# Express private offers
Express private offers is a capability in AWS Marketplace that automates private offer generation for your SaaS Contract and SaaS Contract with Consumption Pricing products. By configuring rate cards with predefined pricing and qualification criteria, you can enable buyers to receive automated private offers for standard deals, while more custom requests are automatically routed to your sales team.
## Key benefits
Express private offers provide the following benefits:
+ **Efficiency** – Automated private offer creation for standard deals reduces manual effort and accelerates the sales process.
+ **Resource optimization** – Your sales teams can focus on strategic, high-value opportunities while standard transactions are processed automatically.
+ **Pricing flexibility** – Offer flexible pricing without public visibility, maintaining competitive advantages.
+ **Scalability** – Automated deal processing enables you to reach more customers without proportional resource increases.
**Topics**
+ [Key benefits](#express-private-offers-benefits)
+ [How express private offers work](express-private-offers-workflow.md)
+ [Express private offer configuration](express-private-offers-configuration.md)
+ [Creating custom dimensions for private offers](express-private-offers-custom-dimensions.md)
+ [Receiving and identifying express private offers](express-private-offers-rate-cards.md)
# How express private offers work
Express private offers enable automated private offer generation through a structured three-phase process. This workflow ensures that standard deals are processed efficiently while complex opportunities receive appropriate sales attention.
## 1. Rate card setup
The initial phase requires sellers to establish rate card configurations within AWS Marketplace. During this setup, sellers define their base pricing structure and dimension descriptions, ensuring each dimension has detailed explanations (minimum 250 characters) to help guide buyers in their selection process.
The configuration includes setting fundamental offer parameters such as contract duration limits, EULA requirements, and offer expiration timeframes. Sellers must consider their discounting strategy, choosing between dimension-based, TCV-based, or buyer-profile based rate cards, or approved combinations thereof. The system allows sellers to implement sophisticated qualification criteria and pricing rules while maintaining control through global maximum thresholds for both total contract value and discount percentages.
For more information, see [Creating custom dimensions for private offers](express-private-offers-custom-dimensions.md).
## 2. Buyer request process
When buyers engage with the express private offer system, they begin by selecting the **Get Express Private Offer** button on the AWS Marketplace product listing. The system then guides buyers through a structured qualification process, leveraging an AI agent that uses the seller's predefined criteria to match against the buyer's needs. The agent operates within strict parameters set by the seller's configuration. For sellers using buyer-profile based qualifications, the system presents relevant questions to buyers, collecting self-reported information that determines discount eligibility and offer access.
## 3. Private offer generation
The final phase of the workflow involves automated offer creation and routing decisions. The system evaluates buyer inputs against the seller's predefined criteria, including dimension selections, total contract value, and any profile-based qualifications. For qualified buyers, the system instantly generates a private offer incorporating all applicable discounts, calculated according to the seller's configuration.
These offers are clearly identified with "express private offer" in their naming convention and follow standard AWS Marketplace private offer processes for notification and management. When buyers don't meet qualification criteria, such as exceeding the global TCV maximum or failing specific profile requirements, the system automatically redirects them to a sales-assisted workflow. This ensures that complex or high-value deals receive appropriate attention while maintaining the efficiency of the automated system for standard transactions.
# Express private offer configuration
Configuring express private offers involves establishing the necessary permissions, selecting appropriate rate card types, and setting global controls to manage your automated private offer generation process.
## Required permissions
To configure express private offers, sellers must have an active SaaS contract or SaaS contract with pay-as-you-go listing on AWS Marketplace. Additionally, sellers must complete the onboarding process for the **Request Private Offer** button feature and possess the right permissions for pricing configuration.
