GitLab Channel Partners are the primary audience for this handbook page.
We invite organizations interested in becoming a GitLab Channel Partner to APPLY NOW. Onboarding our Partners is incredibly important to us at GitLab. We want to ensure that you quickly get the training and resources you need to get off to a strong start with GitLab.
For an overview of the GitLab reseller program, click here.
To get started with GitLab, register your company by going to https://partners.gitlab.com. The system will prompt you for your company and personal contact information, as well as your personal contact information. A GitLab Channel Account Manager may contact you for qualification. If you agree to proceed, your company will be required to sign a GitLab Reseller Agreement. Once you are registered, you can:
This information can also be found in the Partner Guide(portal login required to access)).
If a partner organization already exists in the partner portal, but a new partner user needs login credentials:
The partner user will be directed to a page that asks them to confirm the organization they work for. After they confirm, they should click next, and fill in their information. After submitting the information, they'll receive login credentials if it is an active partner account with GitLab. Email partnersupport@gitlab.com if you have any problems.
Our training programs are available primarily through the GitLab Partner Portal. There, you will find the accreditation courses and testing needed to meet your GitLab program requirements for sales, pre-sales, technical, and professional services training. Check out the Channel Partner Training and Certifications handbook page for additional information.
Before a new partner is able to receive the full partner benefits, they must achieve Open Partner Status. To become an Open Partner, new partners must have two people complete the Sales Professional training, and one person complete the Solutions Architect training.
Upon achieving Open Partner status, that partner will be able to transact, request NFRs, and receive all the benefits of the GitLab Partner Program.
To open up deal registration access, partners must complete at least one sales training.
Partners can request a Letter of Authorization after signing the click-through Partner agreement and accessing the Partner Portal. After logging into the Partner Portal, go to the Support tab and click on Letter of Authorization. Follow the on-screen instructions to submit a Letter of Authorization request.
Channel Partners are equipped with a partner lead sharing and deal registration system designed to maximize the value of GitLab partner program. With the partner lead sharing module, GitLab Prospects, channel partners can access and manage their leads, generated by a GitLab co-marketing campaign in the GitLab Partner Portal. You can also easily convert these leads to deal registrations and submit them to GitLab for approval.
Partner SLAs: In the final phase of the partner recall process, GitLab Channel Partners will have 5 days to accept the lead and 10 days to action the lead.
You will receive an email notification when a lead is generated. Best practice is to respond within 24 hours.
When leads have been shared with you, you will see an additional tab, “Prospects”, in the GitLab Registration portal. Note, the “Prospects” tab will not appear in the partner portal until you receive your first lead.
To begin managing a prospect you must first accept the prospect. When you accept or reject, a prospect the status will be updated in GitLab as well.
Click on the accepted prospect to:
The GitLab Deal Registration System User Guide will guide you on how to use the Deal Registration module. It will show you how to submit a new registration as well as show you how to view and customize deal registration reports so you can track the status of your deal registrations and their performance.
For additional support, click on:
Your organization’s GitLab prospect admin for the partner portal has the ability to designate multiple people to view prospects within the partner portal. To do so use the free trial adding prospect user guide to learn how to access the settings in Prospects module and set any user to a prospect admin.
In the event the GitLab Channel Partner is unable to action or move a lead to close that is owned by GitLab, GitLab Inc. reserves the right to recall unactioned leads after certain period of time.
GitLab owned leads are acquired from fully paid initaitives generated by GitLab Inc. through joint events are subject for recall.
Phase 1 - Unactioned Leads Over 30 Days Old
These are GitLab owned leads that are stuck in “Prospect Share Status" = "Pending” for over 30 days. Their status have not been updated to either “Accepted” or “Rejected.” Additionally, these leads are not “Qualified” or have not been converted to a deal.
Recall Process Overview
Once a lead is recalled, it will be reassigned to Gitlab Inc. for internal follow up.
Prospect Share Status or Share Status governs the sharing of the lead and the receipt of the lead by the partner. The prospect share status has statuses that are set by both the manufacturer and the partner.
