan's list price in the marketplace.

1. Select + Add offers/plans.

2. Choose to provide a custom price or discount at one of these levels:

   • Offer: All current and future plans under that offer have a discount associated with them.
   • Plan: Only the plan that you selected has a private price associated with it.

3. Choose up to 10 offers or plans, and then select Add.

4. Enter the discount percentage or configure the absolute price for each item in the pricing table.

Absolute pricing lets you enter a specific price for the private offer. You can only customize the price based on the same pricing model, contract durations, and dimensions of the public offer. You can't change to a new pricing model, add a new contract duration or add dimensions.

Absolute pricing is supported for SaaS, Azure Apps, and Azure containers offers, but not supported for Azure VM offers. You also can't use absolute pricing for plans that have a trial enabled. Create a new public plan without a trial enabled or use discounted pricing.

For SaaS with metered dimensions, software partners emit usage by using the same plan ID as the public plan selected within the private offer.

Note

Only public offers or plans that are transactable in Azure Marketplace appear on the selection menu.

Customize pricing, metering quantities, and user limits for SaaS and professional service offers

This option creates a new plan with a unique plan ID. If you selected Customize pricing, metering quantities, and user limits for SaaS and professional service offers:

1. Select + Create new plan to choose the offers or plans that you want to use in the private offer.
2. Enter a plan name. Select an existing plan as a template for the new plan to provide customized pricing, quantities on metering dimensions, or specific user limits.
3. Choose up to 10 offers or plans, and then select Add.
4. Select Configure price to configure the absolute price and other attributes for each item in the pricing table. Each plan should have a plan name and a plan description. For Pricing model, choose one of these options:

   • Flat rate model: Configure the billing and pricing terms including the contract duration, billing frequency, and price per payment. You can set up a Flexible schedule and add charges to the private offer. For flexible schedules, charges must fall within the specified contract duration and are billed to your customer in their next invoice following the charge date. For metering service dimensions, you can also modify the quantity included in the base for the defined dimensions of your plan for each contract duration.

   • Per User model: Configure the minimum and maximum user limits for your plan, and the price per payment per user for each contract duration.

This option creates a new plan with a unique plan ID. For SaaS with metered dimensions, software partners should emit usage by using this new plan ID and not using the same plan ID as the public plan selected within the private offer. You can find the new plan ID in Partner Center within the private offer. Under Pricing, select Configure price to view and copy the unique plan ID. This plan ID is also visible when you're using the SaaS fulfillment APIs.

Customize pricing and specific quantities for VM software reservation offers

If you selected Customize pricing and specific quantities for VM software reservation offers:

1. Select + Add offers/plans to choose the offers or plans that you want to use in the private offer.

2. Choose up to 10 plans, and then select Add. You see only the VM plans that are public and have reservation pricing enabled (one year or three years).

3. Select Configure price to configure the absolute price for each item in the pricing table. Absolute pricing lets you configure the following details:

   • Contract duration: Configure the contract duration of the reservations you want to extend to your customer. You see only the options that are enabled on the public Azure VM plan.

   • Billing frequency: You can choose an Upfront, Monthly, or Flexible schedule payment schedule for the reservations. For flexible schedules, charges must fall within the specified contract duration and are billed to your customer in their next invoice following the charge date.

   • Add reservations: Add the reservations you want to extend to your customer as part of this private offer. Configure the vCPU size, the quantity of reservations, and the unit price (USD). vCPU size is disabled if the Azure VM plan is configured with a flat-rate pricing model.

     In the case of a monthly payment schedule, the subtotal is calculated as Monthly unit price x Number of months x Quantity. In the case of an upfront payment schedule, the subtotal is calculated as Unit price x Quantity.

   To view the prices in all the enabled markets, use Export pricing data after you select Save. Setting custom prices for individual markets is not supported for VM software reservations.

Important

The contract durations and billing frequencies available for your public plan determine the terms you can define for that plan as part of a private offer. For example, if you want to create a private offer for a plan with a four-year contract duration billed annually, your public plan must have that option published. If you need to enable additional options, you can add a new plan or update an existing plan.

Review and submit the private offer

Use the Review and submit page to review the information that you provided. After you submit a private offer, it's locked for edits. You can still withdraw a private offer while it's pending the customer's acceptance.

When you're ready, select Submit. You're returned to the dashboard, where you can view the offer's status. The notification contacts are emailed after the offer is ready to be shared with your customer.

Note

Microsoft doesn't send an email to your customer. You can copy the private offer link and share it with your customer for acceptance. Your customer can also see the private offer on the Private Offer Management pane in the Azure portal.

Clone a private offer

You can clone an existing offer and update its customer information to send it to other customers, so you don't have to start from scratch. Or, update the offer or plan pricing to send extra discounts to the same customer.

To clone a private offer:

1. On the left menu, select Private offers.
2. Select the Customers tab.
3. Select the box of the private offer to clone.
4. Select Clone.
5. Enter a new private offer name.
6. Select Clone.
7. Edit the details on the Offer setup page as needed.
8. Select Submit.

Upgrade a private offer

You can upgrade an existing accepted private offer. The marketplace supports upgrades only at renewal. For example, the upgraded offer's start and end date can't overlap with the existing private offer.

Software partners can only edit pricing, dates, terms, and notification contacts for the upgraded private offer. If you need other changes, create a new private offer.

