Digital Revolution Awards

We were delighted to attend the Digital Revolution Awards, celebrating the organisations and individuals driving meaningful change through technology across the UK. It was a fantastic evening recognising real innovation and impact, and a great reminder of the quality of work happening across our industry. Congratulations to all of the nominees and winners on the night.

The sun came out just in time for our annual Summer Social at Bondi Green. Hosted with Seer 365 and sponsored by our friends at TrueCommerce, iDynamics Business Solutions, Yavrio - Open Banking, Vertex Inc., Xe.com, Formpipe, Revolent Group, and Binary Stream Software - Microsoft ERP Solutions, the aim was, as always, to keep things simple - no slides. no presentations or pitches - just great conversation and a few cocktails, all enhanced by the gorgeous backdrop of the canal, thanks to Bondi Green's superb location.


These kinds of nights are a reminder that real community matters. Thanks to everyone who joined us - if you'd like to join us next year, please just let us know at info@oaka.studio.

IAMCP Events:

European Power Platform Conference: June 29 – July 2

There's a decent chance you've got Co-op funds sitting in Partner Center right now. There's a better chance nobody's done anything about them. 


It comes up on our calls more than you'd think. We open a partner's Partner Center together and there it is: a Co-op balance they didn't know about, attached to a deadline they hadn't noticed. Nobody's hiding it. It's just easy to miss and even easier to park for later. 


Later, in Co-op terms, tends to mean never. 


Unlike a rebate, Co-op doesn't land in your account by itself. It has to be planned, spent on eligible activity, documented and claimed on time. Slip on any one of those and the money goes back to Microsoft. It doesn't roll forward and it doesn't wait for you. 

What Co-op actually is Our Take

Cooperative Marketing Funds (Co-op) are earned through Microsoft's partner incentive programmes, including Commerce Incentives, CSP transactions, Surface and hosting. Part of what you earn accrues as Co-op instead of being paid as cash. You spend it on approved activity, such as marketing campaigns, customer events, proof-of-concepts or skilling, then claim it back. 


The bit that catches most people out: on CSP incentives, 60 percent is paid as rebate and 40 percent accrues as Co-op. If that Co-op accrual stays under USD $10,000 for the earning period, Microsoft converts it to rebate at the end. No action, no deadline, nothing to forget. 


Go over that threshold and it becomes your job. The funds stay as Co-op and it's on you to use and claim them properly. 

Who should check 

CSP Direct Bill partners, Indirect Resellers and Indirect Providers transacting Microsoft 365 or Azure at any real volume. Anyone holding a Solutions Partner designation in Modern Work, Security, Infrastructure, Data and AI, Digital and App Innovation or Business Applications. Managed partners with regular Microsoft engagement, plus Surface and hosting partners on incentive programmes. 


Checking takes about ninety seconds: Partner Center, Incentives, Earnings. 

Why it's more than admin 

The numbers tend to surprise people. A partner doing around £1m a year in CSP will accrue a modest amount. A partner doing £10m a year at a blended earning rate of roughly 3 percent could be sitting on tens of thousands. That's a proper budget line: demand generation for a specific workload, a proof-of-concept programme, a run of customer workshops or training for your own team. 


Every year a good chunk of it expires anyway. Eligibility is rarely the issue. Timing and paperwork usually are. 


The timing, which is where it usually goes wrong 

Co-op runs on Microsoft's fiscal calendar in six-month blocks. You earn in one period, get the next six months to spend, then a grace window of roughly 45 days to file the claim. After that, it's closed. 


For many partners right now, that looks like this. H2 FY26 was earned between 1 January and 30 June 2026. The usage window runs from 1 July to 31 December 2026. Claims are typically due by mid-February 2027, though this varies by programme. 


Activity not completed by 31 December means forfeited funds. There's no appeal and no second window, and Microsoft won't be chasing you about it. 

What you can spend it on 


There's more flexibility than most people assume, once you know the categories. 


