Yes. In ASCENDING’s reading of AWS’s terms, a cross-service AWS Private Pricing Agreement (PPA, formerly the Enterprise Discount Program or EDP) requires Enterprise Support for the whole term. AWS can provide it directly, or an authorized AWS partner can provide partner-led support that meets the requirement. At $250,000 a month in gross charges, AWS’s fee is $22,000 a month, about $792,000 over three years.
Key Takeaways
- Enterprise Support is a line item in a cross-service PPA. Business Support+ does not meet it, even when a partner delivers it.
- Two kinds of provider qualify: AWS, or an authorized AWS partner through AWS Partner-Led Support at the Enterprise level. In ASCENDING’s experience, this holds whether you signed the PPA with AWS directly or through a partner.
- “Authorized” is something you can check: AWS sets the partner tier, the Managed Service Provider (MSP) audit and the competencies, and lists partners in the AWS Partner Solutions Finder.
- AWS’s fee is tiered on gross charges. On a $3M-a-year commitment it is about 8.8% of spend, or $792,000 over three years.
Last verified against AWS pages on 2026-10-17. AWS changes support terms, so check the linked pages before you decide.
Is Enterprise Support required for an AWS PPA?
Yes, for a cross-service PPA, and for the full term of the agreement. AWS’s pricing overview describes the program in one line: “Private Pricing offers access to commercial benefits in exchange for a commitment,” with discounts “for more than 200 eligible AWS services” over a defined term.
AWS does not publish the PPA terms themselves. The support requirement sits in the agreement, and ASCENDING states it on its AWS Partner-Led Support page: “Enterprise Support is required for a cross-service AWS Private Pricing Agreement (PPA) or Enterprise Discount Program (EDP), and an authorized partner can satisfy that requirement.” Confirm the clause in your own agreement with your AWS account team.
The practical effect is that support stops being an optional purchase. If you sign a PPA, you carry Enterprise Support, so the decision becomes who provides it and at what price. Commitment sizing, term length and discount terms are covered in the guide to sizing and negotiating the PPA itself.
Who can provide Enterprise Support under a PPA?
AWS, directly, or an authorized AWS partner through AWS Partner-Led Support at the Enterprise level.
The level matters. Partner-Led Support isn’t a single tier: an authorized partner can also deliver it at the Business Support+ level, and Business Support+ doesn’t meet the requirement, whoever delivers it. Neither does a managed service provider that isn’t authorized for Partner-Led Support, however good its operations team.
AWS Resold Support, where a partner bills you for AWS’s own Enterprise Support, is a third route. Confirm with AWS that it satisfies your agreement.
| AWS Enterprise Support (direct) | AWS Partner-Led Support (Enterprise level) | AWS Resold Support | Business Support+ (AWS or partner-led) | Non-authorized MSP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who supports you | AWS | An authorized AWS partner, backed by AWS | AWS (the partner bills you) | AWS, or an authorized partner | The MSP |
| Whose TAM you get | AWS’s | The partner’s, backed by AWS specialist TAMs | AWS’s | None | None from AWS |
| Meets the PPA requirement | Yes | Yes, in AWS-led and partner-led PPAs | Confirm with AWS | No | No |
| Fee basis | Greater of $5,000 or a tiered % of gross charges | Set by the partner; get the basis in writing | AWS plan pricing, billed by the partner | Greater of $29 per account or a tiered % of that account’s charges | Set by the MSP |
| Source | AWS Support pricing | AWS Partner-Led Support | AWS Resold Support | AWS Support pricing | n/a |
Under AWS Partner-Led Support, the partner is your first line of support and your TAM. AWS backs the partner with “24/7 premium access to AWS experts, including AWS specialist Technical Account Managers (TAMs),” a “15-minute case response time for high severity issues” and “AWS Diagnostic Tools used by AWS Support,” according to the AWS Partner-Led Support page. Under AWS Resold Support, you keep a direct technical relationship with AWS Support, and an eligible solution provider handles billing and non-technical questions. See what a TAM does under each support model.
