How to write a capability statement, one agency at a time
How do I write a capability statement?
Start from the agency you are approaching. Read what it buys on SAM.gov and on its own forecast pages. Then fill one page with four parts: core competencies in that agency's vocabulary, past performance with specifics, the differentiators that matter to that buyer, and your company data (UEI, CAGE code, NAICS codes, certifications and a named contact). Keep a master version. Make a tailored copy for each agency.
Last reviewed October 12, 2026.
Five steps to a capability statement
Pick the buyer first
A capability statement answers one buyer's question. Search SAM.gov for the agency's recent notices in your NAICS codes and note the words it uses for what you sell.
Write the core competencies in their words
Four to six bullets that a contracting officer could map straight onto a line in a statement of work. Cut anything that only makes sense inside your company.
Add past performance with numbers
Customer, scope, value and dates for each job. Commercial and subcontract work counts. What to use when you have little or none.
Name differentiators a buyer can check
Certifications, clearances, a method, a location or a delivery record. A set-aside status belongs here too. Which set-asides you may qualify for.
Finish with the company data block
UEI and CAGE code from your SAM.gov registration, NAICS codes, certifications, payment methods and a named person with a direct line. No registration yet? Start it now.
Let Quillify write the first version
Quillify builds a capability statement from your company profile and saves it to your Data Room. From there you tailor it for each agency on your list. The section-by-section version is our free capability statement template. What goes on the page covers the four parts in more depth.
Who asks this most
The answer above is the same whoever you are. What Quillify does about it is not.
Related
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- Past performance when you have little or noneCan I win a government contract with no past performance?
- Small business set-asides: 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, EDWOSB and SDVOSBWhich small business set-asides do I qualify for, and how do I certify?
- Government contracts for startupsCan a startup win government contracts?
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