Microsoft Select Plus
SELECT-PLUS
OVERVIEW AND FAQ
Table of Contents
OVERVIEW AND FAQ ....................................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 1
Select Plus Overview and Benefits.................................................................................................. 2
Software Assurance (SA) & Software Subscriptions ....................................................................... 3
Affiliate Structure ............................................................................................................................ 4
How to Sign-Up ............................................................................................................................... 5
Pricing Levels and Points ................................................................................................................. 5
Price Level Adjustment ................................................................................................................... 5
Government and Academic Customers .......................................................................................... 6
Purchasing Model ........................................................................................................................... 6
Migrating from Volume Licensing Programs .................................................................................. 6
Volume Licensing Keys (VLK) .......................................................................................................... 7
Media .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Resources ........................................................................................................................................ 7
MICROSOFT SELECT PLUS – OVERVIEW AND FAQ
Select Plus Overview and Benefits
Q: What is Select Plus?
A: When it comes to buying software licenses and getting the most value from their software investment,
customers have asked for a Microsoft® Volume Licensing solution that offers more flexibility, better asset
management, and a way to balance growing technology needs with predictable costs.
Driven by customer research, Microsoft Select Plus is for large organizations with multiple affiliates that want to
purchase their software licenses and services at any affiliate level, while realizing advantages as one
organization. Since the agreement never expires, customers do not need to renegotiate and renew agreements
every three years.
Select-Plus is replacing the Select program that Microsoft has discontinued. Therefore, agencies, municipalities,
etc. (affiliates) enrolled in the Select program must:
 REGISTER in the Select-Plus Program in order to continue to purchase Microsoft Software at reduced
prices. This could be done at any time UNLESS you have Software Assurance (SA) on any of your
licenses and you want to continue the SA. Then, you MUST:
 REGISTER for the Select-Plus Program on or before October 30, 2012.
 REGISTER with your current Microsoft selected reseller. SHI and Dell are the 2 resellers on the State’s
Microcomputer Software Contract #15-20800-001.
Q: When will Select Plus be available for my organization?
A: Select Plus (including Select Plus for Academic and Select Plus for Government) is available now.
Q: What are the benefits of Select Plus?
A: Beyond reducing the price that organizations pay for software licenses over full-packaged product prices,
Select Plus offers many other opportunities to maximize the value organizations receive by participating in the
program. Helping organizations get the most value from their software investment, Select Plus benefits
include:
 Organized purchases. Select Plus Agreements are assigned to a single Lead Affiliate customer ID, so
asset reporting can be done under a single, master agreement. Agencies, municipalities, etc. also have
access to their purchases via the VLSC.
 License management. Enhanced self-service, online tools give customers and partners better
management capabilities.
 Great savings. Simple, automated, volume-based discounts can be applied to licensed product
purchases across the entire customer organization at the affiliate (agencies, municipalities, etc.) locations.
 More value from Microsoft Software Assurance. Organizations can buy and receive the full value of the
covered months of benefits, with proration of price based on purchase timing. The Select program did
not prorate the Software Assurance,
 Make a seamless transition. Organizations can renew their expiring Select Enrollment under the Select
Plus program.
 Downgrade rights. Organizations can also standardize on versions. Downgrade rights offer the right to
purchase the latest software version available, yet still run a previous version.
 Training and evaluation software licenses. These licenses help organizations budget for software
training and evaluation, and include 20 copies per software title for use in a dedicated training facility
and 10 copies per software title for a 60-day evaluation.
 Re-Imaging rights. Providing added convenience during product rollouts, these rights allow you to use
certain licensed product media for copying software onto multiple devices from one standard image.
 Secondary use rights. These rights can help increase productivity by allowing primary users of a licensed
desktop PC to share the same application license with a portable PC (for work-related purposes only).
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MICROSOFT SELECT PLUS – OVERVIEW AND FAQ
Q: Select Plus Benefits
A: Organizations can choose to purchase software licenses through the Microsoft Volume Licensing program
that best meets their needs. The advantages to Select Plus include a unique customer ID per affiliate that helps
customers better track and manage their software assets. Select Plus also has a non-expiring agreement that
eliminates renegotiation and renewal. Organizations can take advantage of the improved features of Select
Plus with no price change.
Q: Does Select Plus reduce licensing complexity?
A: Microsoft is listening to customers and simplifying licensing. Historically, Microsoft evolved Volume
Licensing by reducing the number of programs and product licensing models, the number of SKUs and price
points, and made the agreements easier to read.
