General Procurement Direction 2024/03 - Improving the Outcomes of Major Projects Through Gateway Reviews mandates the Gateway Review process on major projects or programs that meet certain requirements.
From 1 July 2024, State agencies are required to undertake a minimum of two reviews for all eligible projects and programs with one of these reviews to be conducted at the Business Case gate.
A Gateway Review is designed to support the effective development, planning, management and delivery of Government major projects and programs. It gives an independent perspective, challenges plans and processes, and identifies issues and risks.
There are 6 key gates in the life of a project:
- Strategic Assessment – to confirm business strategy and need
- Business Case – to confirm business justification
- Readiness for Market – to confirm procurement method and sources of supply
- Tender Decision – to confirm investment decision
- Readiness for Service – to confirm the readiness of the organisation to implement the business changes
- Benefits Evaluation – to confirm ‘in service’ benefits.
A team of 3 to 4 experienced, independent reviewers, from the public and/or private sector, conduct the review over 3 to 5 days. They examine project/program documents, interview stakeholders and prepare a confidential report for the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) with recommendations to enhance project or program delivery. Each review takes between 3 to 5 days - dependent on the complexity of the project or program and number of stakeholders involved.
Other types of Gateway Reviews
Health Checks
Health Check Reviews can be held at any stage within the project lifecycle. They follow the same format as the typical Gate 1 to Gate 6 reviews with an overall delivery confidence rating and recommendations to assist with the successful delivery of the project. Health Checks can also be tailored to cover additional areas of concern with the project.
Recommendation Reviews
Recommendation Reviews assess the progress of actions identified in response to recommendations from a Previews Gateway Review and will not consider any new issues that may have been developed. An overall delivery confidence rating is not provided.
When do I need a Gateway Review?
Show moreYour agency must undertake a minimum of two Gateway Reviews, with one of these being at Business Case for:
- infrastructure projects or programs valued at $100 million and above
- ICT projects or programs valued at $10 million and above
- other projects or programs identified by the Department of Treasury.
For ICT projects larger than $10M that are seeking funding through the Digital Capability Fund, it is a requirement to conduct a Business Case review prior to submission.
An exception to the requirement for a Gateway Review at the Business Case gate will apply to infrastructure projects that are subject to a Step 2 or Step 3 Major Infrastructure Proposal Assessment (MIPA) by Infrastructure WA. These projects will be required to undertake a minimum of one Gateway Review at another gate. Gateway will discuss this with you and recommend the appropriate gate.
High risk projects/programs that don’t meet the value thresholds can request a review. Agencies seeking an exemption must complete and return a Risk Assessment document to the Gateway Unit. For a copy of this document, please email GatewayUnit@finance.wa.gov.au.
Who is involved in a Gateway Review?
Show moreSenior Responsible Owner (SRO)
The SRO is the project sponsor. Further information for SRO's is available at Gateway resources and templates.
The Review Team
A maximum of 4 Gateway accredited reviewers from the public and/or private sector assess the project’s/program's health based on interviews and reading the project’s/program's documentation.
Review Team Leader (RTL)
A RTL is selected based on their leadership skills, experience and specialist knowledge relevant to the scope of the review. They lead the planning meeting, interview process and delivery of the Gateway report to the SRO. For further information, see the Review Team Leader Brochure at Gateway resources and templates.
Review Team Member (RTM)
A RTM is selected on their experience and specialist skills relevant to the scope of the review. They work in partnership with the RTL to assess the project by conducting interviews and examining project documents. For further information, see the Review Team Member Brochure at Gateway resources and templates.
Interviewees
Interviewees include members of the project/program team, governance groups and internal and external stakeholders. Interviewees are nominated by the SRO and agreed with by the Gateway Review team.
The Interviews are confidential two-way discussions and require no preparation. The focus of the interviews include the project/program deliverables, aims and objectives, schedules, funding, policies and approvals, issues, potential risks and stakeholder communications.
