"It is very important that the donation of aid should be coordinated as much as possible in a single institution," said Colin Adams, chief executive of the British Consultants and Construction Bureau, a group representing building and consultancy firms which work overseas.

He was speaking after British government officials took part in a meeting of BCCB members to discuss the rebuilding of Iraq.

"One very substantial concern expressed at the BCCB meeting is that the use of US standards and specifications might rule out British firms, at the working level, from being selected for particular US sub-contracts," he said.

"International financial institutions have got to be involved. We would be very uncomfortable if they were not."

Concern has been expressed in a number of countries that Washington intends to award the potentially huge contracts for reconstructing Iraq's crumbling infrastructure purely to American firms.

Last month, British Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt contacted the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to argue for some of the work to be pushed Britain's way.

USAID had been criticised for tendering eight civilian contracts for the postwar reconstruction of Iraq to a select group of US companies, with no foreign firms invited to bid.

While companies from nations which have opposed the war, such as France and Germany, seem likely to be shut out, British firms have higher hopes given the country's position as Washington's main ally in the conflict.

"I do believe that we would like to see the US to look favorably on its fellow members of the (military) coalition," Adams said.

"The amount of neglect in the infrastructure alone will call for an enormous number of companies from all over the world to get the work done.

"If UK companies were to pick up 15 to 20 percent of the US contracts, we would be pretty satisfied," he said.

SPACE.WIRE