With Select Plus, Microsoft offers more licensing choice and flexibility to helps large organizations better track
and manage their assets, purchase anytime, and receive automatic volume pricing across multiple affiliates.
The Select-Plus agreement allows you to take advantage of:
 A single agreement and Lead Affiliate customer ID for tracking and managing all software assets.
However, all Affiliates, agencies, municipalities, etc. have access to their purchases and will manage their
software assets and SA benefits through the VLSC.
 A non-expiring agreement that eliminates the complexities of contract renegotiation and renewal.
 Consistent pricing and easy purchasing across all affiliates; once registered, you simply issue a purchase
order to the reseller to acquire licenses.
Software Assurance (SA) & Software Subscriptions
Q: What purchasing options are available for Software Assurance?
A: Select Plus offers both Affiliate Anniversary (similar to Agreement Anniversary), which allows you to spread
out payments annually with any proration of cost on the first payment, and Order Anniversary, with any
proration of cost on the last payment which allows you to spread out payments across full-year increments. This
can help reduce initial up-front costs and provide annual budget predictability.
In addition, Software Assurance may also be purchased on its own when:
 System or server software product licenses are purchased through retail full-packaged product (FPP) or
from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). There is a 90-day enrollment period during which time
Software Assurance may be added to these purchases.
Q: What Software Assurance benefits do Select Plus customers receive?
A: You get the full value of the months of coverage of Software Assurance benefits with Select Plus. With Select
Plus, you can pay for 12 months and receive 12 months of coverage. Also, Software Assurance Membership is
available with Select Plus.
Q: How do I renew Software Assurance purchased under Select Plus?
A: When renewing multiple Software Assurance orders that were purchased through Select Plus at different
times, the coverage period is adjusted to a common date. The prices are then prorated to reflect the coverage
period to simplify renewals and facilitate annual budgeting cycles.
The Select-Plus Agreement requires that the Affiliate must submit an order for another term of Software
Assurance for those License prior to or on the expiration of the previous term. There is no 30 day grace period.
The Affiliate is required to purchase a new license with Software Assurance if the Affiliate wants Software
Assurance on the License.
The Affiliate may want to ask their reseller to request Microsoft for an extension period if the Affiliate is unable
to place an order on time. This may be possible using the Select Plus Affiliate Reggistration Form Amendment
ID Y14. Or the Affiliate may decide to purchase a new license when the new version is released.
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MICROSOFT SELECT PLUS – OVERVIEW AND FAQ
Q: How do I renew Software Assurance that was purchased under another Volume Licensing program?
A: If Software Assurance purchased under another program is about to expire, you can renew it into your Select
Plus Agreement by working with your authorized reseller to place a renewal order under your Select Plus
Agreement.
Q: How do I renew Software Subscriptions and what is the effect of their expiration?
A: Software Subscriptions such as Bing Maps and Forefront Protection offered under Select Plus may be
renewed in the same way as Software Assurance. Note that Software Subscriptions do not offer any residual
license use rights as they are non-perpetual. Failure to renew on time may result in interruption of service.
Q: How are training vouchers managed with multiple purchase periods?
A: The training vouchers are managed the same as today for the most part. The difference is the end dates for
the training vouchers are at different times. However, there is a system rule in place that will always use the
training voucher with the earliest expiration date first.
Q: Does Select Plus have a different end date for Software Assurance benefits?
A: Yes. Microsoft is providing new reporting for you to see benefits and their expiration dates. The benefit will
have the same life as the purchase order that accrues the benefit. Each Affiliate will have access to the reports
through the VLSC. Each Affiliate is responsible for managing their own purchases and associated benefits.
Q: Can I grant administrative access to contacts outside of my organization for Software Assurance benefits
administration?
A: Yes. This functionality does not change for Select Plus.
Affiliate Structure
Q: How do affiliates join?
A: The three-page Select Plus affiliate registration form provided by your reseller identifies the entity and
responsible points of contact within the organization and registers you in the Select-Plus program. As a result,
the Affiliate can acquire software licenses and services under the Select Plus Agreement. The Large Account
Reseller (LAR) that works directly with the Affiliate is also identified on the affiliate registration form. Having a
separate Select Plus Agreement and Select Plus affiliate registration structure allows greater flexibility for
registered affiliates that want independent purchasing. Although purchasing is conducted independently, all
licenses will be associated to the one master agreement.
