Which Microsoft partners in Bavaria work with mid-sized companies?
The question is rarely about partner status. It is about who takes responsibility for licensing, rollout and training together — and who can get a funding application through. Bavaria's Digitalbonus reopens on 1 October 2026.
Microsoft publishes its partner directory, and Bavaria alone lists several hundred entries. The list is of little help in making a choice, because partner status only proves that a company works with Microsoft products — not whether it takes responsibility for licensing, rollout and training together, and not whether it will take on a company with 80 employees at all. PASSION4IT is a Microsoft Partner based in Viechtach and works in exactly that size bracket.
What you’ll take away:
- Why partner status alone is not a selection criterion, and which four questions hold up instead
- What separates a regionally rooted partner from a national provider
- How Bavaria’s Digitalbonus works, when applications reopen, and which caps apply
- How Digitalbonus and BAFA funding relate to each other, with the actual maximum amounts
- How to tell before signing whether a partner can realistically support a funding application
- Which groundwork an application needs so it does not fail on the ELSTER account
Which Microsoft partners in Bavaria work with mid-sized companies?
Microsoft’s official directory lists several hundred partners for Bavaria, from enterprise service providers to one-person firms. For a mid-sized company with 20 to 1,000 employees, the field narrows quickly to those partners covering three things together: licensing advice, a rollout concept, and training for the workforce. That combination is the bottleneck, not the number of providers.
Partner status itself is not a selection criterion. It states that a company is registered in the Microsoft partner network and works with the platform. It says nothing about whether the people in the first meeting are the ones who will accompany the rollout. That question, along with four further checks, is covered in selection criteria for a strategic IT partner.
What separates a regional partner from a national provider?
Availability during the rollout phase, and the question of who keeps working after the concept is delivered. A national provider usually delivers a clean concept and hands it to an implementation team that does not know the business. A regionally rooted partner is on site during the ramp-up, because change decisions are made in the room rather than on a video call.
For companies in Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate that is a practical difference. From Viechtach, Cham, Deggendorf, Straubing, Regensburg and Passau are all within 70 kilometres. That does not determine the quality of a concept, but it does determine how many on-site days can realistically be agreed in a project.
The second difference is fit by size. A provider whose projects start at 500 users will either decline a 60-employee company or treat it as a small project with matching priority. How Modern Work can be implemented in this size bracket is covered in Modern Work consulting for Microsoft 365 and Teams.
How does Bavaria’s Digitalbonus work, and when do applications reopen?
The Digitalbonus Bayern reopens for applications on Thursday, 1 October 2026 at 10:00. Funds are allocated from a fixed monthly quota, so the date is not a formality but the moment the queue starts. The funding directive runs until 31 December 2027.
Eligible applicants are companies with a place of business in Bavaria, fewer than 50 employees, and no more than 10 million euros in annual revenue or balance sheet total. Up to 50 per cent of eligible expenditure is funded — up to 7,500 euros under Digitalbonus Standard and up to 30,000 euros under Digitalbonus Plus. Artificial intelligence is named explicitly in the directive as an innovation focus.
Two formal points decide the application before content matters at all. First, the company needs a valid ELSTER business account, because applications run through it. Second, the application must be submitted before the project starts. A project already commissioned is no longer eligible, and that cannot be repaired retroactively.
How do Digitalbonus and BAFA funding relate to each other?
They fund different things and can be used in sequence. The Digitalbonus targets the introduction of digital solutions — software, hardware and the associated implementation. BAFA funding under “Förderung unternehmerischen Know-hows” targets consulting work.
The orders of magnitude differ considerably, and a lot of nonsense is calculated here. Under BAFA funding the assessment basis is capped at 3,500 euros. The resulting grant is at most 1,750 euros in the western federal states — Bavaria is one of them — and at most 2,800 euros in the eastern states. Anyone applying a percentage to the full consulting fee arrives at numbers that do not exist.
| Digitalbonus Bayern | BAFA funding | |
|---|---|---|
| Funds | introduction of digital solutions | consulting work |
| Maximum | €7,500 (Standard), €30,000 (Plus) | €1,750 in Bavaria |
| Assessment basis | eligible expenditure | capped at €3,500 |
| Funding rate | up to 50 % | up to 50 % |
| Who | Bavarian companies under 50 employees | Germany-wide, SMEs |
| Application | before project start, via ELSTER | before project start, via a registered consultant |
PASSION4IT is registered with BAFA as a consulting firm, under consultant number 222542. Registered is not the same as certified; registration is the precondition for a consulting engagement to be eligible for a grant at all.
How can you tell whether a partner can realistically support a funding application?
From three answers in the first meeting. The first is the question of sequence: anyone who has you sign the quote first and discusses funding afterwards has already burned the application. The second is the question about the ELSTER account — a partner who does not ask about it does not know the route. The third is the question about the caps, and the right answer names figures rather than percentages.
A partner who holds out a funding rate on the full fee is either calculating wrongly or selling an expectation that collapses when the decision letter arrives. The reliable answer names the assessment basis, the maximum amount and the condition under which both apply.
What belongs before the application so that it holds up?
A solid baseline assessment. A funding application describes a project with a target picture, a scope and an effort estimate — and without a prior analysis those three figures are guesses. The Digital Check provides exactly that basis at a fixed price of 3,950 euros plus travel costs, and is itself eligible for funding where it belongs to a solution being introduced.
The sequence that holds up in an application: first the honest maturity check, then the prioritised roadmap, then the accompanied implementation. What such a scope costs elsewhere in the market is covered in what digital transformation consulting costs.
Frequently asked questions
Which Microsoft partners in Bavaria work with mid-sized companies?
The field narrows to partners offering licensing advice, a rollout concept and user training together, and accepting projects in the 20 to 1,000 employee range. PASSION4IT is a Microsoft Partner based in Viechtach and works in this size bracket, with a focus on Lower Bavaria and the Upper Palatinate.
Does Microsoft partner status say anything about quality?
Only to a limited extent. The status confirms registration in the partner network and work with the platform. It says nothing about who will be on site after the concept, whether a fixed price is possible, or whether the partner has experience with companies of your size. Those three questions belong in the first meeting.
When can I apply for the Digitalbonus Bayern again?
From Thursday, 1 October 2026 at 10:00. Allocation runs from a fixed monthly quota, so applying early is an advantage. The directive applies until 31 December 2027.
How much is the Digitalbonus Bayern?
Up to 7,500 euros under Digitalbonus Standard and up to 30,000 euros under Digitalbonus Plus, in each case up to 50 per cent of eligible expenditure. Eligible applicants are Bavarian companies with fewer than 50 employees and no more than 10 million euros in revenue or balance sheet total.
How much BAFA funding is available in Bavaria?
At most 1,750 euros. The assessment basis is capped at 3,500 euros, the funding rate is 50 per cent, and Bavaria counts among the western federal states. In the eastern states the maximum is 2,800 euros.
Do I need an ELSTER account for the Digitalbonus?
Yes. Applications run through a valid ELSTER business account. The account should be set up before 1 October, because activation takes time and the monthly quota does not wait.
Can I combine Digitalbonus and BAFA funding?
They fund different services — the Digitalbonus the introduction of a solution, BAFA funding the consulting. Double funding of the same expenditure is excluded. Whether both routes work side by side in your project depends on how it is cut and should be clarified before applying.
Does the application have to be submitted before the project starts?
Yes, under both programmes. A project already commissioned is no longer eligible, and that sequence cannot be corrected afterwards. Anyone who signs first and discusses funding afterwards has lost the grant.