Britain is the world leader in public–private partnerships, according to a report launched on Tuesday by International Financial Services London.
IFSL, a private-sector organisation that promotes British financial services abroad, will be used as a marketing tool to help British firms win work on PPPs overseas.

Tim Stone, chairman of IFSL's PPP export group, said: "We are much more knowledgeable about PPP than any other country. Other countries can leverage unique UK skills to the benefit of their own taxpayers and voters."

Stone said PPPs brought the efficiencies of the private sector to publicly funded projects, and complained that coverage in the British media has been unduly negative.

He said: "If you look at the picture the press paints, it's so far off reality that any practitioner doesn't recognise it."

A National Audit Office study of 121 PFI-type projects revealed that 81% of local authorities thought value for money was at least satisfactory; 4% thought it was poor.

The 20-page report will be translated into 10 languages and handed out on IFSL missions overseas.

The organisation is running a seminar on PPPs in Turkey in March, and will send trade missions to Belgium and the Baltic states in February.

It recently hosted a visiting delegation from the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games, which is considering using PPPs to upgrade the city's infrastructure for the 2008 Olympics.