Capability statement template
A capability statement is a one-page summary of what your company does for government buyers. It lists your core competencies, past performance, differentiators and the company data a contracting officer uses to look you up, such as your UEI, CAGE code and NAICS codes. Use the template below as a master copy. Tailor it for each agency you approach, and follow any format a buyer specifies.
Contracting officers, small business specialists and prime contractors ask for one at industry days, in sources-sought responses and before a first meeting. They read it in seconds and look for a match to what they buy. A statement that uses the same words as the agency's own recent solicitations is the one a busy contracting officer remembers when the next set-aside requirement lands on their desk. Keep it to one page.
Free to copy and adapt. Square brackets mark what you replace. Nothing here is tied to a particular funder. Read each funder's guidelines for required headings, page limits and attachments before you paste a finished draft into their application form.
The template
Header
Company name, logo and a single line on what you deliver. The header is the only part many readers see before they decide whether the rest of the page is worth their time, especially at a crowded industry day. Put the agency's name in the file name of each tailored copy.
[Company name]
[What you deliver, in one line, using the buyer's vocabulary]
Prepared for [agency or prime contractor]
Core competencies
Four to six bullets that map onto work the buyer actually purchases. A contracting officer scanning dozens of statements before an industry day stops at the one whose competencies read like the work their office already buys every year. Use the words from that agency's recent solicitations.
• [Main service], including [specific scope]
• [Second service or product line] for [type of buyer]
• [Specialty or certification-backed work]
• [Supporting capability, such as training or maintenance]
Past performance
Three to five jobs, each with the customer, scope, value and dates. Commercial and subcontract work counts when you have little government work yet.
[Customer], [federal, state, local or commercial]: [scope in one line]. $[value], [start] to [end].
[Customer]: [scope]. $[value], [start] to [end].
[Customer]: [scope]. $[value], [start] to [end].
Differentiators
Facts a buyer can verify. Certifications, clearances, a method, a location or a delivery record.
• [Certification or set-aside status, such as 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB or SDVOSB]
• [Clearance, license or accreditation]
• [Measurable result, such as on-time delivery rate over a named period]
• [Location or capacity that matters to this buyer]
Company data
Everything a contracting officer needs to look you up in SAM.gov. Keep it in a box at the bottom or down one side.
UEI: [number]
CAGE code: [code]
NAICS codes: [primary code first, then others]
Socio-economic status: [certifications]
Payment accepted: [for example, government purchase card]
Contact: [name], [title], [direct phone], [email]
Website: [URL]
Skip the blank page
Quillify builds a capability statement from your company profile and saves it to your Data Room. From there you can tailor a copy for each agency. When a solicitation fits, Quillify drafts the full response from your documents with a compliance matrix of every requirement.
Questions people ask
How long should a capability statement be?
One page is the convention. Some firms add a second side for more past performance. Keep the company data and core competencies on the front.
What if I have no government past performance?
List commercial work and subcontracts with the same detail. Under FAR 15.305, evaluators of a proposal may also consider key personnel, predecessor companies and major subcontractors.
Do I need a UEI and CAGE code first?
Both come from your SAM.gov registration. Registration is free. Start it early because federal buyers will look you up there.
Related guides: How to write a capability statement. How to write a capability statement, step by step. Government contracts for startups. SAM.gov and UEI: how long registration takes. Grants vs government contracts: the difference. All free templates.
Let Quillify write the first draft.
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