In February 2023, the University of Delaware’s leadership launched the Advocacy, Change and Effectiveness (ACE) Initiative to improve institutional operations by addressing administrative inefficiencies. The ACE Initiative is designed to create actionable solutions, engage key stakeholders and align with the University’s strategic objectives.

The first project under ACE was launched in April 2024, focusing on streamlining the process for engaging consultants at UD.

As part of this effort, the University has phased out the previous Consultant Services Agreement and will soon be discontinuing the Consultant Disclosure Webform (CDW). In May, a new Smart Form that is integrated into UDX with the requisition form will be piloted. This new process will simplify procedures, reduce unnecessary steps and minimize duplicative reviews and approvals.

Once the pilot test is complete, the new process will be rolled out across campus.

Training sessions on the new process will be scheduled at a later date. Additionally, there will be a session dedicated to the new process at the upcoming annual RO Research Administrative Conference this summer.