To upgrade a private offer:

1. On the left menu, select Private offers.
2. Select the Customers tab.
3. Select the box of the private offer to upgrade.
4. Select Upgrade.
5. Enter a private offer name.
6. Select Upgrade.
7. Edit the details on the Offer setup page as needed.
8. Select Submit.

Withdraw a private offer

Withdrawing a private offer means your customer will no longer be able to access it in the commercial marketplace. You can withdraw a private offer only if your customer hasn't accepted it.

To withdraw a private offer:

1. On the left menu, select Private offers.
2. Select the Customers tab.
3. Select the box of the private offer to withdraw.
4. Select Withdraw.
5. Select Request withdraw.
6. Your offer status is updated to Draft. You can now edit it, if necessary.

Delete a private offer

You can delete a private offer that's in Draft status. This action is permanent.

To delete a private offer:

1. On the left menu, select Private offers.
2. Select the Customers tab.
3. Select the box of the private offer to delete.
4. Select Delete.
5. Select Confirm.

Check private offer status

To view the status of a private offer:

1. On the left menu, select Private offers.
2. Select the Customer tab.
3. Check the Status column.

The status of the private offer is one of the following:

• Draft: You started the process of creating a private offer but haven't submitted it yet.
• In Progress: A private offer that you submitted is currently being published. This process can take up to 15 minutes.
• Pending Acceptance: Your private offer is pending customer acceptance. Ensure that you sent the private offer link to your customer.
• Accepted: Your customer accepted your private offer. You can no longer change the offer.
• Expired: Your private offer expired before the customer accepted it. You can withdraw the private offer to make changes and submit it again.
• Ended: Your private offer passed its end date.

Check purchase status

Software partners can now track if their customers subscribed to the products within accepted private offers. This functionality applies to SaaS, professional services, and VM software reservation offer types.

To check the purchase status:

1. Go to the Private offers dashboard.
2. Under Purchase status, select the View status link. This link only appears for private offers that customers accepted or private offers that have ended, and provides a view of the subscriptions or assets your customer set up for the products purchased within the private offer.

For SaaS and professional services offer types, the purchase status of the subscriptions can be:

• Subscribed: The customer subscribed to the product and configured the SaaS or professional service product, and the software partner activated the subscription. The software partner and the customer don't need to take further action.

• PendingFulfillmentStart: One of these conditions exists:

  • The customer subscribed to the product but has yet to configure the SaaS service. The software partner should follow up with the customer and ask them to complete the step to configure the SaaS service.

  • The customer subscribed and completed the configuration step, but the software partner has yet to activate the subscription. The software partner should activate the subscription so that billing can occur.

• Suspended: The subscription was suspended because Microsoft didn't receive the customer's payment. Microsoft gives the customer a 30-day grace period before automatically canceling the subscription.

• Unsubscribed: One of these conditions exists:

  • The software partner didn't activate the subscription by the 30-day deadline after the customer purchased and configured the SaaS or professional services product. The software partner needs to advise the customer to subscribe to the product again. The software partner should then activate the subscription within the 30-day deadline.

  • The subscription was canceled because the customer requested a cancellation or due to nonpayment.

  • The subscription expired.

For VM software reservations, the purchase status of the assets can be:

• Purchased: The customer completed the purchase of the VM software reservation product. The software partner and the customer don't need to take further action.

• Cancelled: The asset was canceled because the customer requested a cancellation or due to nonpayment.

• Ended: The term of the reservation ended.

If the purchase status doesn't have entries, the reason is either:

• Your customer hasn't purchased the SaaS, professional services, or VM software reservation product yet within the private offer. You should remind the customer to purchase and activate the product, assuming the customer private pricing start date already passed.
• The private offer contains Azure VM, Azure App, or Azure containers offer types.

Cancel an accepted private offer

After the customer accepts the private offer, you can no longer withdraw or edit the offer. If the private offer has incorrect details (such as pricing, public plan, terms, or dates), you should work with the customer to submit a marketplace request to cancel the offer. You can cancel the offer only if one of the following conditions exists:

• There are no customer purchases for the products within the private offer.
• The customer unsubscribed to the products purchased within the private offer.

To request the cancellation of the private offer, create a support ticket in Partner Center. Provide the following information:

• Private offer ID.
• Customer billing account ID.
• Reason for cancellation.
• Confirmation of whether a refund is needed if the customer already purchased. More purchase information is required if the customer needs a refund.

Upon cancellation, the private offer is removed from your Private offers dashboard view in Partner Center. The offer is also removed from the customer's Private Offer Management view in the Azure portal. After the cancellation is processed, the private offer price will no longer be applied if the customer purchases the plan that the canceled private offer contained.

Note

If a canceled private offer contains a VM offer type that was deployed, the discount won't be applied to consumption charges in the month of cancellation.

Report on private offers

The payout amount and the agency fee that Microsoft charges are based on the private price after the percentage-based discount or absolute price was applied to the products in your private offer. Sales through private offers are on the Earnings page in Partner Center.

Watch video tutorials

For more information, see the following video tutorials:

• Overview of customer private offers

• Software partner-to-customer private offer creation

• Customer private offer acceptance

• Customer private offer purchase experience

Related content

• Frequently asked questions about configuring customer private offers