Partner Prospect Status or Status is updated by the partner and identifies the status of the lead as the partner works through the sales process.
To promote the growth and success of GitLab channels, manage channel conflict, and provide a systematic approach to pursuing sales opportunities, GitLab has formalized the rules of engagement and deal registration procedures. Since the first qualified deal registration requires approval, Partners are encouraged to submit their deal registrations as early as possible to lock in the biggest discount. Partners in the GitLab Partner Program need to register individual sales opportunities; Partners may not register an account or combine opportunities. Review the Definitions and Qualifications section of this page for more detail on what GitLab defines as Partner Sourced and Co-sell deal registrations.
Only authorized Partners that have signed the GitLab Partner Program Agreement are able to register deals, earn program discounts, and transact with GitLab. Unauthorized Partners do not qualify. Additionally, at least one of the Partner’s employees must complete the Sales Core training for the Partner to qualify for deal registration and program discounts.
Our Deal Registration process allows us to incentivize our Partners to source and close GitLab products and services opportunities and avoid channel conflict. You can find an overview of the Deal Registration Program, including rules of engagement, here. The following section provides instructions for this process.
Once deal registrations are received, a GitLab Sales Rep will:
Note: “Eligible” means that you meet all contractual or regulatory requirements to bid on the deal and that the customer is willing to buy you. This is particularly relevant with government contracts or bids, but could also apply to commercial work.
If any of the above requirements are not met—or you fail to promptly schedule a meeting or conference call with the customer—the GitLab Sales Rep may advise you that GitLab cannot engage with you for this opportunity. GitLab will then reconsider other deal registration applications submitted for this deal in order of submission. You may subsequently attempt to remedy this situation and submit another deal registration form for this deal, but this will be considered a new submission.
The Services Attached incentive is based on the volume of licensing opportunities with services attached to those licensing deals. The more licensing deals you attach services to the richer the program becomes.
Partners need to email proof of execution (POE) for delivery of services. The POE must include customer confirmation of the services and that the services meet/met the guidelines as outlined in the current program guidance (found in the Partner Portal) for the incentive. The most likely form of POE is a signed statement of work (SOW) outlining work and cost to the customer. POEs must be approved by GitLab Sales.
Rebates are paid out no later than 45 days after the end of each quarter. Partners need to have connected with GitLab in our billing system,Coupa, by providing your banking information. To view the GitLab Services Attach Incentive Program, please visit the GitLab Partner Portal and access the resources in the Program Documents folder in the Asset Library.
Authorized partners who have achieved at least Open Status may request a quote and transact with GitLab.
GitLab quotes reflect reseller pricing, exclusive of incentive rebates, and any discounts provided are not meant for the end customer to see. Resellers need to generate their own quote to the end customer and can then provide any customer discount at that time.
GitLab quotes may come with a Sertifi link. E-signing the quote with Sertifi initiates the invoicing process and causes our systems to invoice you. Do not e-sign the quote until you are ready to be invoiced. Do not e-sign the quote if your customer will be paying us directly.
GitLab will not generate a quote, or fulfill an order, without an end user contact complete with email, shipping address, and postal code.
Select Partners and partners in areas where there is no active distributor must purchase directly through GitLab. To receive a quote, partners can either register a deal or reach out to their channel manager and request a quote. The channel manager will connect the partner with the appropriate sales team who will work with the partner throughout the life of the opportunity.
To submit a purchase order for a resell-direct opportunity, please submit your PO to the sales team you have been working with for the opportunity.
Open Partners are required to purchase through a distribution partner in every territory with an active distributor. All quote requests and purchase orders can be sent directly to the distributor.
Once the order is invoiced and the customer accepts the EULA (see below), they are able to activate their GitLab license key. The invoice contact of the transacting partner (either distributor or reseller) is copied on this email.
When customers have technical support needs or need to make changes to a subscription, partners should submit a support ticket on behalf of the customer. For detailed instructions on how to submit a support ticket, including a step-by-step guide with screenshots, please see the Partner Guide located in the Partner Portal.