For express private offer configuration permissions, you can use the [AWSMarketplaceFullAccess](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-managed-policy/latest/reference/AWSMarketplaceFullAccess.html) or [AWSMarketplaceSellerFullAccess](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-managed-policy/latest/reference/AWSMarketplaceSellerFullAccess.html) managed policy. You also can use the following IAM policy:
```
{
"Version": "2012-10-17" ,
"Statement": [{
"Sid": "AWSMarketplaceChangeSetReadAccess",
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"aws-marketplace:DescribeChangeSet",
"aws-marketplace:ListChangeSets"
],
"Resource": "*"
},
{
"Sid": "AWSMarketplaceTokenManagement",
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"aws-marketplace:StartChangeSet"
],
"Resource": [
"arn:aws:aws-marketplace:*:*:AWSMarketplace/AgentTokenContainer/*",
"arn:aws:aws-marketplace:*:*:AWSMarketplace/ChangeSet/*"
],
"Condition": {
"StringEquals": {
"catalog:ChangeType": [
"CreateAgentTokenContainer",
"ExpireToken"
]
}
}
},
{
"Sid": "AWSMarketplaceEpoConfigManagement",
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"aws-marketplace:StartChangeSet"
],
"Resource": "*",
"Condition": {
"StringEquals": {
"catalog:ChangeType": [
"CreateExpressPrivateOfferConfiguration",
"DeleteExpressPrivateOfferConfiguration"
]
}
}
},
{
"Sid": "AWSMarketplaceEntityReadAccess",
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"aws-marketplace:ListEntities",
"aws-marketplace:DescribeEntity"
],
"Resource": "*"
}
]
}
```
## Access express private offers
You can access express private offers from the **Offers** or **Products** tab on the AWS Marketplace Management Portal.
## Rate card types and implementation
Express private offers provide sellers with three rate card types that can be implemented individually or in specific combinations to create comprehensive pricing strategies.
**Dimension-Based Rate Cards**
Dimension-based rate cards allow sellers to implement granular discount structures based on specific product dimension quantities or usage levels. When configuring these cards, sellers can establish quantity tiers for each product dimension, with each tier containing a minimum threshold and its associated discount percentage. The system automatically manages quantities that fall outside configured tiers - applying 0% discount to quantities below the lowest tier or above the highest tier (though less than the seller specified global level TCV maximum) without requiring explicit configuration. For example, if a seller configures tiers starting at 1,000 units (5% discount) and 10,000 units (15% discount), purchases of 500 units would receive no discount, while purchases of 5,000 units would qualify for the 5% discount tier.
**TCV-Based Rate Cards**
Total Contract Value (TCV) based rate cards focus on the overall monetary value of customer contracts rather than individual dimension quantities. This approach enables sellers to incentivize larger total purchases through graduated discount tiers. The system applies only the highest qualified discount tier based on the total contract value. Similar to dimension-based cards, contracts falling below the minimum threshold or exceeding the maximum threshold receive no discount. However, it's crucial to note that when contract values exceed the global TCV maximum set in top-level controls, buyers are routed to a sales-assisted workflow rather than receiving a 0% discount offer.
**Buyer-Profile Based Rate Cards**
This most flexible rate card type allows sellers to implement sophisticated qualification criteria beyond simple quantity or value thresholds. Sellers provide natural language specifications describing their desired qualification strategy, which the system transforms into appropriate buyer questionnaires. The system supports up to five distinct qualifiers that can be used for both inclusive discounting and exclusionary filtering. For instance, sellers might offer additional discounts to specific industry segments or restrict offer access based on company size. While AWS doesn't verify buyer-provided responses, this mechanism enables precise market segmentation and targeted pricing strategies.
## Rate card combinations and discount calculations
Express private offers supports specific combinations of rate card types while preventing others to maintain pricing logic integrity. Sellers can combine either dimension-based or TCV-based rate cards with buyer-profile based qualifications, but cannot use dimension-based and TCV-based rate cards simultaneously as these represent fundamentally different pricing approaches that could create conflicts.
When multiple discounts apply through combined rate cards, the system uses multiplicative calculation. For example, if a customer qualifies for both a 10% TCV-based discount and a 5% buyer-profile discount, the final price would reflect a multiplicative combination (0.9 × 0.95 = 0.855)—a 14.5% discount--rather than a 15% reduction.