What makes a partner “authorized”
AWS does not let any reseller offer Partner-Led Support. Three AWS-defined credentials tell you whether a partner is set up to carry your support:
- Partner tier. When AWS updated the program, it said “AWS Partners that offer Partner-Led Support must be an Advanced or Premier Tier Consulting Partner” (the consulting track is now the Services Path) (AWS Partner Network Blog, 2020-11-11). Premier is the top tier. AWS’s Services Path tiers page requires a Premier partner to have:
- at least 25 AWS technical certifications, 10 of them Professional or Specialty
- 20 accredited individuals
- 50 launched customer opportunities
- 3 AWS Competencies, one of which must be MSP, DevOps or CloudOps
- MSP validation. “To become a validated AWS MSP Partner, you must complete a rigorous third-party audit that assesses your technical skills and business health per enterprise standards,” according to the AWS MSP program page.
- AWS Competencies. Competencies validate technical depth in specific areas. For support work, look for competencies in the areas your critical workloads depend on, such as DevOps.
AWS has since added a “Backed by AWS Support” specialization for Partner-Led Support partners and tells partners to enroll through their AWS Partner Development Manager (AWS Partner Network Blog, 2024-02-08). The program rules can change, so ask any partner to confirm its current Partner-Led Support status in writing.
How to check a partner’s credentials
You don’t have to take a partner’s word for it. Look the partner up in the AWS Partner Solutions Finder, which shows its tier, programs and competencies. AWS also names newly validated MSP and competency partners on the AWS Partner Network Blog. Then ask the partner for a written statement that its support satisfies your PPA’s Enterprise Support requirement.
ASCENDING’s credentials
ASCENDING is an authorized AWS partner that provides partner-led support under PPAs. Each credential below links to where you can verify it:
| Credential | What AWS requires | Where to verify |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Premier Tier Services Partner | The top Services Path tier: 25+ technical certifications, 3 AWS Competencies, 50 launched opportunities | ASCENDING in AWS Partner Solutions Finder |
| Validated AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) | A third-party audit of technical skills and business health | AWS Partner Network Blog, 2026-07-06 |
| AWS DevOps Competency and AWS Data and Analytics Competency | AWS-validated technical depth in each area | ASCENDING in AWS Partner Solutions Finder |
| Authorized for AWS Partner-Led Support | Advanced or Premier tier, enrolled through AWS | ASCENDING’s Partner-Led Support page |
ASCENDING also supports more than 10 PPAs a year, so it can scope the support line with you while you size the commitment. Its TAMs also run TAM-led Well-Architected Reviews.
What does Enterprise Support cost under a PPA?
AWS charges the greater of $5,000 a month or a tiered percentage of your gross monthly AWS charges: 10% up to $150,000, 7% from $150,000 to $500,000, 5% from $500,000 to $1 million and 3% above that. Fees are “calculated based on each month’s gross AWS charges (before any discounts or credits are applied),” according to AWS Support pricing.
Over a multi-year PPA, that monthly fee adds up to a large share of the deal:
| Annual commitment | Monthly gross charges | Fee per month | Fee per year | Fee over 3 years | Share of spend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $1M | $83,333 | $8,333 | $100,000 | $300,000 | 10.0% |
| $3M | $250,000 | $22,000 | $264,000 | $792,000 | 8.8% |
| $12M | $1,000,000 | $64,500 | $774,000 | $2,322,000 | 6.45% |
Assumes flat spend, gross charges equal to the commitment, and no contract discount on the support line. Calculated from AWS’s published Enterprise Support rates.
If you need more than Enterprise Support, AWS Unified Operations starts at $50,000 a month on the same AWS Support pricing page. To work out the fee at your own spend, use the Enterprise Support cost calculator.
Does your PPA discount or commitment change that cost?
Not the way AWS calculates it. AWS bases the fee on gross charges, before any discount, so your PPA rate does not shrink the amount the percentages apply to. Two contract terms can still change what you actually pay:
- A discount on the support line itself. Some agreements apply a discount to the support charge. Whether yours does is a negotiated term, not a default.
- Commitment drawdown. ASCENDING’s understanding is that support fees count toward the commitment, which makes the commitment easier to meet. AWS does not publish this, so get it in writing.
Both answers change the real cost in the table above, so they belong on the checklist below. For negotiation tactics, see the PPA negotiation guide.
What changes if an authorized partner provides it?
Your PPA stays unchanged. What changes is who answers first, whose TAM you get, who bills you, and the price.
In ASCENDING’s experience, partner-led support from an authorized partner, delivered at the Enterprise level, meets the requirement whether you signed the PPA with AWS directly or through a partner. Your AWS account team can confirm it for your agreement.
