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Templates you can copy right now

Plain text on purpose. No download, no email wall, no file to lose. Select it, copy it, fill it in. If you are reading this on your phone between jobs, it still works.

Capability statement, fill in the blanks

The one-page document every contracting officer asks for.

For: Anyone about to contact an agency for the first time.

[COMPANY NAME]
[Tagline: what you do, in the agency's words, under 12 words]

CORE COMPETENCIES
[Three to five things you actually do. Use the vocabulary from the solicitation, not your marketing.]

PAST PERFORMANCE
[Client] | [Scope in one line] | [Dollar value] | [Dates]
[Repeat, most relevant first. Commercial work counts. Say so plainly if you have no federal history yet.]

DIFFERENTIATORS
[Why you and not the incumbent. Specific and checkable. No adjectives.]

COMPANY DATA
UEI: [ ]   CAGE: [ ]   EIN: [ ]
NAICS: [primary first, then all others you hold]
Certifications: [e.g. WOSB certified, SBA, March 2026]
Accepted payment: [e.g. SAM.gov EFT, government purchase card]

CONTACT
[Named human] | [Direct phone] | [Email, not info@]

Certification readiness checklist

Everything to gather before you open the SBA application.

For: Anyone starting the WOSB or EDWOSB process.

BEFORE SAM.GOV
[ ] Legal business name exactly as filed with the state
[ ] Physical address exactly as it appears on IRS records
[ ] EIN, and the name on the IRS record for it
[ ] Bank routing and account number
[ ] Your NAICS codes, primary first

SAM.GOV
[ ] Login.gov account created with TWO authentication methods
[ ] Backup codes saved somewhere you will find them
[ ] Registration submitted
[ ] UEI received
[ ] Renewal date added to calendar, 365 days out

BEFORE THE SBA APPLICATION
[ ] Operating agreement or bylaws showing 51%+ women ownership
[ ] Stock ledger or membership certificates
[ ] Birth certificate or passport for each woman owner
[ ] Confirmed a woman holds the highest officer position
[ ] Confirmed women make the long-term decisions in the documents, not just in practice

IF APPLYING EDWOSB, ALSO
[ ] Personal net worth calculated, under $850,000
[ ] AGI averaged over three years, $400,000 or less
[ ] Total personal assets, $6.5 million or less
[ ] Remember: net worth excludes your primary home and your equity in the business

AFTER SUBMITTING
[ ] Check email daily. A Request for Information restarts the 90 days.

Bid or walk away, the 5-minute decision

Questions to answer before you spend a day on a proposal.

For: Anyone looking at their first few solicitations.

1. What is the set-aside? If it is not one you hold, stop here.
2. What is the NAICS code, and are you small under that specific size standard?
3. When is the response deadline, and when is the earlier questions deadline?
4. Where is the place of performance, and can you actually staff it?
5. Who holds it now? Check USAspending.gov. If an incumbent has held it ten years and nothing has changed, know what you are walking into.
6. Does the margin work at the volume they are asking for?
7. Can you get any required bond or insurance in time?

If any of 1, 2, 4 or 7 is a no, walk away. That is not failure.
Bidding work you cannot deliver is how small contractors go under.

The capability statement is the one that matters most and the one most people get wrong. Read why yours is being thrown away before you fill it in.

More free help: the step-by-step guides, the official federal contracting resources, and the live set-aside contracts.