Demand generation and digital marketing covers paid ads, SEO, social campaigns and content syndication, essentially anything with measurable reach. Market development and sales enablement covers customer seminars, bootcamps, proof-of-concepts, migration workshops and telemarketing, with seller incentives allowed in some regions. Partner skilling covers anything that improves your team's ability to sell, deploy or support Microsoft solutions. 


Every activity needs proof it happened: agendas, attendee lists, invoices, screenshots. Some programmes require pre-approval before you start and some activities are restricted by region, so check the current guidebook rather than relying on last year's rules. 


This is usually the moment people decide it's too much hassle this close to year end and leave it. Understandable. Also expensive. 


A few misconceptions we hear 


"It's free money, I'll get round to it." It's earned, time-boxed and tied to specific activity. The clock doesn't stop because you're busy. 


"Only the big partners get meaningful Co-op." Plenty of smaller partners with the right designation and steady CSP revenue accrue real amounts. Most have simply never looked. 


"SPIFFs are always fine to run." They're restricted in a number of countries and need specific attestations. Confirm that before building a plan around them. 


Short on time? Start here 


Check your balance. Partner Center, Incentives, then look at the accrual, which programme it belongs to and the actual usage deadline. 


Pick activity you can realistically deliver. Multi-touch digital campaigns tied to a workload, customer seminars with proper attendance tracking or proof-of-concepts aligned to Modern Work, Security or Azure incentives are usually achievable at short notice. 


Document as you go. Rebuilding proof of execution after the event is one of the most common reasons claims get rejected. 


Submit early. Anything still flagged as needing partner action at the deadline won't be paid, however legitimate the activity. 


And if you're stretched, get help packaging the activity and the claim. Doing it once with someone who's seen the rejections beats finding out what went wrong after the window has closed. 


Before the year runs out 


If your usage period ends on 31 December 2026, the activity needs to be finished by then, not just planned. Claims typically follow by mid-February 2027, depending on the programme. 


Unused or non-compliant Co-op doesn't roll over and isn't reinstated. No exceptions on that one. 


If you'd like a straight answer on where you stand, email us at [email address]. We'll look at your Partner Center position with you and tell you quickly what's realistic before the year closes. 


One thing to check before this goes out: the original dates referred to H2 FY25 with a 31 December 2025 deadline, which has already passed, so I've moved everything forward a year to the current cycle. It's also worth confirming the 60/40 split and the $10,000 threshold against the current Co-op guidebook, as Microsoft adjusts incentive rules between fiscal years.

Get in touch

If you have questions, or would like to talk through your FY27 strategy, we would love to hear from you.

info@oaka.studio

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Creating value: what really moves the dial

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That was the starting point for September's Oaka Partner Insights. Consolidation across the channel isn't slowing down, and the partners we speak to keep asking the same things. What does a succession plan look like? How do I position my business? Which metrics actually matter to the people writing the cheques? Our consultant Nigel Ridpath put those questions to three people who have seen deals from different sides of the table. Adam Kerr is Managing Partner and Founder of Primas Law, specialising in corporate transactions. Jack Henry is a barrister and owner of Henry Chambers, who has been through acquisitions as a business owner. Neil Lomax spent 17 years at SoftwareOne, latterly responsible for around $22 billion in Microsoft revenue, before co-founding Onyx. Here's what we took away.

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A partner works hard for a Solutions Partner designation. Customers get associated, certifications get chased, the Partner Capability Score finally creeps over the line and everyone breathes out. Then the designation gets left alone. A few months later someone opens Partner Center and finds the score has slipped, a certification has lapsed, customers have gone missing or the renewal window is approaching with the business sitting on 41 points. Panic follows, as it tends to. The issue is rarely that the partner doesn’t understand Microsoft’s requirements. It’s that designation management has been treated as a project with a finish line rather than an ongoing part of running a Microsoft practice. This year, that difference matters more than it used to. 
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