The Gateway Unit
The Gateway Unit is in the WA Department of Finance. Gateway works with the SRO to coordinate the review, source review team members and holds annual review team member training sessions.
Organising a review
Show moreReviews should be conducted at least 4 to 6 weeks prior to a program or project’s key decision point, to allow time to implement the recommendations coming out of the review. Allow 8 to 12 weeks' lead time to plan for the review.
Stage 1: initiating a review (2 to 3 months before review)
- Complete a Project Authorisation form (available at Gateway resources) and contact the Gateway Unit.
- Initial meeting between Gateway Unit and the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) to discuss review requirements and dates.
Stage 2: preparation (6 to 8 weeks before review)
- Appointment of review team.
- Draft document list prepared by the agency.
- Interviewees booked in by the agency.
Stage 3: planning meeting (2 to 3 weeks before review)
- Project/program overview and discuss key issues and stakeholders.
- Finalise documents and interviewees.
- Distribute documents to review team after the planning meeting.
Stage 4: conducting the review (3 to 5 days)
- Review project/program documentation.
- Interview key project/program stakeholders.
- Regular briefing with SRO.
- Draft report presented to SRO.
Stage 5: post review (1 week after review)
- Final report sent to SRO, with a copy to Gateway.
- Collection and distribution of feedback.
- Agency completes an Action Plan Template for red recommendations and submits to the Gateway Unit.
Gateway report
Show moreThe review team presents the Gateway report with a full briefing of the findings, recommendations and ratings, to the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) on the last day of the review. This allows the SRO to clarify the content and recommendations with the review team. The SRO has 7 days to correct any factual errors, if required. The report is confidential to the SRO.
The project is given an overall rating which is based on a delivery confidence model:
- Green – Successful delivery to time, cost and quality of the project/program appears highly likely at this stage. No significant outstanding major risks or issues or unaddressed risks are apparent.
- Green/Amber – Successful delivery of the project/program appears probable at this stage. Some aspects require attention to ensure they do not threaten delivery or materialise into major risks or issues.
- Amber – Successful delivery of the project/program appears possible at this stage. Some unresolved risks and issues exist that require prompt attention to avoid compromising quality, project time and cost overruns.
- Amber/Red – Successful delivery of the project/program appears doubtful at this stage. Multiple significant risks and issues are unresolved and require urgent attention. Project time, cost and/or quality are at risk.
- Red – Successful delivery of the project/program appears unachievable at this stage. Multiple significant major risks and issues are evident and appear irrecoverable. Project time, cost and/or quality parameters appear likely to be exceeded if the project proceeds as is.
The SRO is responsible for actioning recommendations made in the Gateway report. These recommendations are rated based on urgency and importance of actions required:
- Red - To achieve success the project team should take action immediately.
- Amber - The project or program should go forward with actions on recommendations to be carried out before the next Gateway review of the project or program.
- Green - The project or program is on target to succeed but may benefit from the uptake of recommendations.
A Gateway Recommendation Action Plan Template must be completed by the SRO for all red recommendations in the Final Report. It details the relevant actions for each recommendation and a due date. This template is available in our Gateway resources and must then be forwarded to the Gateway Unit within 2 weeks of the conclusion of the review.
If the project receives an overall delivery confidence rating of red or amber/red, or if there are red recommendations the DG is required to inform the relevant Minister.
The Gateway Unit will monitor the progress of these actions and report to the Gateway Steering Committee (GSC) any high risk recommendations with outstanding actions. These are discussed at the Steering Committee Meeting with further action agreed by the GSC, if required.
Gateway review reports provided to the SRO, like all other government documents, are subject to the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act. FOI requests for Gateway review reports are handled by the SRO.
Lessons learned report
Show moreYou will benefit from considering the lessons learned report as it provides details of the systematic and recurring findings from Gateway Reviews and can be used to improve project specific practices.
