Elliot Lake City senior staff are recommending that City Council ink a new five-year contract with BDO Canada LLP.
If council approves that at its Monday night meeting, it'll mean the city will spend $178,365 dollars for its outside auditing needs with the firm for the period from this year (2018) through 2022.
In a report coming to council Elliot Lake's Director of Finance Dr. Timothy Vine and Chief Administrative Officer Dan Gagnon, recommend and endorse BDO Canada LLP, the city's current outside auditor, as the city's choice for its ongoing auditing requirements.
Elliot Lake's request for proposals (RFP) attracted five bidders including BDO when it closed on July 13.
Staff selected BDO as the top choice in the competition based on its understanding of the city's requirements, approach and methodology, company background and experience, qualification of the audit staff and cost.
The staff report notes that BDO Canada's experience with municipal audits (including Elliot Lake) is considerable. The report also notes the company's partners and audit manager are the most experienced of the competing audit teams.
After council unanimously approved a motion from Mayor Dan Marchisella at its last meeting for mandatory training for incoming council members following the Oct. 22 municipal election, an added bonus is BDO's willingness to provide that training at no extra cost.
Included in the five-year audit price tag of $178,365 are audits of the City of Elliot Lake, the Elliot Lake Library, the Elliot Lake Residential Development Commission and the trust funds associated with the Elliot Lake Cemetery.
Officials also note the total 2018 cost of the contract with BDO Canada LLP would be $35,250, well below the $43,430 budgeted for those audits this year. Now it's up Elliot Lake Mayor Dan Marchisella and the six members of his council to decide if they agree.