Up to 80 per cent of your consulting costs back.
The BAFA programme for management consulting reimburses a substantial share of qualified consulting. How high that share is depends on your location. This page explains how the procedure works, what is funded and what is not, and how we check together whether your company is eligible.
The funding guideline applies until 31 December 2026. Anyone who wants to use it should apply in good time.
A state reimbursement, not a discount.
The BAFA (Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control) supports qualified consulting for small and medium-sized companies through its programme for management consulting. Depending on your location a share of the consulting costs is reimbursed, in the new federal states up to 80 per cent, in the old federal states as a rule 50 per cent, with special rules for individual regions.
You pay the consulting fee yourself first and receive the grant from the state afterwards. So it is not a reduction on our invoice but a reimbursement to you.
Apply
The funding application is filed with BAFA before any consulting begins.
Approval and consulting
You can wait for approval or start straight away. You pay the consulting fee yourself initially.
Receive the reimbursement
Once approved, BAFA reimburses the funded share to you.
What the percentages refer to
The funding rate does not apply to a fee of any size. The programme works with a defined assessment basis per consulting engagement, and the grant is capped accordingly. If your fee exceeds it, the excess is not funded.
The number is limited as well: within the term of the guideline a maximum of five completed consulting engagements per company are eligible, no more than two per year. For the two-stage approach we recommend this means both stages are eligible, but they count separately.
What this means in your specific case we will calculate with you in the initial conversation: which share is funded, what you actually pay and whether splitting into two engagements is worthwhile. Binding information on assessment bases and maximum amounts is provided by BAFA.
Why being BAFA-listed says something about quality.
Not every firm is allowed to offer BAFA-funded consulting. To be listed, a consultancy has to demonstrate its qualifications to BAFA.
techport is a BAFA-registered consultancy. For you this means you work with a partner whose consulting quality and processes have been checked against fixed standards, not with an arbitrary provider.
Listed consultancy
Documented quality management, audited quality assurance.
Relevant qualifications, demonstrated technical competence.
Solid references, documented project track record.
The consulting is funded, not the implementation.
That isn't a drawback; it's the point. Funded consulting has to be neutral and vendor-independent.
What you end up with is a complete, vendor-neutral digitalisation concept in your hands. A blueprint that leaves you free to decide.
Your freedom to choose is guaranteed.
You are never obliged to have us do the build. The concept belongs to you. You can implement it internally, put it out to tender, or hire any provider you consider suitable.
Appointing techport for the build is possible, but never a precondition and is explicitly not recommended in the consulting report.
How the stages build on each other.
Two independent consulting stages lead to a concept ready for implementation. Implementation follows as a separate project.
Digitalisation and AI potential analysis
A review of the status quo: where are the biggest levers? The result is a clear picture of where digitalisation pays off and when the investment amortises.
Implementation planning, target processes and solution architecture
The vendor-neutral concept: concrete, ready to implement, in your hands. You can implement it yourself or put it out to tender.
Technical implementation (software/AI)
A separate project with its own contract and a freely chosen provider. Covered by other funding programmes.
Consulting 1 and consulting 2 are two independent engagements, each applied for separately.
The full process →Implementation: separate, freely chosen and often eligible again.
Implementation has nothing more to do with BAFA. It is an independent project with its own contract and invoice, and it is often supported by other funding programmes that cover exactly this part.
Which route fits your situation and your federal state is something we check in the initial conversation.
We keep track of more than 50 funding programmes from federal, state and EU sources. Depending on the programme, between 50 and 75 per cent of implementation costs are funded, usually as a genuine grant. The amount depends on the programme and the approval and cannot be guaranteed.
The BIG-Digital supports digitalisation projects with grants of up to 50 per cent.
Please note: Approval is decided solely by BAFA or the responsible development bank. There is no legal entitlement. The application must be submitted before consulting begins. The funding guideline applies until 31 December 2026. Information on funding rates, assessment bases and maximum amounts reflects the status at the time of publication; the details published by BAFA are binding. This text is explanatory and does not constitute legal, tax or funding advice.