The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent organisation responsible for improving outcomes for people using the NHS and other public health and social care services.

NICE does this by: • Producing evidence-based guidance and advice for health, public health and social care practitioners. • Developing quality standards and performance metrics for those providing and commissioning health, public health and social care services. • Providing a range of information services for commissioners, practitioners and managers across the spectrum of health and social care.

NICE's guidance and advice can be used by the NHS, local authorities, employers, voluntary groups and anyone else involved in delivering care or promoting wellbeing.

Documents describing the methods and processes employed by NICE in developing its guidance are available from the Institute's website (available at www.nice.org.uk).

NICE's technology evaluation programmes require a range of high quality HTA services from organisations with knowledge of novel technologies, the life sciences industry and novel research methodologies.

NICE uses its non-drug technology programmes to develop guidance on the value of new and novel device, diagnostic and digital technologies that have the potential to offer substantial benefit to patients and/or the NHS, and on the safety and efficacy of interventional procedures.

NICE facilitates collaborative research involving industry, academia and the NHS to generate evidence on the clinical utility or longer term use of selected technologies.

NICE also provides specialist observational data collection and analysis services.

NICE also develops technology appraisals guidance which contains recommendations on the use of new and existing medicines and treatments within the NHS.

NICE seeks to commission external assessment centre (EAC) services to support a variety of technology evaluation programmes from 01/04/2018 for a period of three years in the first instance.

More information on NICE's programmes can be found at: http://www.nice.org.uk/NICE invites potential suppliers to attend a workshop regarding this work.

The workshop allows NICE to engage with potential suppliers to assist and inform NICE in its decision making in regards to areas of the specification where there is uncertainty.

SUPPLIER WORKSHOP NICE will hold a workshop for interested suppliers at its Manchester offices on Friday 28 April 2017 which will be attended by senior NICE staff.

Please see the Additional Information section for further details and how to register for this workshop.