Q: Is there a compliance check to ensure that the affiliates are associated to the correct lead affiliate?
A: No. However, a notice is sent to the lead affiliate when any participating affiliate registers.
Q: After affiliates are registered, do they have to submit an order?
A: No obligation exists in the Select Plus Agreement to place any orders.
Q: If the affiliate structure changes, are the licenses and Software Assurance benefits transferrable?
A: Yes. The licenses, services, and Software Assurance benefits are tied to the affiliate and move with
the affiliate.
Q: How is the affiliate notified if the lead affiliate decides to remove an affiliate or cancel the Select Plus
Agreement altogether?
A: A termination/cancellation notice is sent to the impacted affiliate. If a lead affiliate cancels the Select Plus
Agreement causing all additional affiliates’ registrations to be cancelled as well, this notice goes out to all
impacted parties.
Q: Can my organization’s division or department level be an affiliate, not the company level?
A: Yes. You can describe yourself through the contracting process.
Q: How do I elect the order anniversary instead of affiliate anniversary?
A: The first order determines the order anniversary month. These are billing options available at each line item
if the Purchase Order Line Item (POLI) has a coverage period. Up front is the only option for “License only.”
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MICROSOFT SELECT PLUS – OVERVIEW AND FAQ
Q: Are up-to-date points accumulated by a lead affiliate published in the Volume Licensing Service Center
(VLSC) and will they be visible to registered affiliates?
A: Yes. This is agreement-level information that is visible to all affiliates. Explore.ms also details this
information.
Q: Are all affiliates responsible for compliance with the Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) of the agreement?
A: Yes. All affiliates are bound by the T&Cs of the Select Plus Agreement..
Q: Can a registered affiliate submit multiple affiliate registrations with different LARs?
A: Each registration is tied to a single customer and partner, as each customer is represented by a unique
customer ID that exists in our systems today called the Public Customer Number (PCN). If an affiliate generates
multiple PCNs, the affiliate could register each PCN with a different LAR, but each PCN can only be
registered once.
Q: Can I change my Contract reseller?
A: Yes. There is a Change of Channel Partner (COCP) process in place. The COCP process requires that
Microsoft be given at least 90 days’ notice. See section 6e. of the Agreement. A waiver from Microsoft may be
possible, The resellers have the form for this process—the new reseller selected by the Affiliate must start the
process.
Q: Do registered affiliates receive media?
A: Select Plus ships media at the affiliate level. Each affiliate can choose their media preference (download only
or physical). In Select Plus, Microsoft only ships media if an affiliate orders the product and selects the physical
media option.
How to Sign-Up
Q: How do I participate in Select Plus?
A: For academic and government organizations, a Select Plus Agreement consists of two components: (1) the
agreement itself; and (2) the Select Plus affiliate registration form. The Select-Plus License Program AgreementState and Local signed by the State of Wisconsin is located on VendorNet in the Microcomputer Software
Contract #15-20800-001. Affiliates only have to complete the Registration Form with their reseller. The
University has their own Select-Plus Agreement for academic enrollments. There is no K-12 Select-Plus
agreement.
Pricing Levels and Points
Q: How are price levels established for commercial organizations?
A: Like Select License, Select Plus categorizes software products into three distinct product pools: applications,
systems, and servers For academic and government organizations, there is a single price level: qualified
academic customers receive academic pricing, government organizations receive Price Level D.
Price Level Adjustment
Q: How do I qualify for the next price level?
Note: For academic and government organizations, there is a single price level. Government is level D.
Q: Once my organization qualifies for the next discounted price level, when can I start purchasing at that level?
Note: For academic and government organizations, there is a single price level.
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MICROSOFT SELECT PLUS – OVERVIEW AND FAQ
Government and Academic Customers
Q: Do eligible government organizations receive special discounts?
A: Yes. Government organizations are given volume discounts based on all government entities in a country.
This is generally equivalent to the Select Plus price level (Level D) offered to commercial organizations. The
State of Wisconsin receives Level D pricing.
To locate the Microsoft Volume Licensing website (VLSC), go to
https://www.microsoft.com/Licensing/servicecenter/default.aspx
Purchasing Model
Q: Can I buy License only (L) for some products and License plus Software Assurance (L+SA) for other products
under the same pool? In addition, can I buy L only for a product and L+SA for the same product?
