Capability statement writing service for contractors

Strong capability statements use five blocks. The National Institutes of Health small business office publishes a content guide with the same structure: core competencies, past performance, differentiators and company data, under a header with your contact.

1. Header and contact. Company name, logo, one named point of contact with phone and email, and your website. A real person’s name, not a general inbox.
2. Core competencies. Two or three short sentences that tie your work to the buyer’s needs, then keyword-rich bullets. Use the agency’s own terms for the work.
3. Past performance. Three to five contracts or projects similar to what this buyer purchases. Name the customer, scope, value range and dates you can confirm. Federal work first, then state and local, then commercial.
4. Differentiators. Three or four facts that make you a lower-risk choice. Bonding capacity, self-performed trades, equipment owned, safety record, response time. Facts, not adjectives.
5. Company data. UEI, CAGE code, primary NAICS codes, socio-economic certifications such as 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB or SDVOSB, bonding and insurance, and whether you accept government purchase cards. Add GSA Schedule or other contract vehicle numbers if you hold them.

The UEI replaced the DUNS number in 2022. Old templates that still ask for a DUNS number are out of date. Use the UEI shown in your SAM.gov registration.

The full do-it-yourself guide, with every field explained and a worked example, is on the capability statement template page. The short version follows.

Download the free capability statement template in Word. This free capability statement template for government contractors works for federal, state and SBA-style small business outreach, and you save it as a capability statement PDF when you send it. It follows the five blocks above, with a filled-in construction example on page 2 and instructions in each field. It also opens in Google Docs. No sign-up and no email address are required.

How to use it:

1. Replace the header with your logo, contact name, phone, email and website.
2. Write core competencies for one target buyer. Delete anything that buyer does not purchase.
3. Pick past performance in order of relevance to that buyer.
4. Fill company data straight from your SAM.gov registration so the numbers match.
5. Save as a PDF, check the file is small enough to email, and name it with your company and the buyer.

Looking for a capability statement template in Canva? You can rebuild the layout in Canva, but keep the text editable for each buyer. A good-looking statement with generic content still loses to a plain one that speaks to the agency.

The same problems show up again and again:

• Generic claims such as “quality” and “customer focus” with no proof
• Past performance without a customer, scope or date
• Missing UEI, CAGE code or NAICS codes, so the buyer cannot look you up
• A DUNS number instead of a UEI
• More than about ten NAICS codes, which reads as unfocused
• Two dense pages where one clear page would do
• A Word file attached instead of a PDF
• A general inbox instead of a named contact

Bidmere writes a one-page capability statement from facts you approve for $649. You review every line before it goes out.

You send

• Company name, UEI, CAGE code if assigned, and NAICS codes as registered in SAM.gov
• Certifications you hold, with their dates
• Three to five past contracts or projects you can name
• The agency, prime contractor or notice the statement should speak to
• Your logo and brand colors, if you have them

You get

• A one-page capability statement with all five blocks
• Wording ordered around the agency or prime you name
• A fact check list of every number, date and name, with the source you gave
• An editable file and a PDF ready to send

Not included: custom graphic design beyond a clean layout with your logo, SAM.gov registration, certification applications, and printing.