NICE External Assessment Groups Framework

NICE is seeking to commission external assessment groups (EAGs) which will provide a range of services to support its programmes and related activities.

Suppliers can bid for one or more Lots.

NICE will consider bids from multidisciplinary EAGs with knowledge and expertise in health technology assessment.

NICE will consider proposals from consortia or networks of organisations meeting the selection criteria and encourages potential suppliers to explore collaborations that will result in the offer of a comprehensive range of services.

Main activities of the EAGs in each framework

NICE commissions EAGs to support its guidance development programmes in the following key areas and tasks:

Lot 1 - Clinical and Economic Evidence Assessment

Including: critical appraisal of clinical and economic evidence to support the development of NICE outputs; evidence synthesis; de novo economic modelling and critiquing and revising existing models; systematic review and meta-analysis; supporting scoping of evaluation topics; user preference assessment or structured elicitation, confirmation and review of regulatory status to the evaluation programmes.

Lot 2 - Technical and Decision Support

Including: providing advanced methodological and analytical advice and support to NICE's technical teams and committees on all guideline and technology types that are in remit for NICE, including Health Technology Evaluation (HTE) outputs (pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical device and digital technologies, combination products etc.) and Guidelines topics covering public health, social and clinical areas. This includes providing evidence synthesis, data analytics, complex decision analytical modelling and health economic support; providing a technical rapid response service and quality assurance input for guidance products; development and provision of guidance methods training, covering evidence synthesis, data analytics, decision analytical modelling and health economics.

Lot 3 - Evidence Generation to support Access

Including: Evidence generation using existing registers or databases, feasibility studies, data protocol development, pilot studies; data collection and active surveillance; data linkage and complex modelling and/or analyses; register set up and close.

Lot 4 Research governance & ethics support

Including: advice on research governance and ethics support including access to a research ethics committee.