A: Yes. Unless you have elected Software Assurance Membership (SAM) in any pool, in which case you are
allowed only L&SA purchases in that pool. Note unless you intend to purchase SA on all your licenses in a
pool, do NOT check off the “yes” boxes in Section 7 of the Registration Form that you must sign. Check
off the “no” boxes so you can determine the number of licenses that you want to include with SA.
Q: When a lead affiliate submits a lead affiliate registration form, do they also need to submit an initial order to
meet the minimum order requirement?
A: No. No order is required when submitting the registration form and no grace period is necessary.
Q: Does the lead affiliate need to place the first order or can an affiliate place the first order?
A: No, It is acceptable for the affiliate to purchase before the lead affiliate.
Q: Can I change billing options?
A: Yes. You can change billing options at the line item (for Software Assurance, Online Services (OLS), or
subscription orders) level using any of the three options available with Select Plus (Up front, Anniversary, or
Order anniversary). Once a billing option has been selected on any given order, it cannot be changed. For
a license only order, the only billing option is up front (this is the same under Select). ?
Q: Does each registered affiliate have its own affiliate anniversary date, or are these aligned to the lead
affiliate’s anniversary?
A: Each affiliate has its own anniversary date to use for billing and Software Assurance coverage alignment.
Q: Is there a limit on the size of a purchase order? No.
Could an affiliate place a purchase order for one license?
A: Yes.
Migrating from Volume Licensing Programs
Q: If I have an Enterprise Agreement, when should I consider a Select Plus agreement?
A: The Enterprise Agreement (EA) remains a possible way to standardize the desktop environment and Select Plus
is a great way to consolidate purchases across affiliates and departments to take advantage of volume pricing and
improved asset management. Select Plus is a natural add-on for customers with an EA because it helps
organizations quickly and cost-effectively purchase and manage additional licenses and services on a per-project
basis.
Q: When can existing Select customers move to Select Plus?
A: A Select customer must migrate to Select Plus if they want to continue the program.
Review the Software Assurance, services, and subscriptions and determine what you would like to renew into
the Select Plus Agreement. You also must complete the Registration Form with your reseller.
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MICROSOFT SELECT PLUS – OVERVIEW AND FAQ
Q: Does Select Plus change how the customer purchases through an EA?
A: The Enterprise Agreement remains a possible way to standardize the desktop PC environment with its rich
set of benefits and price advantages for volume purchasing. While no price change exists between Select
License and Select Plus, Microsoft recommends that customers sign a Select Plus Agreement even if you have
an Enterprise Agreement. This is a great way to consolidate purchases across affiliates to take advantage of
volume pricing and improved asset management.
Volume Licensing Keys (VLK)
Q: Are all registered affiliates given a set of Volume Licensing Keys (VLKs) for all product pools, including
products they did not purchase?
A: Yes. Affiliates receive VLKs for all product pools.
Q: Will I need additional VLKs if I received the VLKs for all licensed products?
A: In most cases, you do not need additional VLKs. However, there are situations where you may require
additional VLKs.
Q: Where are the VLKs displayed?
A: The VLKs are displayed through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center.
Media
Q: How do I get my licensed products?
A: For Select Plus, you can download the products you ordered through the Volume Licensing Service Center
(VLSC) at https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/servicecenter/. This is the default choice for all Volume Licensing
programs (with the exception of the Microsoft ISV Royalty Licensing Program and Services Provider License
Agreement).
However, if you require physical media, you must complete a media order form. Registered affiliates may
choose their own media delivery preference (digital or physical). If you choose to receive physical media for
your licensed software, media kits are customized according to the languages and product pools specified on
the Select Plus media form. Media is sent at no charge only for the licensed products ordered.
Q: Do registered affiliates receive media?
A: Select Plus ships media at the affiliate level. Each affiliate can choose their media preference (download only
or physical). In Select Plus, we only ship media if an affiliate orders the product and has the physical media
option selected.
Resources
Q: Where can I find additional information on Select Plus?
A: You can find additional information about Select Plus at www.microsoft.com/licensing/licensingoptions/select.aspx. Also ask your reseller. They have staff who specialize on Microsoft programs, etc. The
reseller can also explain the answers in this document.
Affiliates ordering Online Services should review the terms and conditions in the Microsoft Product List.
http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/about-licensing/product-licensing.aspx. You have to download the
approximate 124 page document. Online Services start around page 69. They recommend that you keep
copies of all your data. You should also review suspension of service, updates and other terms and conditions
listed in this document before you purchase the service.
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