A capability statement is a document that shows prospective clients the capabilities that one can provide, whether in terms of goods, services or both. It also shows one’s differentiators or what makes you special and better than any of the other competitors. In other words, a capability statement template is a lot like a resume and you should treat it as such when using it to gain an advantage for a prospective project.

Capability Statement Templates

What should your capability statement look like?

The answer to this question depends upon several factors. For instance, the capabilities you list on your capability statement can depend upon the diversity and size of your company’s goods or services. It can also depend on the purpose you plan to use your one-page capability statement template for. Typically, though, you must make sure that:

  • The whole capability statement looks appealing and attractive
    If you can include good infographics, illustrations or photos for your personnel, products, and services, then do so. There is also a need to check your grammar and spelling before sending it to the printer. Even the most basic errors like misspellings can turn off your prospective clients.
  • The capability statement example shows your logo prominently
    This makes sense, like not putting pictures of elves, fairies or anything irrelevant when your company sells heavy equipment supplies. Rather, make sure that your company logo stands out in your statement.
  • The document makes a statement
    Not familiar with making computer graphics to make your statement look great? There should be no hindrance to still make it appear as such. One logical option is to hire a professional graphic designer who can design the document for you.
  • The document is readily available
    Those interested in your capability statement template should have easy access to it and can download it from your company’s website. You can also include a link to your statement in other pages of your site. When attending networking conventions, it’s recommended that you take copies of this document with you.
    You’ll never know, people may want to know more of you when they read your one-page capability statement template. This works better than business cards because it already contains details about yourself. Furthermore, it’s bigger and is less likely to get mixed up or lost with other business cards they collect during events.

Capability Statement Samples

Tips for writing an effective capability statement

Because a capability statement already contains information regarding yourself or your business, it’s now becoming a standard document for government agencies to business marketing agencies. Contracting works with government agencies is on an upright swing. Consequently, there’s a need for accessibility of readily-available information about the business that they deal with.

Businesses with capability statement example give them a chance to provide a high-level summary of the services or products they can provide. What you have to write in this document must emphasize how competent your business is and the distinguishing qualities which make it better than the competition.

With this document on-hand, you increase your chances of building strong connections with prime government vendors and contracting officers or winning bids over other companies. Always consider the following factors when composing your capability statement:

  • Purpose
    You need to have a goal. If you write the statement as a response to an agency of the government, you can insert your statement into the proposal. In the statement, you need to think about the requirements requested by the government agency that you’re addressing. Also, recognize the fact that you may need to talk about each agency’s mission.
    You need to convince the authorities that your business has the capability of handling the job through the strength of your products and services that you plan to provide. In some cases, you have a networking goal where you want to make contracting officers and government vendors aware of what your business has to offer.
    In such a case, it’s but proper to include in your statement all the key services and strengths of your company. You have to discuss this in a broader sense to make potential contracting officers or partners see the range of your capabilities.
  • Audience
    You can tailor your capability statement so it fits the needed specifications of each individual solicitation. This adjustment, which depends upon your audience and the size of your company, is critical because you have to recognize and to strategically determine which information regarding your business you should highlight and, subsequently, present to every key decision-maker in government procurement.
    The audience you face can change based on the needs of the industry and the agency but typically, there are always two audiences you have to deal with namely:
    Contracting Officers
    This agency checks your capability statement every time you submit proposals. You may then use the document for the purpose of networking. After finding an agency that you think suits your qualifications, sending your capability statement would be a good step in the right direction.
    Prime Government Vendors
    Sending a capability statement template to these vendors is also an excellent way to network. So you should take that all important step of sending information regarding your company as this attracts their attention.
  • Expectations
    Take the initiative in getting familiar with all of the agency’s requirements that you wish to establish contact with. This ensures that the contents of your statement will speak to those requirements directly. You need to know the industry your company falls within and how they can utilize your services and products.

Capability Statement Examples

The format and sections of a capability statement

For small business owners who want to join the “big leagues,” one of the first things they need to have is a well-made capability statement. Remember what we mentioned earlier, that this document is almost similar to a Resume, not of yourself but of your company. This document:

  • Is a condensed summary of all the capabilities of the business.
  • Demonstrates how you can solve the specific problem of the client.
  • Only includes information that’s significant to the targeted client or customer.
  • Shows how you differ from and are much better than your competition.
  • Should always be up to date which means that you should keep updating it.

On the other hand, this statement is not:

  • A document which contains grammatical and spelling errors.
  • A long explanation of your company’s history.
  • Your life story as it’s more about how the capability of your business in solving the client’s problem.

It has now become a norm for the majority of companies in the resource industry to have their capability statements. Medium and small-sized companies can show their interest in becoming suppliers with resource company websites. In order to qualify, they need this document as a pre-requisite.

If you wish to create this document, here are the formats and sections to include:

  • Core Competencies
    These refer to short declarations which connect your capabilities with the specific requirements of the agency. It’s recommended to present them in a bullet-point format. Keep in mind that here, you shouldn’t describe all the capabilities of your business but only those important to the specific agency you’re sending it to.
  • Past Performance
    This section gives you the opportunity to express relevant experiences starting from the least. This method reinforces and enhances the competencies which you’ve previously listed. It’s here where the agency receives concrete evidence that the company has performed related or similar jobs in the past.
    Include if applicable, any government subcontracts or contracts that you have earned in the past. Those with no public sector experiences can instead feature significant corporate or industry experiences.
  • Differentiators
    Make sure you clearly communicate the benefits you can provide to the decision-makers of the agency. Otherwise, they might not choose your business over others. Explain the reasons why your business differs and why your products or services are better solutions compared to other businesses. Elucidate on the competitive edge of your business.
    The key differentiators for many businesses are the quality of the products or services they offer or the level of expertise they provide. For instance, your company hires qualitative researchers and technical writers who possess graduate degrees along with relevant industry experience. Here, the service quality is the key differentiator.
    Also, when you assign a co-pilot and a pilot on each writing project so they can provide the proper validation, accuracy, cohesion, and verification, of each sentence in the written project. The key differentiator here is the approach in revision and collaboration.
    One company’s differentiators can also be the reasonable cost or value-add of your goods or services. Consider these as a major selling point and briefly communicate them using only one or two sentences.
  • Company Data
    Here, you provide more information about your company and can include how big your company is, how many employees do you have, and the location of your business. Include any required codes as a bulleted list.
  • Contact Information
    Provide the agency your company’s contact information in case they want to get in touch after they have learned about your company and capability. Include here a contact person with his job title, phone number, email, business address, and your business website if any.

Government Capability Statement

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TemplateLab April 29th, 2021