Duke renews contract with Qualtrics
The university has reached an agreement on pricing, and there is no longer a risk of disruption with the Duke University/DKU-wide Qualtrics license at the end of the 2024 year. The new license covers the current volume of Qualtrics survey responses for another 5 years, through Dec 31, 2029.
Who is covered under the new contract?
The contract that has been under negotiation includes users of the existing University and DKU service, as well as two other services used by the Health System:
- Academic CoreXM (University/DKU)
- Patient Experience (Duke Health)
- Discover for Contact Centers DHAS & DPC Triage (Duke Health)
How much will the new contract cost Duke?
The 2025 annual cost will be roughly 70 percent more than what the University paid in 2024 and 2.5x the license cost from 2023. However, it is a significant improvement over the initial proposed increase from the vendor which would have amounted to a 6x increase over the life of the contract, relative to 2023. The price now increases by ~3x relative to what the University paid in 2023.
An additional benefit is that the University now has a five-year contract over which to spread the increase.
The contract period also gives us more time gaining experience with current survey tools and upcoming tools on the market. We will also need to evaluate whether alternative funding options might be advisable in the future (e.g., for research projects, funding via grants may become an option).
Should Duke researchers using Academic CoreXM still consider other survey tool options?
It is still important to consider other software for surveys with uncomplicated designs and where tracking longitudinal data is less essential. Duke will soon develop a request process to reduce the number of Qualtrics survey responses and, if necessary, direct them to a more appropriate survey tool. See a list of other survey tools available at Duke here: https://oit.duke.edu/service/survey-tools.
Updates on the new Qualtrics process will be shared broadly and posted on the OIT website: https://oit.duke.edu/service/qualtrics.
How do I know which tool is right for me?
The Office of Information Technology has developed a comparison chart to help Duke community members decide among various survey and forms tools - https://oit.duke.edu/help/articles/kb0037717.
For additional information, contact the OIT Service Management Team at survey-tools@duke.edu.