## Global controls and guardrails
Express private offers include overarching controls that serve as guardrails for all rate card configurations. These include a global TCV maximum threshold that determines overall offer eligibility and a maximum discount setting that caps the total discount possible through any combination of rate cards. These controls ensure that larger deals receive appropriate sales attention and that discounts remain within acceptable bounds. Both of these are configurations that a seller provides in their express private offer setup.
Sellers may also choose to offer no discounts by setting the top-level maximum discount to 0%.
## Additional configuration considerations
Sellers should note several important limitations and considerations when configuring rate cards. The consumption component within a CCP product cannot be discounted through express private offer rate cards and maintains public offer pricing. Duration-based discounting is not supported in the initial release, and buyer-profile qualifications cannot discriminate based on protected characteristics or conflict with other offer configurations. When implementing complex dimension rules through buyer-profile qualifications, sellers should provide extremely specific natural language instructions to ensure accurate system interpretation.
# Creating custom dimensions for private offers
Custom dimensions are pricing dimensions that you create specifically for private offers. Unlike standard dimensions that appear in your product's public offer, custom dimensions are only visible and available within private offers. This allows you to create specialized pricing structures for individual customers without affecting your public product listing.
Custom dimensions are particularly useful for express private offers when you need to offer pricing models that differ from your standard public offer dimensions.
## How custom dimensions work
Custom dimensions must be created within the private offer workflow in the AWS Marketplace Management Portal. The listing experience in the portal requires all dimensions to be associated with pricing on the public offer, which makes them publicly discoverable. To create dimensions that remain private, you must use the private offer creation workflow.
When you create a custom dimension through a private offer, the dimension is saved to your product and becomes available for use in any subsequent private offers or express private offers. You don't need to publish the private offer used to create the dimension—saving and exiting the workflow is sufficient to register the custom dimension with your product.
## Creating a custom dimension
To create a custom dimension, you create a draft private offer and define the dimension within that offer. The following procedure walks you through this process.
**To create a custom dimension**
1. Go to the private offer page on the [AWS Marketplace Management Portal](https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/management/offers).
1. Select **Create private offer** to start a new private offer.
1. On the **Create offer** page, do the following:
1. Choose **Direct private offer** as the offer type.
1. Choose the SaaS product that you want to add the dimension to:
+ **SaaS contracts**
+ **SaaS contracts with pay-as-you-go**
1. Choose **Next**.
1. On the **Provide offer information** page, do the following:
1. Give your offer a name.
1. For **Renewal**, choose **No, this isn't a renewal offer**.
1. For **Offer expiration date**, set any future date for the offer expiration.
1. On the **Configure offer pricing and duration** page, do the following:
1. Choose **Contract pricing with upfront payment** to keep the workflow simple.
1. For **Contract duration**, specify **12** months for contract duration as placeholder.
1. Keep the currency as **USD**.
1. For **Purchasing options**, choose **Multiple dimensions per product** (if available).
1. For **Product dimensions**, select **Add custom dimension**. Create contract custom dimensions for your express private offer. Enter a placeholder price of **\$11**. When you're done, select **Add dimensions**.
1. Choose **Save and exit**.
## Verifying the custom dimension
After you save and exit the private offer workflow, verify that the custom dimension was created successfully.
**To verify the custom dimension**
1. On the private offer page, choose the **Request log** tab.
1. Refresh the page periodically to check the status of your request. Processing typically takes 5-15 minutes.
1. When the request shows a status of **Succeeded**, the custom dimension is available for use.
1. To confirm the dimension is accessible, create a new test offer and verify that the custom dimension appears in the available dimensions list.
The custom dimension is now available for selection in your express private offer configurations and any other private offers for this product.
# Receiving and identifying express private offers
Sellers can identify express private offers through:
+ An **express private offer** designation in the offer name
+ Standard private offer notifications configured in AWS Marketplace
+ Regular private offer management workflows and dashboards
The system automatically processes these offers based on predefined criteria, requiring no manual intervention unless the buyer doesn't qualify for automated processing.