- A federal one-pager needs six sections: company data, core competencies, past performance, differentiators, certifications and contacts.
- NAICS codes, CAGE code, UEI and certifications must match your SAM.gov registration and SBA Small Business Search profile exactly.
- Three relevant past performance entries with values and agency names beat one impressive unrelated job.
- Cut adjectives, logos and stock photos before you cut past performance, certifications or company data.
- Export a single-page PDF, name it plainly, and open it at 100% zoom before sending.
A capability statement tells a contracting officer who you are, what you do and which set-asides you qualify for. Below is a fill-in-the-blank format, a worked example for an electrical contractor, a consistency check against your government profiles, and a quick comparison of ways to build it.
What is a capability statement, and why do buyers ask for one?
Think of it as a business card built for federal buyers. It carries your NAICS codes, CAGE code, UEI, certifications, core competencies and past performance in a format someone can scan in about 30 seconds. Contracting officers use it for market research, and primes use it to decide whether you are a viable subcontractor or teammate. Buyers often cross-check it against your SAM.gov registration and your SBA profile before they pick up the phone.
What it is not: a resume, a brochure or a proposal. If a line does not help a buyer verify or classify you, it is filler.
What sections must it include?
Six. Leave one out and the reader has to guess, which usually means they move on.
- Company data: legal name, CAGE code, UEI, address, website, one-line description.
- Core competencies: three to five bullets tied to your NAICS codes, written as the services a buyer would search for.
- Past performance: up to three contracts with customer, dollar value, scope and a reference contact.
- Differentiators: what makes you the safer pick, such as clearances, bonding capacity, niche equipment, documented response times.
- Certifications: set-aside status (SDVOSB, WOSB, 8(a), HUBZone) with the certifying body and expiration.
- Contacts: one named person, direct phone, direct email.
Order matters less than alignment. Every phrase should match what your government profiles say. For wording line by line, see how to write a capability statement.
Where do you find a sample that matches federal expectations?
Start with the fields federal buyers actually see in your SAM.gov registration and SBA profile, such as NAICS codes, CAGE code, certifications and keywords. A sample is credible when its sections mirror those fields. Local APEX Accelerators (formerly PTACs) offer free templates and one-on-one review. Avoid samples that look like brochures with stock photos. Our free capability statement generator includes three samples, and you can see how a bid decision names its evidence in the sample case file.
What does a strong electrical contractor example look like?
Here is a worked example for a solo SDVOSB electrical contractor. Adapt it to your own trade.
- Core competencies: commercial and industrial electrical installation, panel upgrades, lighting retrofits, generator tie-ins.
- Licenses and training: state electrical contractor license (number and expiration), OSHA 30 card.
- Certification: SDVOSB (SBA VetCert), with CAGE code and UEI listed next to it so a buyer can verify at a glance.
- NAICS: 238210 Electrical Contractors as primary. Add 238220 only if you actually hold that license and perform that work.
- Past performance: three or four electrical jobs, each with contract value, agency or prime, one-line scope and a reference phone number.
Wrong NAICS codes make your profile invisible in buyer searches, so match them to your SAM.gov registration. Cut residential work unless the solicitation is residential. More blank templates are on our templates page.
Which competencies and past performance should you cut?
List only competencies that match the NAICS codes in your registration and the solicitations you want. A buyer reads your statement to answer one question: has this firm done work like this? Cut any project that does not map to a code you bid under, however proud you are of it. Three relevant small jobs beat one impressive unrelated one.
Use a three-line test for every entry: scope (what you built or serviced), dollar value or contract vehicle, and agency or prime. If it cannot fill all three lines, cut it. Also cut anything older than about five years, anything without a reference contact, and duplicates with the same scope. See also our guide to building past performance.
How do you keep it consistent with SAM.gov and your SBA profile?
Buyers check your statement against your SAM.gov registration and your SBA Small Business Search profile (SBS, which replaced the older Dynamic Small Business Search, or DSBS) before they call. If these disagree, the document loses credibility on sight.
Legal name, CAGE code, UEI, NAICS codes and certifications must be identical in all three places. If your statement lists 238210 but your SAM.gov registration shows 236220, nobody can tell which is current. Copy codes straight from SAM.gov, not from memory. Your SBA profile also carries a capability narrative and keywords, so mirror the same competencies and certifications there.
Claiming SDVOSB on the one-pager while your certification or SAM.gov registration has lapsed is not a typo to a buyer. It reads as a firm that does not maintain its own paperwork. Before sending anything, open both records and confirm every code, certification and date matches the PDF, and repeat that every quarter. Our SAM.gov registration tips cover renewals.
How do you build the template, and which tool is best?
Word or Google Docs is the honest default for a first one: a single column, no graphics, easy for a reviewer to scan. Canva works if you keep it restrained. Our generator gives you a structured first draft you can edit anywhere. None of them fixes weak past performance, so spend the saved hours on sources sought notices.
| Tool | Cost | Federal-format fit | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Word or Google Docs | Free | Strong: simple single column | Low to medium: build once, reuse |
| Canva | Free tier | Good if you set up a letter-size layout yourself | Medium: manual spacing, export to PDF |
| Free generators | Free | Varies, so check output against your registration data | Low |
If you use Canva, start from a blank US Letter page rather than a flyer template, set margins around 0.5 inch, use two fonts at most, keep body text around 9 to 10 point, and export as PDF Standard for email or PDF Print for paper. Name the file with your company name, such as CompanyName-CapabilityStatement.pdf, and check it at 100% zoom for cut-off text before sending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a capability statement if I am already in SAM.gov?
Yes. SAM.gov proves you exist and makes you findable. A capability statement tells a buyer what to route your way. Registration gets you found, the document gets you remembered.
Should my capability statement be one page or two?
One page. If you run out of room, cut adjectives, logos and stock photos before you cut past performance, certifications or company data.
How often should I update it?
Check it quarterly, and update right after a contract award, a NAICS change or a new certification, so the PDF always mirrors your SAM.gov record.
Can I send the same one to every agency?
Send the same base document but tailor it to the opportunity. Reorder past performance so the most relevant contracts lead, and trim competencies that do not map to the solicitation's NAICS code.
What file format should I use when emailing it?
A PDF. Export it from your editor, name it plainly, and open the exported file at 100% zoom to catch layout shifts or missing pages.