The building blocks of a great
capability statement

The Elements of the Capability Statement

Your capability statement should have five main sections, though we add a sixth bonus section. Each section should be labelled exactly as they are here, and each should be confined to its own box so that the section are visibly separated. The main sections are:

  1. Core Competencies
  2. Past Performance
  3. Differentiators
  4. Company Information
  5. Contact Information
  6. Bonus Section

Let’s review what each of these sections means and what they should contain. The details of what we’ll put into these sections will be discussed further in the writing and copy section.

Core Competencies

This section highlights what you bring to the table for the particular agency and the particular project. It is NOT everything that you can do. Think of them as the unique value propositions that your firm provides. The Core Competencies section should be a bulleted list that’s very easy to read. It should be highly targeted towards the agency and the project. Ask yourself:
  • What are you best at?
  • What do you beat the competition at?
  • What makes your company name stand out from the pack?
  • Sometimes, the best core competencies come from partnering and licensing to create a strength that nobody else has.

Past Performances

The past performances section highlights specific projects you have completed that related to the government contract you are currently bidding on. Remember, the bid process is highly competitive and government projects have unique and cumbersome reporting requirements. If you can show you have successfully completed government projects, and done the type of work they are seeking, then you will be a major contender.

Past performances should be tailored to the project as well. For example, if the contract is seeking lawn services, you would include lawn contracts you have successfully completed, but not hauling, landscaping, or other services you may provide.

Differentiators

This is a clear statement about how you are different from your competition. Remember, with few exceptions all government contracts are a competition. You need a concise value statement that shows how you bring unique value to the project. The best way is to identify the agency’s pain point. What is it they are trying to solve, and what about your company helps them solve that particular problem?

Differentiators must follow three rules:

  • They must be true.
  • They must be important to the agency.
  • They must be provable.

Do you use a unique technology? Is your team specially trained or certified in a specific field that will help your client? Do you bill differently (like value billing, or flat fees vs. hourly)? Find out what makes you special, and make yourself special to the government agency.

Company Information

Open the company statement with a sentence or two that describes your mission and service. Then include basic information that describes you as a business, such as number of employees, geographic area, size of your firm, or whatever distinguishes you. Include the year your company was founded as this shows you meet the two-year requirement for being in business. You’ll also need all of your certifications, codes (DUNS, NAICS, etc), and any small or disadvantaged business classifications you carry.

Contact Information

At a minimum, your contact information must include the following:

  • Company website
  • The point of contact within your company
  • The point of contact's phone number
  • The point of contact's email
  • Company address

6. Bonus Section – Your Call to Action

Your capability statement simply does not have enough space to truly describe all the great things your company does and provides. How can you ensure that the agency officers continue to learn more about you beyond the bid packet you have provided?

The best way is through a call to action. A call to action is a demand within your capability statement that they take a proactive step to learn something more. Typically, it would be to lead them to your website. But a website address is not enough. An effective call to action captures their eye within the document, and urges them to take a next step.

The best use of a call to action is as part of a sales funnel (learn more about sales funnels). Our favorite call to action is to offer them a free guide related to your business. When they go to your website for their free guide, they give their email and enter into your sales and marketing funnel.

Next - Writing

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