Two small electrical jobs close out this week, and they're worth setting side by side because one of them has already shut its door to new bidders.

Suffolk County's Department of Public Works wants a single-prime electrical contractor to replace the transformers serving the Riverhead County Center Complex (RFI-001685), with bids due September 22 at 11:00 a.m. The scope covers general requirements, existing conditions, thermal and moisture protection, finishes, and electrical work. A Project Labor Agreement applies, and every worker on the job needs a 10-hour OSHA card — standard on any Suffolk County contract of $250,000 or more. The catch: the mandatory pre-bid meeting has already happened, and only firms that attended can submit a bid. If your firm wasn't in the room, this one's off the table regardless of price.

At DDC, the ask is smaller in footprint but no less specific: a fire alarm and emergency lighting upgrade at the Keener Building's Charles Gay Annex (RFI-002891), sealed bid, due September 23. There's no mention of a closed pre-bid here — if you're chasing electrical or fire-alarm work and haven't looked at this one yet, today's the day to pull documents from PASSPort before the window closes tomorrow.

Both jobs are the kind of work that keeps a licensed electrical shop's crews busy between bigger contracts — not glamorous, but steady, and exactly the tier this desk exists to flag. The lesson from the Riverhead job is the one worth remembering past this week: when a public bid lists a mandatory pre-bid, treat the sign-in sheet as part of the bid package. Miss it, and the lowest price in the world doesn't get you the job.