State Auditor General Jack Wagner will do an audit of a controversial $173,000 "customer courtesy" contract that the state Liquor Control Board gave to a Pittsburgh firm headed by a man who is married to a top PLCB official.

Mr. Wagner yesterday agreed to a request by PLCB officials for such an audit. They say they have nothing to hide or fear from a look into the contract given to Solutions 21.

"We are confident that any fair review of the process will find that both the PLCB and Solutions 21 acted appropriately at all times," said PLCB Chairman P.J. Stapleton.

The contract, which was disclosed earlier this week, has raised some eyebrows because the president of Solutions 21 is Buddy Hobart, whose wife, Susanne Hobart, is the PLCB's regional manager for Western Pennsylvania.

Mr. Stapleton said the two other bidders for the contract would have charged far more than Solutions 21's $173,000.

The contract is for conducting "customer courtesy training" for nearly 4,000 PLCB employees, including 670 management workers.