Can I Use Our MACC to Buy Supply Chain Software?
Article brief:
- Yes. Eligible third-party software bought through Microsoft Marketplace counts toward a MACC at 100% of the pretax price.
- Four things decide whether a purchase counts: the offer, where you buy it, which subscription pays, and whether you buy direct or through a reseller.
- Commitment you do not use by the end date comes back as a shortfall charge.
- Supply chain software, including returns management, can be bought this way.
Yes. You can use a MACC to buy supply chain software when the software is sold as an “Azure benefit eligible” offer on Microsoft Marketplace and you buy it in the Azure portal on a subscription tied to your Microsoft agreement. Microsoft counts 100% of the pretax purchase amount toward your commitment.
Most operations leaders never hear this. The commitment was signed by IT and finance, it is tracked in a portal the warehouse never opens, and the software the supply chain team wants is sitting in a queue for new budget. Meanwhile the clock on the commitment is running. This post explains, in plain terms, how the two connect and what to check before you count on it.
What Is a MACC, in Plain Terms?
A Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) is a contract in which your company agrees to spend a set amount on Azure over a set period. Microsoft describes it as a commitment to a specified level of Azure spending over a defined period. Some agreements also carry milestones, which are smaller targets with their own due dates along the way.
The spend that counts is wider than servers and storage. It includes eligible software from other companies, bought through Microsoft Marketplace. That is the part supply chain teams tend to miss.
What Happens to Azure Commitment You Do Not Use?
You pay for it anyway. Microsoft states that if the total is not met by the end date, a shortfall charge is applied for the remaining balance. The same applies to a missed milestone. The charge arrives as Azure prepayment credit, and spend covered by that credit does not count toward a MACC.
Microsoft emails billing account admins 90, 60 and 30 days before a commitment expires. If finance is getting those emails and operations has an approved project with no budget line, the two teams should be talking.
Which Software Purchases Count Toward a MACC?
Only offers that Microsoft marks “Azure benefit eligible”. The badge appears on the listing in Microsoft Marketplace and in the Azure portal, where you can filter for eligible offers. Four rules from Microsoft decide the rest:
- Where you buy. The purchase has to be made through the Azure portal, using an Azure subscription tied to the agreement that holds the commitment.
- When it counts. The amount counts when Microsoft issues the invoice, not when you sign.
- Where the software runs. The benefit applies to software primarily hosted in Azure. On-premises and hybrid deployments do not count.
- How you pay. Azure prepayment cannot be used for partner software, and spend covered by Azure credits does not count.
One note on names. Microsoft merged Azure Marketplace and AppSource into Microsoft Marketplace in 2025. Buyers still say “Azure Marketplace”, and the old addresses redirect to the new one.
How Do I Check Whether a Supply Chain Vendor Qualifies?
Five checks, in this order. Each one can be answered in a single email.
- Find the listing and look for the badge. Search the vendor in Microsoft Marketplace. No “Azure benefit eligible” badge means the purchase will not count.
- Ask whether the offer can be bought there. Some listings are brochures that send you to the vendor to buy. Microsoft only enrols offers that are sold through the marketplace; free and bring-your-own-license listings do not qualify.
- Ask for a private offer. Enterprise software is rarely bought at list price. A private offer is your negotiated price and terms, made available only to your company inside the marketplace.
- Say how you buy from Microsoft. Direct, or through a reseller. Microsoft notes that private plans are not supported for subscriptions bought through a Cloud Solution Provider, so the vendor needs to know this at the start.
- Confirm with your Microsoft account team. Older agreements can carry exclusions. Your account manager can confirm how the purchase will be treated before you sign.
If you are running a formal selection, put these five questions in the document. Our guide to what a returns software RFP should include covers the rest.
How Does the Purchase Itself Work?
It is shorter than onboarding a new supplier. You agree scope and price with the vendor. The vendor sends a private offer. Someone with purchasing rights on your Azure subscription accepts it in the Azure portal. Microsoft invoices you, and the vendor delivers and supports the software as it would for any customer.
For procurement, that means no new supplier record and no new payment set-up. For finance, the cost lands on an invoice that is already approved and budgeted.
How Do I See What Has Counted?
In the Azure portal, under Cost Management + Billing. Microsoft Customer Agreement customers open Benefits and select the MACC tile. Enterprise Agreement customers open Credits + Commitments. The page lists each invoiced event that reduced the commitment and the balance that remains. You need a billing role to see it, so ask whoever holds Enterprise Administrator or billing account access to pull it for you.
Is Returns Management Software Available This Way?
Yes. Returns, warranty and repair are a cost line most supply chain teams want to fix and few have budget for. ReverseLogix is built on Microsoft Azure and sold through Microsoft Marketplace with the Azure benefit eligible badge. See returns management software on Azure Marketplace for how the purchase works, including terms, currency and renewals.
Who Needs to Be in the Conversation?
Four people, usually. The operations lead who owns the problem. The finance partner who knows the commitment balance and the end date. The IT owner of the Azure subscription, who will accept the offer. And procurement, who will want the terms in writing. Thirty minutes with those four answers most of what is in this post for your own company.
Microsoft changes these rules from time to time. The links above go to its own pages, and they are the place to check before you commit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does software we bought before our MACC started count toward it?
No. Microsoft states that marketplace purchases made before the commitment takes effect do not count. Purchases of an offer made before that offer became Azure benefit eligible do not count either. Renewals that happen after both dates do.
Can we pay for marketplace software with Azure prepayment or credits?
No. Microsoft states that Azure prepayment cannot be used to buy Azure benefit eligible software sold by partners, and spend covered by Azure credits does not count toward a MACC.
Does software that runs on our own servers count toward a MACC?
No. Microsoft limits the benefit to eligible offers that are primarily hosted in Azure. Software deployed on-premises or in a hybrid set-up does not count toward the commitment.
Get a Demo
Discover how you can jump-start your returns management efforts with ReverseLogix.