- What stays the same: the PPA and its discount, your AWS accounts, and AWS Support behind the partner. The partner gets a 15-minute AWS response on high-severity cases; the partner’s own response time to you is set in its contract, so check it.
- What changes: your first line of support, your TAM, your invoice, your coverage terms and your price. Partners set these themselves, so compare offers line by line. The comparison of partner-led support and Enterprise Support covers what changes in detail.
Small differences in price add up over a PPA term. At $250,000 a month, a quote 10% below AWS’s $22,000 fee saves $2,200 a month, $26,400 a year, or $79,200 over three years. Use that figure to compare any partner’s quote with AWS’s fee.
What should you ask before you sign or renew?
Get six answers in writing before the support line goes into the deal.
Ask your AWS account team
- Does the PPA require Enterprise Support on every account in the payer organization?
- Does support spend count toward the commitment?
- Does the PPA discount apply to the support line?
Ask the partner
- Will you confirm in writing that your support is delivered at the Enterprise level and satisfies my PPA’s Enterprise Support requirement?
- What is your fee basis (gross or net charges, minimum, tiers), and what term do you require?
- What happens, and what notice applies, if I change support provider during the PPA?
ASCENDING is an AWS Premier Tier Services Partner and validated MSP, and sells AWS Partner-Led Enterprise Support that meets the PPA requirement. Weigh that interest when you read this guide, and hold every partner, including us, to the six questions above.
References
- AWS Pricing: Private Pricing, AWS, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- AWS Support pricing, AWS, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- AWS Support plans, AWS, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- AWS Partner-Led Support, AWS, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- AWS Resold Support, AWS, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- AWS Partner Network Services Path tiers, AWS, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) program, AWS, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- Updates to AWS Partner-Led Support for Solution Provider Partners, AWS Partner Network Blog, 2020-11-11. Older program detail; check current terms with AWS.
- Announcing enhanced capabilities for AWS Partner-Led Support, AWS Partner Network Blog, 2024-02-08.
- Say hello to 184 new AWS Competency, Service Delivery, and MSP partners added in June, AWS Partner Network Blog, 2026-07-06.
- ASCENDING in AWS Partner Solutions Finder, AWS, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- AWS Partner-Led Enterprise Support, ASCENDING, retrieved 2026-10-17.
- AWS PPA and EDP Negotiation Guide, ASCENDING Blog.
- How Much Does AWS Enterprise Support Cost?, ASCENDING Blog.
- AWS Support plans in 2026, ASCENDING Blog.
FAQ — Enterprise Support in an AWS PPA
Do I need AWS Enterprise Support to join an AWS EDP?
Yes, for a cross-service Private Pricing Agreement (PPA), the program formerly called the Enterprise Discount Program (EDP). In ASCENDING's reading of AWS's terms, Enterprise Support is required for the whole term. AWS does not publish PPA terms, so confirm the clause with your AWS account team. See the PPA negotiation guide for the rest of the contract.
Who can provide Enterprise Support under an AWS PPA besides AWS?
An authorized AWS partner, through AWS Partner-Led Support at the Enterprise level. In ASCENDING's experience, it meets the requirement whether you signed the PPA with AWS directly or through a partner. Check the partner's tier and AWS Managed Service Provider (MSP) status in the AWS Partner Solutions Finder, and ask for written confirmation that its support satisfies your PPA.
Does AWS Business Support+ meet the PPA support requirement?
No, whether AWS provides it or a partner delivers it as partner-led support at the Business Support+ level. The requirement is Enterprise-level support. Business Support+ has no designated Technical Account Manager and a 30-minute target for business-critical cases, against 15 minutes on Enterprise Support, according to the AWS Support plans page. See AWS Support plans in 2026.
Does the Enterprise Support fee count toward my PPA commitment?
It depends on how your agreement defines eligible spend. ASCENDING's understanding is that support fees count toward the commitment, but AWS does not publish PPA terms, so get the answer from your AWS account team in writing before you size the commitment.
Can I move from AWS Enterprise Support to partner-led support in the middle of a PPA?
Yes. Your PPA stays unchanged, because partner-led support from an authorized partner meets the same requirement. AWS Support subscriptions carry a 30-day minimum commitment, according to AWS Support pricing, so check the notice terms in your current support agreement and agree the start date with the partner before you switch.
