Every business reaches a point where spreadsheets stop cutting it, manual processes become a bottleneck, and the apps your teams rely on feel like they were built for a different era.
So how do you tell the difference? Here's what actually matters when choosing a Power Platform partner.
Start with the problem, not the tool
Before you even speak to a partner, get clear on what you're trying to solve. Are you eliminating a paper-based approval process? Building a 360-degree view of your customers? Automating finance reporting that currently takes three people two days every month? The more precisely you can articulate the pain, the better you can evaluate whether a partner truly understands your world — or is just pitching a demo they prepared for someone else.
A good Power Platform partner will ask uncomfortable questions before they offer solutions. If a partner jumps straight to a proposal without digging into your processes, your data landscape, and your internal capabilities, that's a red flag. You want someone who's curious, not someone who's eager to close.
Look beyond the certifications
Microsoft certifications matter. They signal that a partner has invested in their team and meets a baseline of technical competence. Microsoft's partner tiers — Solutions Partner designations, specialisations, and the like — are worth checking. But certifications are a floor, not a ceiling.
What certifications won't tell you is whether a partner has solved your kind of problem before. Ask for case studies. Ask to speak with reference customers in your industry. A partner who has helped a manufacturing company automate its quality control process understands something fundamentally different from one who has only worked in financial services — even if both hold the same badge.
Look for depth, not just breadth. Some partners will tell you they do everything: Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics, Power Platform, and more. That's not necessarily a strength. For a Power Platform engagement, you want a team where Power Platform is a genuine focus area — not a line item added to a sales deck.
Evaluate their approach to governance and scalability
Many organisations can build a Power App that works for a pilot of ten users. It takes real expertise to build something that will still perform reliably when 500 people are using it, when your data volumes have tripled, and when your IT team needs to audit who has access to what.
Ask Power Platform partners how they approach governance from day one. Do they help you set up environments, data loss prevention policies, and access controls as part of the engagement — or do they treat that as an optional add-on? Do they document what they build, or do they leave you with a solution that only they understand?
The best partners think about the day they hand over the keys. They build things so that your team can own, maintain, and extend them — not so that you'll need to call the partner every time something needs to change.
Assess the people, not just their pitch
In professional services, the team matters more than the brand. A large, well-known Power Platform consultancy might win the deal and then staff it with junior consultants. A smaller, more focused partner might put their most experienced people on your project because you matter more to them as a client.
When you're evaluating a Power Platform partner, ask who will actually be working on your project. Get their names. Look them up. If you can, ask to meet them before you sign anything. Strong Power Platform consultants are usually active in the community — they write, speak at events, contribute to forums, and hold current certifications. That ongoing engagement with the ecosystem usually translates to better work.
Culture fit matters too. You'll be working closely with these people, often through moments of ambiguity and change. You need a team that communicates clearly, escalates problems early, and treats your colleagues with respect — not one that disappears after kickoff and resurfaces only when an invoice is due.
Think about what happens after go-live
Too many implementations fall apart after launch. The excitement fades, the partner moves on to the next project, and the internal champions who drove the initiative get pulled onto other priorities. The solution stagnates, or worse, starts breaking in ways nobody knows how to fix.
A good Power Platform partner plans for this from the start. They offer structured training so your team actually knows how to use what's been built. They provide documentation that doesn't require a computer science degree to follow. And they offer support arrangements that are honest about what they cover — not vague SLAs that sound reassuring until something goes wrong.
Ask prospective partners what a typical six-month post-go-live relationship looks like. The quality of that answer will tell you a lot.
Don't let price be the only filter
Power Platform projects vary enormously in scope and complexity, so comparing quotes without understanding what's included is a recipe for disappointment. A low quote that excludes testing, change management, training, and governance setup will end up costing more than a comprehensive quote that includes them.
That said, price does matter. You should understand exactly what you're paying for and why. A Power Platform partner who can explain their pricing clearly and justify every line item is a partner who knows what they're doing.
Choosing a Microsoft partner is one of the most important technology decisions you'll make. Get it right and you'll have a team that helps you build something that genuinely changes how your business operates. Get it wrong and you'll spend more time managing the relationship than benefiting from it.
Take your time. Ask hard questions. And choose a Power Platform partner who's as invested in your success as you are.
Ready to start your Power Platform journey?
Akita Intelligent Solutions is a Microsoft Business Applications Solutions Partner with 30 years of experience delivering digital transformation for organisations across the UK and internationally. From rapid app development and process automation to Power BI reporting and ongoing support, our team works with you at every stage — from discovery through to optimisation.
