Kit Digital and Kit Consulting: are they compatible?

There's a question almost every company asks itself once it discovers these two programmes: "do I have to choose one?" The short answer is no. If what you're after is which of the two suits you in an either/or decision, you'll find that comparison in the article Kit Digital vs Kit Consulting. Here I'm answering a different, very specific question: whether you can combine them, whether they're compatible with each other and, above all, in what order it makes sense to use them so your money goes as far as possible.

Because the key isn't just being able to have both, but using them in the right sequence. Implementing without having decided well usually turns out expensive; getting advice without ever actually executing is sterile. The value is in chaining them together with judgement.

Can you have Kit Digital and Kit Consulting at the same time?

Yes. Kit Consulting grants are compatible with Kit Digital's. If an SME has already applied for its Kit Digital voucher and meets the Kit Consulting requirements, it can also get the advisory voucher. A company can, therefore, be a beneficiary of both programmes at the same time.

The reason is that they fund different things. Kit Digital subsidises the implementation of specific digital solutions (website, e-commerce, customer management, cybersecurity, e-invoicing…). Kit Consulting funds the expert advice that helps decide what to digitalise and how. Since their scope doesn't overlap, they don't compete for the same spend, and the Administration designed them to be complementary.

There's an important nuance that avoids problems at justification time: you can't use both vouchers to pay for exactly the same service. In fact, when justifying Kit Consulting, the advisor explicitly declares that they haven't provided that same service through another programme. The compatibility works because each voucher covers a distinct item, not because you can bill the same thing twice.

How do they differ (and why that difference defines the order)?

To decide the sequence, you need to be clear on the underlying difference — the very thing that makes the order matter. This isn't about repeating the full comparison, just keeping the nuance that affects how you combine them.

Kit Consulting answers "what should I do, and how?" Kit Digital answers "what tool do I do it with?" Seen that way, the order almost draws itself: decide first, execute afterwards. It's the same logic I apply when designing a digital transformation roadmap: strategy comes before investment.

Which one should you apply for first?

As a general rule, Kit Consulting first, then Kit Digital. The logical sequence is:

1. Advice (Kit Consulting). An expert analyses your company and hands you a plan: which technologies suit you, in what order, with what priorities. You come out with the judgement you need to invest.
2. Implementation (Kit Digital). With that plan in hand, you spend the Kit Digital voucher on the solutions the advisory work has identified as priorities, not on whatever sounds familiar or gets sold to you hardest.

The benefit of this order is avoiding the most expensive mistake in the digitalisation process: implementing tools that later don't fit. Buying a CRM without having thought through your sales process, or an e-commerce site without a sales strategy, is throwing away money (even if it's subsidised) and time. Prior advice turns the Kit Digital voucher into a directed investment, not an impulse purchase.

That said, the order isn't dogma. There are situations where it makes sense to reverse it or overlap the two.

When does it make sense to change the order?

"Advise first, implement later" is the default recommendation, but each company's reality has the final say. Cases where it's worth being flexible:

• You have a very clear, specific need. If you know for certain that you need, say, e-invoicing because the law requires it, don't wait for the advisory work to implement it. Here Kit Digital can go first. You'll find the detail on that specific obligation in the guide to mandatory e-invoicing.
• Deadlines are tight. These programmes depend on calls and available budget. If a window is about to close, it's worth seizing it even if it breaks the ideal order.
• You want to move forward on both fronts. Nothing stops you from having the advisory work under way while you implement obvious solutions. What matters is that no service gets paid twice with different vouchers.

Each programme's availability changes over time, so before planning the sequence it's worth checking the current status: review the status of Kit Consulting in 2026 and the current Kit Digital call. A perfect order is worth little if one of the two vouchers isn't available when you need it.

Are they incompatible with each other on any point?

Not when it comes to being able to have both at once, but there are three limits worth respecting so the combination doesn't cause problems:

• Don't duplicate the same expense. A specific service can't be funded simultaneously with both vouchers. Every euro from each programme covers a distinct item.
• Meet each one's requirements separately. Meeting Kit Digital's requirements doesn't automatically mean you meet Kit Consulting's. The latter requires having between 10 and 249 employees, a threshold that leaves out the self-employed and the smallest micro-businesses who can access Kit Digital.
• Keep the justification consistent. Both programmes are justified before Red.es. Keeping your documentation organised and without overlap avoids requests for further information and incidents.

Respecting these limits, the combination is not just possible but advisable: it maximises the public support your company receives to digitalise. I go into the difference in requirements by size in the piece on Kit Consulting and who it's aimed at.

