Contracts for CSP partners doing business in the commercial marketplace

Appropriate roles: Global admin | Admin agent

This article is about contracts for partners in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program who choose to purchase independent software vendor (ISV) marketplace offers or products for their customers from the Partner Center commercial marketplace or the Azure portal.

The CSP Program Guide contains the terms and conditions governing commercial marketplace offers between Microsoft and partners in the CSP program. You should review these terms and conditions to ensure you're operating in compliance within the program.

If partners have already signed their CSP agreements, they don't need to re-sign in order to sell commercial marketplace offers. Applicable CSP agreements include the current Microsoft Partner Agreement (MPA) and the prior Microsoft Cloud Reseller Agreement (MCRA) or Microsoft Cloud Distributor Agreement (MCDA).

Note

Certain commercial marketplace offers might require additional agreements between the partner in the CSP program, the ISV and/or the customer. It is the ISV's responsibility to provide the customer with the appropriate Customer Agreement associated with each ISV offer ordered by that customer.

Specific marketplace contract areas and distinctions for CSP partners

For more information about terms governing CSP activities in the commercial marketplace, see:

  • The third-party offer terms section in the CSP Program Guide. This provides the terms that govern the sale of ISV solutions by partners in the CSP program.

  • The Microsoft Partner Agreement (MPA) on Partner Center. The MPA will govern the CSP program, replacing the existing MCRA and MCDA. Partners who choose to participate in the CSP program can review and accept the MPA.

Microsoft doesn't accept legal responsibility for delivery of services between transacting parties and doesn't provide a mechanism for transacting partners to establish legal terms through its commerce platform. If the transacting partners require additional legal terms, they need to execute an agreement directly.

Next steps