Depending on market conditions in specific countries or geographies, SAP may offer partners the opportunity to specialize in specific areas, including market segments/industries, products, or special services.

These specialized partnerships allow SAP to communicate and cooperate closely with partner companies. SAP defines communication channels for these partners, particularly at the operational level (sales, consulting, regional support organizations, and marketing), but also at the product management and development levels.

SAP also uses various internal and external media to promote a partner's expertise – making it easier for customers and prospects to find qualified partners for industry- or application-specific projects.

Guidelines

The following are the guidelines for special expertise partnerships

• Partners are recruited from the existing partner network.
• The duration of the partnership is one year and be continued if goals have been met.
• The criteria by which partners are assessed are clear and measurable.
• Participation may be open or by invitation only (for example, if SAP considers a special market segment to be limited).
• There is no special logos or partner types for special expertise partners, but partners may be promoted to SAP customer and prospects on SAPNet, the Internet, or other means.
• Special expertise partnerships are documented as addendums to existing partner contracts, not by new contracts.

Criteria

SAP selects partner companies for special expertise partnerships based on assessment criteria such as:  

• Strategic importance of the area of special expertise to the partner
• Availability of skills/references in the area of special expertise
• Number of consultants/certified consultants in the area of special expertise
• Availability of a focused business plan for area of special expertise
• Availability of a marketing budget for joint marketing events
• Installation and maintenance of a demo system for the area of special expertise

Examples of areas where partners can specialize include:

Market Segments/Industries

• SAP for Automotive
• SAP for Retail
• SAP for Utilities

Applications

• SAP Customer Relationship Management
• SAP Supply Chain Management
• SAP Supplier Relationship Management