Microsoft has announced an important update regarding the New Commerce Experience (NCE) license-based services price lists for February 2026. Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners should be aware that the February 1, 2026 publication will not include a preview price list for March license-based services.
What This Means for Partners
Typically, Microsoft publishes both current month and next month preview price lists for NCE license-based services, allowing partners to plan ahead for pricing changes. However, the February 1, 2026 price list publication will be an exception to this standard practice.
Specifically:
- The February 1, 2026 NCE license-based services price list will be published as normal
- There will be no accompanying March 2026 preview price list
- No changes are currently scheduled for the March 1, 2026 license-based services price list
Impact on Partner Planning
This change affects planning and forecasting activities for CSP partners, including:
Pricing Strategy
Partners who typically review preview price lists to adjust their pricing strategies for the following month will not have advance visibility into March pricing through the usual channel. However, since no changes are scheduled for March, this should not create significant disruption to pricing strategies.
Customer Communications
Partners who proactively communicate upcoming price changes to customers will not have March preview information to share in early February. Given that no changes are planned, this should simplify rather than complicate customer communications.
System Updates
Partners who maintain automated systems that import and process preview price lists should ensure their systems can handle the absence of a March preview file without errors or failures.
Why This Change Is Happening
While Microsoft has not provided detailed rationale for this specific decision, there are several possible factors:
- No planned price changes for March eliminates the need for preview pricing information
- Reducing unnecessary price list publications when no changes are planned streamlines operations
- Focus on ensuring accuracy of current month pricing rather than generating unchanged preview data
What Partners Should Do
CSP partners should take several actions in response to this announcement:
Update Internal Processes
Ensure that teams responsible for price list management are aware that there will be no March preview in the February publication. Update any standard operating procedures or checklists to reflect this exception.
Communicate to Stakeholders
Share this information with all appropriate contacts in your organization, including:
- Sales teams who may plan customer conversations around pricing
- Finance teams who forecast based on upcoming pricing
- Operations teams who manage pricing in systems
- Technical teams who maintain automated price list import processes
Review February Price List
When the February 1, 2026 price list is published, review it carefully to understand current pricing for all relevant offers. Since there will be no March preview, this becomes even more important for planning purposes.
Access Partner Center Pricing Workspace
Partners should familiarize themselves with the Partner Center Pricing workspace, which provides access to all published price lists and detailed information about offers included each month. This resource is particularly valuable when preview price lists are not available.
Looking Ahead
This announcement appears to be specific to the February/March 2026 timeframe. Partners should continue to expect normal preview price list publication for subsequent months unless Microsoft announces otherwise.
For March 1, 2026 pricing, partners can expect:
- The standard NCE license-based services price list publication on March 1
- Pricing consistent with February 2026, as no changes are currently scheduled
- Normal resumption of preview price list publication for April 2026 (to be confirmed)
Additional Context
This announcement affects all CSP partners operating in all regions and markets who work with NCE license-based services. The absence of a March preview applies globally, not to specific geographic markets.
Partners should note that this announcement is specific to NCE license-based services. Other price lists, including:
- Legacy license-based services
- NCE software subscriptions
- Azure plan pricing
- Marketplace offers
may follow different publication schedules and are not affected by this announcement.
Resources and Support
Partners needing additional information or clarification should:
- Access the Partner Center Pricing workspace for current price lists and offer details
- Review NCE pricing documentation on Microsoft Learn
- Contact Microsoft partner support with specific questions
- Monitor Partner Center announcements for any updates or changes to this guidance
Best Practices for Price List Management
This situation highlights the importance of robust price list management practices:
Maintain Flexibility: Build processes that can accommodate variations in price list publication schedules without disruption.
Multiple Information Sources: Don't rely exclusively on preview price lists for planning. Use current price lists, Microsoft communications, and historical patterns to inform strategy.
Regular Monitoring: Check Partner Center regularly for announcements and updates that may affect pricing or price list publication.
Systematic Review: When price lists are published, conduct systematic reviews to identify any unexpected changes or anomalies.
Communication Protocols: Maintain clear internal communication protocols for disseminating price list information across your organization.
Conclusion
While the absence of a March 2026 preview in the February 1, 2026 price list publication represents a deviation from normal practice, the lack of planned pricing changes for March means this should not create significant operational challenges for partners. By ensuring awareness across relevant teams and maintaining robust price list management practices, partners can navigate this exception smoothly.
Partners should continue to monitor Partner Center announcements for any updates regarding future price list publications and reach out to Microsoft partner support with any questions or concerns about pricing or price list access.