At the direction of the Government, the Gateway Unit was established within the Department of Finance and Administration (Finance) to manage the introduction and continued operation of Gateway. The Gateway Unit:
provides guidance and advice to agencies and reviewers;
coordinates gateway reviews, including the selection and assembly of gateway review teams and assisting with logistical and administrative arrangements;
disseminates generic lessons learnt on the management of major projects throughout the APS; and
verifies gateway assessment tool (GAT) indicative risk ratings for projects prior to cabinet consideration of the proposal.
Although the Gateway Unit coordinates reviews, they do not participate as reviewers, nor are they responsible for actions taken by agencies on Gateway Review Report recommendations. The Unit takes the confidentiality of Gateway very seriously and as such does not disclose project information provided to the Unit, even to other areas of Finance.
To assist participants in the efficient and effective conduct of Gateway reviews, the Gateway Unit has developed publications as part of Finance’s Financial Management Guidance (FMG) and Reference (FMR) series. The publications are:
FMG No. 20, Guidance on the Gateway Review Process - A Project Assurance Methodology for the Australian Government (the Guidance); and
FMR No. 7, Gateway Review Process – A Handbook for Conducting Gateway Reviews (the Handbook).
A high level Brochure on Gateway is also available. It provides a high level overview of gateway for those wanting to gain a general understanding of the Gateway Review Process.
The purpose of the Guidance is to provide an introduction and practical information to Gateway reviewers, project teams and other potential participants on the process and requirements of Gateway.
The Handbook complements the Guidance and is intended to be a resource document to assist with the successful preparation for, conduct of, and participation in, Gateway reviews. It includes material on:
the purpose of the review for each specific Gate;
a list of the likely project documents to be reviewed at each Gate;
areas to probe and the evidence required at each Gate, including possible questions; and
a Gateway Review Report template.
As each project is different, the Handbook is not an exhaustive reference. It provides information that will assist with promoting a consistency of approach for conducting reviews of different projects across government and should be used to complement the expertise of the Gateway review team.
The Gateway Guidance, Handbook and Brochure are all available at the Gateway website, at www.finance.gov.au/gateway. The website also contains advice on the Gateway reviewer training, the application process to become a Gateway reviewer, the GAT (discussed later in this chapter) and a Frequently Asked Questions section for potential reviewers.