Subscription email address changes, other subscription changes, license resends, and technical problems are all handled through the technical support ticket process.
To submit a Support Ticket, navigate to the "Support" tab in the partner portal, and click Submit a Support Ticket on behalf of your customer. Please ensure you follow all listed instructions and read the recommended handbook pages to ensure a prompt response from the Technical Support team. The Partner Support team is unable to assist with Technical Support needs.
All orders require an executed EULA when there's a new subscription or an add-on. There are 2 methods of obtaining a EULA:
An order is not complete without a signed agreement.
Authorized GitLab Partner fills out the NFR License Request Form which can be found on the GitLab Partner Portal on the Services or Support tabs.
GitLab NFR licenses expire after a 12-month subscription period, unless they are add-on licenses, in which case they expire with the Partner’s oldest NFR licenses. Partners must be compliant with the GitLab Partner Program to renew their licenses and they can request a renewed license through the NFR form per the standard process above.
The GitLab Not-for-Resale (NFR) Program offers qualified GitLab Partners access to our solutions at no cost. The NFR Program provides Partners with an opportunity to develop greater expertise on the GitLab platform. We encourage all GitLab Partners to participate in the program and set up GitLab solutions. Consider using your environment to create integrations with GitLab Alliance Solution Partners. This way your staff can fully understand the benefits and features of GitLab products and be better prepared to demonstrate products to customers.
Request your license by logging in to the Partner Portal; click the "Services" tab and the NFR Request form will be the first Quick Link. Please allow two (2) business days for processing your request.
Please allow two (2) business days for processing your request.
*The Partner Help Desk manages all NFR requests that fall within the NFR program rules. Any requests outside the program need to be requested, managed, and tracked through the account manager.
To be eligible for the NFR Program, Partners must:
Support will be provided by the GitLab Support team. GitLab Solution Architects may also be available to help Partners build out training, testing, and lab environments.
The GitLab Partner Program helps develop your practice to best fit your business model. You can earn one-time and recurring revenues from product and services sales, referrals, and services delivery and resale.
To view the GitLab Partner Program Discount and Referral Fee Table, please visit the GitLab Partner Portal (must be an authorized Partner) and access the Incentive Guide in the Program Documents folder in the Asset Library.
Authorized Public Sector Partners can earn one-time and recurring revenues from product and services sales, referrals, and services delivery and resale. To view Public Sector discounts, please visit the GitLab Partner Portal (must be an authorized Public Sector Partner) and access the Incentive Guide in the Program Documents folder in the Asset Library. GitLab employees can access the discount table here and the Public Sector table here.
NOTE: Discounts are off list price. If GitLab is deeply discounting a large annual recurring revenue (ARR) customer engagement, the Partner can reasonably expect to share in that with a discount reduction. The Partner, GitLab sales, and Channel Account Manager must agree on the negotiated discount amount.
You can arrange for payment either via invoice, or your customer can pay us directly.
If your customer will be paying us via a Purchase Order, then you must email us a copy so that we may invoice the customer. Please send the Purchase Order to POfulfillment@gitlab.com for fulfillment.
To pay via invoice, simply e-sign the reseller quote to initiate an invoice, then remit payment in USD to the bank listed on your quote.
Partner-Sourced/Initiated Discount – Partners can earn the largest available product discount with a Partner-sourced opportunity. This opportunity is a new opportunity for the GitLab Sales team, and is available to new or existing customers.
The Partner-sourced discount is an upfront discount. The Partner is expected to assist the GitLab Sales team in closing the sale. To qualify for this discount, Partners must submit a deal registration to GitLab via the GitLab Partner Portal, and it must be approved by GitLab Sales to qualify. A Partner-sourced discount is available for both resale and referral opportunities.
Partners purchasing GitLab for their own internal production use and add-on licenses at renewal can also qualify for a partner-sourced discount; however, they must first meet all program requirements for their specific program track (Open or Select). Please visit the Deal Registration Program guideline in the Program Guide for additional details.
