This is literally how privatization works. My dad runs a small construction firm in London, and was invited to provide the sandwiches for the opening of a new p

This is literally how privatization works. My dad runs a small construction firm in London, and was invited to provide the sandwiches for the opening of a new park. For that colossal buy-in, they got their company name on a plaque, as a generous funder of the park's construction. In reality, the whole thing was paid for by the state. Except the sandwiches, of course (I think another business might have paid for a bench or two). It's a simple scheme - the party looks like they did a project on the cheap, so they look thrifty to voters. The businessman gets real tangible benefits. The politicians responsible make friends who'll open doors for them in the future.