A capability statement is a single page describing what your business does and proving you can be trusted with public money. You will be asked for one constantly. Most of the ones that get sent are marketing brochures, and they get deleted.
What has to be on it
- Core competencies. Three to five things you actually do, in the vocabulary the agency uses, not yours. If the solicitation says "custodial services" do not write "cleaning solutions".
- Past performance. Contracts or jobs you have completed, with the client, the scope and the dollar value. Commercial work counts when you have no federal history yet. Say so plainly rather than leaving the section empty.
- Differentiators. Why you and not the incumbent. Specific and checkable, never adjectives.
- Company data. UEI, CAGE code, EIN, every NAICS code you hold, your certifications, your accepted payment methods.
- Contact. A named human, a direct phone number, and an email that is not info@.
- Certifications, stated as facts. "WOSB certified, SBA, March 2026". Not a logo.
The rules nobody says out loud
- One page. Two pages says you cannot prioritize.
- PDF, named with your company name and the date. "capability_statement_final_v3.pdf" tells them how you manage documents.
- No stock photos of handshakes. It reads as filler and it costs you the room you needed for past performance.
- Rewrite the core competencies for each agency you send it to. The same page sent to everyone reads like a form letter because it is one.
Never claim a certification you have not been granted. "WOSB certification pending" is honest and fine. Implying you hold one you do not is a false statement on a federal procurement document, and it ends more than the bid.
If you have no past performance at all, say what you have done and for whom in the commercial world, and be specific about scale. An empty section reads worse than a small one.