Why Was The Election Center Hired?

Here's an interesting article by Keith Irving, giving some background on the choice of "The Election Center". Highlight from this article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002277537_election17m.html

"Staff of the County Council and the county auditor's office are evaluating audit proposals from four potential contractors: MGT of America, The Election Center, Deloitte Consulting and Forefront Election Solutions."