Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson is supporting Coun. Shawn Menard's motion to ask the city's auditor general to look into the process that saw SNC-Lavalin win a $1.6-billion contract to extend and maintain the north-south Trillium rail line.

"I'd have no difficulty if the auditor general does that," Watson told reporters Wednesday. "The audit committee is going to meet I believe next week to discuss their work plan and if they put that on the work plan, I have no problems with it."

At the end of Wednesday's council meeting, the Capital ward councillor gave notice that he would move a motion at the next meeting to request that Auditor General Ken Hughes launch an investigation into the awarding of the contract.

Although council cannot direct the auditor general to conduct a specific audit, Hughes is expected to move ahead with an investigation into the process, which has raised questions among some councillors. In his role as auditor general, Hughes is authorized to investigate a number of aspects of the deal, including the evaluation process and whether councillors were given enough information to make a decision.

"We're not getting answers right now as a council in a public way," Menard said. "And I'm hoping that the auditor general can shed more light through an investigation. I think residents of Ottawa have demanded transparency from their city government and that's what they're receiving right now."

Coun. Shawn Menard is pushing for the city's auditor general to investigate the process that led to SNC Lavalin being awarded the contract for Stage 2 LRT, even though the company allegedly failed to meet the minimum technical requirements for the contract. 1:14

Mayor stands behind process

Last week, CBC reported that, according to sources, SNC-Lavalin's proposal didn't meet the minimum technical score of 70 per cent required to win the bid.

City officials, and their hired legal experts, have refused to say whether the Montreal-based company met the technical threshold. They also have not addressed whether there's anything in the rules that would allow the executive steering committee — which ultimately recommended a winning bidder to council — to override the necessity to score 70 in the technical round.

The city has always stood behind its evaluation process for the LRT Stage 2 procurement, and the mayor did so again Wednesday.

"I think it's a solid arrangement that staff brought forward to us and [I'm] very proud of the fact that we're moving forward with stage two of LRT," said the mayor. "People want to see the LRT go farther east-west and south and I'm very happy with the proponent."

A memo from city manager Steve Kanellakos said the procurement agreement gave senior managers discretion to make certain decisions. He said he'll make some details of the process public after the contract is signed. (Kate Porter/CBC)

City manager to give more info after contract signed

In a memo to council sent Wednesday, city manager Steve Kanellakos wrote that he has "undertaken to disclose as much as legally possible regarding this procurement process" once the contract is signed later this week.

"Although I appreciate that there may be a desire among some Members of Council and the media for more information before that time, you have already heard that to do so would imperil the integrity of the process and the City's legal position," Kanellakos wrote.

His memo also hints that the request for proposals for the LRT extension may indeed include language that allowed the executive steering committee, which includes Kanellakos, to choose SNC-Lavalin for the job, even if it didn't meet the 70 per cent technical threshold.

"The procurement documents set out for the proponents the internal governance rules that will be followed by the City, including … discretionary powers that City can exercise in the process," according to Kanellakos.