City allows KPMG proposal submission

Summary#

On September 14, 2026, Edmonton’s Audit Committee approved KPMG’s request to submit a proposal for consulting services. J. Wright moved the motion, which carried 4 to 2; J. Morgan and E. Rutherford voted against. The committee also kept the City’s report on the request private under sections 19 and 30 of the Access to Information Act.

  • KPMG may submit a proposal; the decision does not award it a consulting contract.
  • The report and its details remain private under the cited sections of the Act.

What it means for you#

  • KPMG: It has approval to submit a proposal for the consulting services described in Attachment 1.
  • Public and taxpayers: The available material does not reveal the services being considered. The motion does not directly change public services or taxes.

Money#

No cost information is available in the supplied material.

  • It gives no proposed price, budget, or estimate of any later contract cost.
  • No consulting contract was awarded in this decision.

What is unclear#

  • What consulting services are being considered, and what conditions apply to them.
  • Whether the City will accept a proposal or award a contract, and how it would choose a provider.
  • How long the report will remain private.
  • Whether safeguards are planned to address any overlap between KPMG’s consulting work and its role as the City’s external auditor.

Case for#

  • A possible argument for approving the request is that it allows KPMG to submit a proposal before the City decides whether to award any consulting work.
  • The supplied material does not state the expected benefits or City staff’s reasons for supporting the request.

Case against#

  • The proposal’s subject and potential cost are not public in the supplied material, limiting the public’s ability to assess the request.
  • A possible concern is whether consulting work for the City could affect, or appear to affect, KPMG’s role as external auditor. The motion does not describe safeguards.
  • J. Morgan and E. Rutherford voted against the motion, but the supplied material does not give their reasons.

Votes

Audit Committee, item 9.3 (External Auditor - Non-Audit Service Request 2): 1. That the request from KPMG to submit a proposal for consulting services as outlined in Attachment 1 of the September 14, 2026, Financial Services report FS03715, be approved. 2. That the September 14, 2026, Financial Services report FS03715 remain private pursuant to sections 19 (disclosure harmful to business interests of a third party) and 30 (disclosure harmful to economic and other interest…

For (67%)
Against (33%)