ADP Marketplace is ADP’s online store where clients buy ADP and third-party applications that integrate with ADP systems, and ADP API Central is the subscription through which a client’s developers get access to ADP APIs. This article covers the commercial terms around both, and the partner program through which independent software vendors (ISVs) integrate.
Marketplace for clients
The Marketplace platform is powered by AppDirect, an e-commerce platform.[1] ADP’s terms say that ADP and its licensor retain the platform and that each application is provided under separate terms of purchase.[2] The terms for buying are described in the article on client agreements. In short, ADP applications are licensed “solely for Your internal business purposes” for the term on the order, ISV applications are contracted directly with the ISV, purchases are charged automatically in advance and refundable in full within 30 days, and ADP’s liability is capped at the greater of twelve months of payments or USD 100.[2] Payment is by credit card or as a line item on the client’s ADP invoice.[3] See ADP Application licence is for the client's internal business purposes, Marketplace purchases have a 30 day full refund window and Marketplace purchases are paid by ADP invoice line item or credit card.
Listings state their terms on a Support and Terms tab, where ADP applications link to application-specific terms of service.[4] API Central’s terms and Document Cloud’s terms, for example, are separate short PDF files on adp.com.[5][6] Both say the client’s existing services agreement with ADP governs, and Document Cloud’s terms add that the existing agreement “is amended to include the following Service: ADP Document Cloud.”[5][6] See API Central is governed by the client's Existing Agreement with ADP and Document Cloud terms amend the Existing Agreement.
ADP API Central
The developer site describes API Central as giving “instant access to APIs, tools and services, all in one place,” available on ADP Marketplace and bought by an HR practitioner at the client through the Marketplace or an ADP representative.[7] It includes unlimited users, access to ADP APIs and developer resources, and ticketed API support.[8] See ADP API Central and API Central is sold to HR practitioners through the Marketplace or an ADP representative.
Price and counting
For ADP Workforce Now and Workforce Now Next Generation, the Marketplace order page lists a single edition, ADP API Central, with four tiers: USD 3.00 per employee per month for the first 999 employees, USD 2.50 for 1000-2999 employees, USD 1.75 for 3000-4999 employees and USD 1.50 for 5000-9999 employees.[8] The listing says the client is billed every month on its ADP invoice “based on the number of employees in your organization,” with monthly costs calculated and charged at the end of each billing cycle.[4] The Terms of Service define the billing count: “all unique lives in the database paid in the previous calendar month,” and billing begins on the date the service is available for use by the client in a production environment.[5] See ADP API Central for ADP Workforce Now and Workforce Now Next Generation, API Central employee (unique lives), API Central billing starts when it is available in production and counts unique lives and API Central for Workforce Now is priced in four employee-count tiers.
Two points need care. The listing does not say whether a tier price applies to all employees once the count reaches the band, or only to employees within the band. And the published tiers stop at 9,999 employees. An employer with more employees should ask ADP what applies. The Marketplace listing for API Central for ADP Vantage HCM, ADP Enterprise HR and ADP Lyric offers “Contact Us” and shows no price.[9] See ADP API Central for ADP Vantage HCM, ADP Enterprise HR and ADP Lyric and API Central for the large-enterprise platforms has no published price.
Prerequisites, responsibilities and support
The Terms of Service set two prerequisites: the client uses “the current version of ADP Workforce Now,” and has developers familiar with HTTP, REST, JSON and OAuth. ADP provides API documentation and issues the SSL certificate and credentials, and is “unable to provide development support but is available to answer general API support questions as needed.”[5] The client creates the middleware and maps fields. See API Central requires the current version of Workforce Now and client developers and ADP does not provide development support under API Central. Developer resources add that API Central uses OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 and that clients can hire ADP Marketplace partners to build integrations.[7]
Consulting
Clients “may purchase consulting services from ADP to assist with API development efforts at a rate of $250/hour,” and ADP “will only perform consulting work when agreed to by both parties in writing in advance.”[5] See ADP API Central consulting and API Central consulting is $250 per hour and needs advance written agreement.
Other Marketplace listings
ADP’s own add-on listings show other bases. ADP Document Cloud for Workforce Now is “$1.00 / employee / month For 1 Employee And Above,” billed on active employees, with a USD 1,000 set-up fee due at completion.[10] ADP SmartCompliance Employment Verification is a “Fee Free Edition.”[11] ADP SmartCompliance Employment Tax has a Recurring Edition at USD 10.00 per user per month, with 0 users included.[12] See ADP Document Cloud for ADP Workforce Now, ADP SmartCompliance Employment Verification for ADP Workforce Now, ADP SmartCompliance Employment Tax (Marketplace listing), Document Cloud is priced per active employee plus a set-up fee and Marketplace recurring editions are priced per user per month from one user.
Partner program
An ISV that wants to sell through the Marketplace must apply. ADP says it evaluates “all applications for strategic fit,” looks for partners with a substantial number of shared clients and a SaaS platform that can be integrated by API, and, for approved partners, requires security and legal reviews and a sandbox agreement.[13] See ADP Marketplace partner program (sandbox stage and Developer's Participation Agreement) and Partner applications are reviewed for strategic fit and need a sandbox agreement.
Developer’s Participation Agreement and listings
The partner learning guide describes a 30 day sandbox stage. Within 30 days of getting access, the partner provides an integration specification, pricing for its core and connector listings and target milestone dates, after which the Developer’s Participation Agreement (DPA) is executed with ADP business development. “You will not be able to complete your integration without an executed DPA.”[1] See Marketplace partners must execute a Developer's Participation Agreement. Partners build two listings: Core, for new clients, whose pricing includes the ADP integration and may include a free trial, and Connector, for existing mutual clients, priced to enable the ADP integration, commonly as monthly flat rates.[1] See ADP Marketplace Core and Connector listings and Marketplace partners build a Core and a Connector listing.
Technical conditions
A mutual SSL certificate is required for all calls to the ADP API Gateway, partner integrations must support ADP single sign-on using OpenID Connect, and ADP’s Global Security Organization reviews applications that use ADP APIs.[1] Partner team member accounts are suspended after 30 days of inactivity and deleted after 180 days in suspension.[1] See Partner integration requires mutual SSL and ADP single sign-on.
Pricing and billing models
The Marketplace Pricing Guide lists three pricing models, Flat Rate, Per Employee and Per User / Unit, with hybrid and incentive variants.[3] See Per Employee and Per User/Unit pricing models (ADP Marketplace). Prepaid billing charges the fee at checkout; postpaid or metered billing makes no charge at subscription and invoices at the end of each period on usage that “your application must send back to ADP monthly via the API.” Billing frequency is monthly or yearly.[3] Listings must be ongoing subscriptions rather than one-time payments, unless the partner’s agreement provides otherwise.[3] See ADP Marketplace billing models (Prepaid and Postpaid), Postpaid Marketplace billing needs monthly usage reports from the partner application and Marketplace listings must be ongoing subscriptions.
Embedded Payroll
ADP Embedded Payroll is for platforms that add payroll to their own product. ADP’s page offers “Revenue share, made for integrated partners” and integration “with flexible APIs or intuitive, pre-built UIs.”[14] The developer catalogue describes it as “For partners adding best-in-class payroll directly into their platform.”[15] Commercial terms are not published. See ADP Embedded Payroll partner program and Embedded Payroll partners receive a revenue share.
Out of scope
This article does not cover the Developer’s Participation Agreement, sandbox agreement, API gateway terms or ADP’s Global Security Organization requirements beyond what the learning guide says. It does not cover non-US marketplaces. API Central pricing for platforms other than Workforce Now is not published.