W. G. Yates & Sons, Jackson, Miss., was recently awarded the contract for Shreveport's downtown convention center. The contractor expected to begin construction in December.

The final bid was approximately $65 million.

The 300,000-sq.-ft. convention center project will includes 24 percent participation from minority, disadvantaged and women-owned businesses.

Six bids were received for the project, ranging from $63 million to $69 million.