Partner Co-Sell Opportunity – Partners can earn a discount for a GitLab-sourced opportunity where the Partner assists the GitLab Sales team in closing and/or transacting the deal. This may include demonstrating GitLab software, organizing executive meetings, supporting contract negotiations, delivering services, fulfillment, etc. It is an upfront discount. To qualify for the Partner-assist discount, GitLab Sales team members will attach a Partner to an opportunity, but Partners do not need to submit a deal registration.
First Order Incentive – Partners can receive an incentive paid as a rebate for partner-sourced opportunities for customers new to GitLab. The customer must be on the First Order customer target list, which is available from the GitLab Channel Sales team members. This incentive is only available for GitLab Select Partners.
Services Attach Rebate – Partners can receive an incentive paid as a rebate for Partner-delivered services provided to end customers related to their use of their Premium and Ultimate GitLab software licenses. Applicable services are reviewed in the Channel Services Catalog. The Services Attach incentive is based on a percentage of a customer's net annual recurring revenue (net ARR) of a linked software sale made within the last six (6) months. To reward Partners that have made an investment in developing GitLab expertise, this incentive is only available to GitLab Professional Services and Training certified Partners.
Referral Fees – Referral fees are paid to Partners for identifying new GitLab software sales opportunities that are not being resold by a Partner. To qualify for a referral fee, Partners must enter a referral fee deal registration in the GitLab Partner Portal. Each registration received by GitLab is considered a "Qualified Referral," provided that the referral is a GitLab sales opportunity that is new to GitLab, and the customer/prospect is willing to enter into a binding written agreement with GitLab to use GitLab products and services.
Opportunities identified by a Channel Partner but transacted through a Cloud Marketplace qualify for the referral fee.
All referral deal registrations must be approved by GitLab before becoming eligible for a referral fee. Referral fees are paid out no later than 45 days after the end of each quarter, if you have connected with GitLab in Coupa and provided your banking information.
Services Resale – Partners can earn discounts on Partner-sold services delivered by the GitLab Professional Services team. Partners qualify for a program discount on services resale if the services are included on the order of a deal registered opportunity. Partners are able to resell complete GitLab services offerings or include GitLab services as part of their own customer statement of work.
Subscription Renewals – At the end of their GitLab license subscription, customers must be renewed to continue with the program subscription. At renewal, Partners can earn a renewal discount for licenses renewed at the same subscription level, although no discounts are available for Starter/Bronze product tier renewals. If a customer adds additional licenses, those new licenses are discounted at the standard Partner-sourced discount levels. If a customer upgrades their subscription level (e.g., Premium to Ultimate), the entire deal qualifies for the standard Partner-sourced discount.
For customers whose most recent GitLab purchase was through a reseller Partner, the incumbent reseller can earn a discount on the resale based on their program track, unless 1. the incumbent Partner is no longer in compliance or 2. the customer provides a written request to GitLab to renew with a different partner. A deal registration on the original opportunity is not required for a Partner to earn incumbent status.
Most customers grow their GitLab deployment over time. As such, renewals create additional opportunities for growth through:
While not required, we expect customers will, for the most part, contact you if they need help. It is in both of our best interests that they do so, as the more touch points you have with them, the more likely you are to further develop business with them. We do not expect you to be as knowledgeable about our products as our own support staff, and do expect that you may need to escalate some issues to our support staff. For more information, visit the GitLab Support page.
For pre-sales technical issues, please contact your local GitLab Sales Team.
We want to help our Partners succeed. We have created marketing resources and tools for our Partner to use to help grow their GitLab business. See the Channel Tools and Resources handbook page to learn more.
Or you can get started today by going to the Partner Portal.
These handbook pages provide additional information about the GitLab Channel Partner program:
All authorized GitLab resellers are invited to the GitLab #resellers Slack channel. This slack channel allows you to reach out to our Sales and Marketing Teams in a timely manner, as well as other resellers. Additionally, you can reach the GitLab channel team at PartnerSupport@GitLab.com and the GitLab Parnter Marketing Team at Partner-Marketing@GitLab.com.