An example of a well-combined sequence

Picture an industrial SME with 60 employees that wants to modernise but doesn't know where to start. A sensible combination would be:

1. Kit Consulting (first). It hires strategic and process advice. The expert identifies that its biggest opportunity lies in automating order management and strengthening cybersecurity, and delivers a prioritised roadmap.
2. Kit Digital (afterwards). With that plan, the company applies for the Kit Digital solutions the advisory work has flagged as priorities (process management, cybersecurity), without spending on the incidental.
3. Result. Every euro from both vouchers is directed. The company doesn't buy on a hunch: it invests following an expert diagnosis.

That's the power of combining them in order: Consulting prevents the mistake and Digital executes the decision. If your company is in Castilla y León or Las Palmas and you want to design this sequence tailored to your case, I can help you plan what to apply for, when, and in what order.

Common mistakes when combining the two kits

Combining the two programmes well multiplies the value of the public support; combining them badly generates incidents and, sometimes, repayments. These are the stumbles I see most often, and how to avoid them:

• Assuming that meeting one implies meeting the other. These are independent requirements. Kit Consulting requires between 10 and 249 employees; if your company is smaller, you'll access Kit Digital but not Consulting. Check each one separately before planning.
• Paying for the same service with both vouchers. This is the mistake that causes the most problems at justification time. Each voucher must cover a distinct, differentiable item. If a service overlaps, separate it clearly or assign it to a single programme.
• Implementing before deciding without any real need. Spending the Kit Digital voucher on tools without a prior plan tends to end in under-used solutions. Unless there's an urgent need, let the advisory work set the priorities.
• Ignoring each call's deadlines. The two programmes have their own calendars. Planning a perfect order on paper is no use if one of the vouchers isn't available when you need it. Always confirm the status of each one.
• Letting the justification get disorganised. Both are justified before Red.es. Mixing up or confusing documentation between programmes triggers requests for further information. Keep a separate, clean file for each voucher.

The common thread in these mistakes is treating the two kits as if they were the same programme or, on the contrary, as if they were incompatible. Neither is true: they're distinct, complementary pieces that, properly fitted together, cover the whole digitalisation cycle, from deciding to executing.

For whom is it most worth combining them?

Compatibility exists for every SME that meets the requirements, but not every profile benefits equally from chaining the two programmes together. It's worth identifying where the combination pays off most:

• SMEs with 10 to 249 employees running a project of some scale. These gain the most: they can get advice through Consulting to define direction and execute through Digital. The investment at stake justifies the prior advisory work.
• Companies that aren't sure where to start. If digitalisation overwhelms you and you don't know what to prioritise, the "advise first" order saves you costly mistakes. The combination is almost obligatory.
• Organisations with several needs at once. When you need to touch processes, data, sales and cybersecurity, advice that orders the priorities before implementing prevents scattered spending.

By contrast, a self-employed professional or a micro-business with fewer than ten employees can't access Kit Consulting because of the size requirement, so for that profile the "combination" doesn't apply: their route is Kit Digital. And a company with a single, simple, clear need can resolve it directly with Kit Digital without the advisory work adding much. The combination shines, above all, when there's complexity and money at stake — exactly the territory of the ambitious small and medium-sized business.

Frequently asked questions

Can I have Kit Digital and Kit Consulting at the same time?

Yes. Both programmes are compatible and the same SME can be a beneficiary of both simultaneously, as long as it meets each one's requirements. The only limit is that you can't use both vouchers to pay for exactly the same service: each one must cover a distinct item (implementation under Kit Digital, advice under Kit Consulting).

How do they differ?

Kit Digital funds the implementation of specific digital solutions (website, e-commerce, customer management, cybersecurity, e-invoicing) — that is, working tools. Kit Consulting funds expert advice that helps decide what to digitalise and how, with deliverables such as diagnostics, plans or roadmaps. One executes, the other decides.

Which one should you apply for first?

As a general rule, Kit Consulting first (to decide the direction with expert advice) and Kit Digital afterwards (to implement the solutions the advisory work has prioritised). This avoids the costly mistake of buying tools that later don't fit. The order can be reversed if you have a clear, immediate need or if a call's deadlines are tight.

Are they incompatible with each other?

No, they're compatible. You can have both at once. The only limits are: don't fund the same service with both vouchers, meet each programme's requirements separately (Kit Consulting requires 10 to 249 employees, which leaves out micro-businesses and self-employed workers who do access Kit Digital), and keep the justification before Red.es organised.

Sources

• Kit Consulting — Red.es (official programme page)
• Kit Digital — Acelera pyme
• Orden TDF/436/2024, de 10 de mayo — regulatory basis for Kit Consulting (BOE-A-2024-9524)
• Kit Consulting: what is it and what is it for? — La Moncloa

Informational guidance based on official sources; check the current calls for each programme before planning your application.