KPMG’s RISE with SAP Validated Partner Status Reaffirms Client Trust

Trust is one of the most valuable currencies in the complex landscape of digital transformation. That is why KPMG’s achievement of the RISE with SAP Validated Partner recognition is a significant milestone.

According to Valentino Koester, Global Head of the SAP360 Program and AI Lead, KPMG International, the recognition validates KPMG firm’s long-standing commitment to helping clients navigate SAP Cloud transformations with confidence.

“This is not just another badge, but it is a testament to the trust clients place in KPMG firms and the commitment KPMG professionals have to delivering quality across SAP transformation programs globally,” Koester shared in an interview with SAPinsider. Koester emphasizes that the validation provides clarity and assurance for organizations at the start of their Cloud journey.

“It helps remove uncertainty. The RISE with SAP Partner validation underpins the trust we ask clients to have in the KPMG brand as their advisor throughout the RISE transformation process,” he said. This validation, achieved in the spring of 2025 after an extensive review process with SAP, confirms that KPMG firms not only demonstrate proven capability but also meet SAP’s highest standards for delivery quality, governance, and ways of working with customers in the field.

Critical Areas that Matter

For any enterprise evaluating a move to the Cloud, this validation provides tangible assurance across several critical areas. For KPMG clients, it affirms:

• Proven experience with large-scale transformations. According to Koester, the validation process required KPMG firms to demonstrate “a sufficient amount of validated customer go-lives.” That evidence shows that KPMG professionals bring hands-on, field-tested experience to help clients manage complex, large-scale projects from strategy to execution.
• Alignment with the RISE with SAP methodology. A core component of the accreditation was a rigorous, six-month review of KPMG firms’ delivery methodology, KPMG Powered Enterprise enabled by SAP. “This extensive evaluation confirms that our methods are fully aligned with SAP best practices for delivery and quality assurance,” Koester noted.
• Deep expertise in SAP Cloud ERP and business transformation. “The accreditation examined our competency framework, ensuring KPMG consultants possess the required certifications and experience in the most relevant areas of SAP technology and transformation,” Koester said. This means KPMG professionals begin projects equipped with pre-defined and preconfigured accelerators, templates, and field-proven leading practices, rather than starting from scratch.
• Commitment to Clean Core delivery standards. The SAP review process included an authentication of practical examples of how KPMG firms delivered SAP implementations following SAP best practices and Clean Core principles. “This commitment to a Clean Core is essential for ensuring our clients’ new Cloud environments are agile, scalable, and innovation-ready,” Koester explained.

Ongoing Commitment to Quality

The KPMG RISE with SAP Validated Partner status is not a one-time milestone, but it represents a long-term commitment to delivery excellence. As Koester noted, “Being RISE with SAP accredited also means that we are now part of what SAP calls the Customer Adoption Program.”

By joining this global program, KPMG firms are reinforcing continuous quality assurance and Clean Core compliance in every SAP RISE engagement. “This means KPMG firms are tracking the delivery health of projects through a regular exchange between SAP and KPMG leaders,” Koester explained. This ongoing governance, supported by dedicated SAP and KPMG quality managers, helps ensure that client success remains the central priority long after the accreditation is achieved.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

RISE with SAP Validation helps to create predictable, value-verified transformations. For SAPinsiders, the RISE with SAP Validated Partner status is more than a badge; it is an external review by SAP that removes uncertainty. The validation process lasts roughly six months and includes an extensive review by SAP. KPMG firms went through this process, after which SAP confirmed that the KPMG Powered Enterprise methodology aligns with SAP best practices and Clean Core principles. While this does not make the transformation itself easier, it does make it more predictable and reliable.

Benefit from continuous, joint quality assurance from SAP. The RISE with SAP Partner Validated program is not a one-time exercise. Upon achieving it, KPMG firms were enrolled in SAP’s Global Customer Adoption Program. For SAPinsiders, this means their SAP RISE projects are subject to continuous, proactive oversight. KPMG continuously reviews the health of projects’ delivery status through regular exchanges in which project health is assessed. This provides clients with an ongoing, dual layer of quality assurance from their implementation partner and SAP.

AI-driven delivery: The next frontier of the KPMG and SAP relationship. Looking to 2026 and beyond, the KPMG and SAP relationship is evolving to focus on a next-generation delivery approach. For KPMG, this means incorporating AI responsibly and purposefully throughout the transformation lifecycle. KPMG consultants use tools such as SAP Joule, SAP Business Technology Platform capabilities, and KPMG’s own AI-enabled methodologies to enhance design quality, support informed decision-making, and strengthen delivery outcomes. Always under human oversight and aligned with proven best practices.

To learn more, visit kpmg.com/sap

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