French conglomerate Bouygues has won a QR5 billion ($1.4 billion) construction contract in Qatar, as more international firms compete for deals in the Gulf Arab region, said a report.

Bougyues was selected for the contract by Qatar's Barwa Real Estate Company, the London-based magazine Meed reported.

The contract award was the first of six multi-billion riyal contracts expected to be awarded in Qatar over the next six months, the magazine said.

In August, Barwa said it set aside up to QR50 billion for three of its projects in Egypt and Qatar, including the Barwa financial district project. Barwa and Bouygues were not available to comment.-Reuters