Logistics Firm Includes Marketplace in EDP Discount
PUBLISHED JUNE 2026 · ANONYMIZED COMPOSITE · INDEPENDENT BUYER SIDE ADVISORY
This logistics firm includes Marketplace in EDP discount case study follows a North American carrier preparing to sign a three year AWS Enterprise Discount Program near twenty five million dollars. The draft looked competitive until we read what it counted. Several million dollars a year of third party software bought through AWS Marketplace was excluded from the spend that counted toward the commitment. That single exclusion quietly shrank the effective discount and raised the shortfall risk. This is one of our cloud commitment case studies.
We were engaged as the independent buyer side adviser before signature, and the goal was to make every dollar the firm already spent on AWS work toward the deal. The work below is the heart of our AWS EDP negotiation service.
Inside this logistics firm includes Marketplace in EDP discount case study
The carrier ran a heavy stack of third party tools through AWS Marketplace, including observability, security, and data platforms. As of June 2026, AWS EDP is a spend commitment over a one to five year term that unlocks tiered discounts scaling with the committed amount, and it stacks on top of Reserved Instances and Savings Plans. What counts toward that commitment is negotiable, and the first draft simply did not count the Marketplace spend.
On paper the discount percentage looked fine. The problem was the base it applied to. A strong rate on a narrow base is a weak deal.
The exposure the firm faced
Excluding Marketplace spend did two kinds of damage. First, it lowered the effective discount, because real dollars the firm spent on AWS earned nothing toward the tiered benefit. Second, it raised shortfall risk, because the commitment had to be met from a smaller pool of qualifying spend, leaving less room for a slow quarter.
The carrier was effectively being asked to commit against one number while being credited against a smaller one. That gap is where overcommitment hides.
The approach we took
We quantified the Marketplace spend across the trailing year and the forward plan, then made its inclusion a primary ask rather than a footnote. As of June 2026, Marketplace inclusion and cross account credit application are negotiable in an EDP, so we pushed for both. We also confirmed the discount stacked correctly on top of existing Reserved Instances and Savings Plans rather than replacing them.
Crucially we did not raise the commitment to chase a deeper tier. We widened what counted toward the existing commitment, which lifts the effective rate without adding a single dollar of risk.
The outcome for the buyer
Marketplace eligible spend was written in to count toward the commitment, and cross account credit application was confirmed so spend across the firm's accounts rolled up correctly. The effective discount improved because the same negotiated rate now applied to a materially larger qualifying base.
Shortfall risk fell at the same time, because the commitment could be satisfied from a wider pool of spend. The firm signed a deal that rewarded the AWS spend it was already making rather than only the slice the first draft chose to recognise.
Lessons for buyers
Read what counts toward the commitment as carefully as you read the headline rate. A discount on a narrow base can be worse than a smaller discount on everything you spend.
Push for Marketplace inclusion and cross account credit application as named terms, and widen the base before you ever consider raising the commitment. Confirm the discount stacks on Reserved Instances and Savings Plans. These are commercial decisions, and your own counsel should review the final agreement.
Is your Marketplace spend earning nothing toward your EDP?
We are independent and buyer side, paid only by you, with no reseller margin and no hyperscaler incentive. We make every dollar you already spend on AWS count toward the commitment before you sign.
REQUEST A CONFIDENTIAL COMMITMENT REVIEWFrequently asked questions
Does AWS Marketplace spend count toward an EDP?
Only if you negotiate it. As of June 2026 Marketplace inclusion is negotiable in an AWS EDP. Left as drafted, Marketplace spend is often excluded, which narrows the base your discount applies to and raises shortfall risk.
How did Marketplace inclusion lift the effective discount?
The same negotiated rate applied to a larger qualifying base once Marketplace eligible spend counted toward the commitment. More of the firm's real AWS spend earned the tiered benefit, so the effective rate rose without raising the commitment.
What is cross account credit application?
It is the mechanism that lets spend across multiple linked accounts roll up toward a single commitment and benefit. As of June 2026 it is negotiable in an EDP and matters for any buyer running many accounts.
Does an EDP stack with Reserved Instances and Savings Plans?
Yes. As of June 2026 an AWS EDP stacks on top of Reserved Instances and Savings Plans rather than replacing them, so you keep optimising unit cost while the EDP rewards total committed spend.
Why not just raise the commitment for a deeper tier?
Because a larger commitment adds shortfall risk. Widening what counts toward the existing commitment lifts the effective rate with no added exposure, which is almost always the better trade for the buyer.
Is this a real named logistics company?
No. It is an anonymized composite based on common patterns in EDP negotiations. The deal type, scale, and outcomes are representative rather than tied to one named carrier.