Capability Statement Template
The capability statement is your government-contracting resume: one page, scannable in 30 seconds, in the exact format contracting officers expect. This template covers the five standard sections and the company-data block that makes you actionable in a buyer's vendor research.
Template structure
Use these sections as your document outline — each block explains what evaluators expect to find there.
1. Core Competencies
4–6 bullets describing your services in the buyer's vocabulary (PWS/SOW language, not marketing copy), led by the services you actually want to win.
2. Differentiators
3–5 reasons you're the lower-risk choice: certifications, response times, specialized staff, niche depth. Specific and verifiable beats superlative.
3. Past Performance
2–4 contracts or comparable commercial projects with scope, value range, and outcome — clients named where permitted.
4. Company Data Block
UEI · CAGE code · primary NAICS codes · set-aside certifications (8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, SDVOSB) · acceptance of government purchase cards. Without this block, a buyer can't act.
5. Contact Block
A real person's name, direct phone, and email — not info@ — plus website and address.
Tips that win
- One page, always — a second page signals you don't know the format
- Version it per agency: reorder competencies and past performance to match each target's mission
- List only the 3–6 NAICS codes you actively pursue, not everything you could theoretically do
Don't fill this in by hand
GovBidWriter drafts these documents from your company profile and the actual RFP — grounded in the real requirements, with placeholders where your facts are needed. Free to start.
Frequently asked questions
PDF or Word? Designed or plain?
A clean single-page PDF. Light branding is fine, but scannable content beats heavy design — contracting officers skim dozens of these during market research.
Where will I actually use it?
Agency small business office outreach, SAM.gov interested-vendor lists, industry days, prime contractor supplier registrations, and attached to quotes on simplified acquisitions.