For consultants selling to agencies and primes
Capability Statement Template and Examples
One page with core competencies, past performance, differentiators, your UEI, CAGE and NAICS codes and contact, plus two worked examples to copy.
Halden Ridge Consulting
Capability statement · version for a state transportation agency (example)
- Core competencies
- Permit redesign · Program office support · Public dashboards
- Past performance
- City permits: median review from 41 to 19 days (prime)
- Differentiators
- Four of nine consultants ran public permitting offices
- Company data
- UEI and CAGE as in SAM.gov · NAICS 541611 · WOSB
- Contact
- Maya Okafor, Principal · phone, email and website
What you'll get
A one-page capability statement with tailoring rules and two worked examples
- The five parts on one page, each with a guidance line
- A company data block for your UEI, CAGE, NAICS codes and certifications
- Two worked examples: a consultancy and a small IT firm
Before and after
Your About page in. A capability statement out.
Halden Ridge helps cities and counties fix slow permitting and capital programs. Founded 2017, nine consultants, four of them ex-public sector. Easton Falls permit redesign cut median review time from 41 to 19 days. Bridge program office support as a sub to a national engineering firm. Woman-owned.
Overview: Permit and capital program improvement for city and county governments. Past performance: City of Easton Falls, permit process redesign. Role: [prime or subcontractor]. Median review time from 41 to 19 days, [where it was measured]. Differentiators: Four of our nine consultants worked in the public sector. Company data: UEI [from SAM.gov]. CAGE code [from SAM.gov]. Certifications [to confirm]. To confirm before you send: Is the company SBA-certified as a Woman-Owned Small Business? May we name Easton Falls?
Codes and certifications your text doesn't state stay in brackets, as questions to settle before you send.
Why it works
What is a capability statement, and what goes on it?
A capability statement template gives you a ready layout for the one-page summary of your business that government buyers and prime contractors ask for. It covers core competencies, past performance, differentiators, company data such as your UEI, CAGE code and NAICS codes, and contact details. Those are the five core elements in SBA's capabilities statement guide, which calls it a one-pager, with front and back acceptable. This template keeps that order, with a guidance line in every part.
Two rules matter most: keep it to one page, and write a version for each buyer. Buyers see many statements and rarely turn to a second page. Norcal APEX Accelerator recommends several versions, tailored by agency and opportunity, with claims backed by numbers. The tailoring table shows what to change for an agency, a prime contractor and a corporate client. Copy each code exactly as SAM.gov shows it, and drop any DUNS line, since the UEI replaced DUNS in April 2022.
The second document holds two invented, annotated examples: a nine-person process consultancy writing for a state transportation agency, and a veteran-owned IT firm writing for a prime contractor. Download both as Word files with no account, or paste your About page or project list, and River drafts a first pass with every missing code in brackets. To build one from a resume, an old deck or past proposals, use the capability statement generator. A finished case study makes the strongest past performance entry.
What lands in your doc
What's inside the capability statement template
- Five parts on one page
Core competencies, past performance, differentiators, company data and contact, after a one-line overview. - A guidance line in every part
What belongs there and what to cut, with a strong and a weak example where it helps. - A company data block
UEI, CAGE code, NAICS and PSC codes, certifications, business size and contract vehicles, copied from SAM.gov. - A tailoring table
What to change for a government agency, a prime contractor and a corporate client, and what stays the same. - Two annotated examples
A process consultancy and a small IT firm, with a note on why each part works and a second version of one. - A send checklist and five rules
Ten checks before you send, and the rules behind the template, from one page to codes exactly as registered.
How it works
From About page to capability statement
Open the template
Click Edit with AI. The one-page template opens in River, with both worked examples beside it.
Paste your About page
Optional. Paste your About page or a list of past projects, and River drafts each part from it.
Confirm your codes
Fill your UEI, CAGE and NAICS codes from SAM.gov, and check every certification and customer you name.
Tailor it and send
Make a version for each agency or prime, keep it to one page, and save each one as a PDF.
Questions consultants ask
Common questions
What is a capability statement?
A capability statement is a one-page summary of what your business does, what it has done and how to reach you, written for government buyers and prime contractors. SBA's guide lists five core elements: core competencies, differentiators, past performance, corporate data and contact information. Think of it as a resume for the company rather than for a person.
What goes in the company data block?
Your UEI and CAGE code, your NAICS codes with the primary one first, and the certifications you hold today, such as 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB or SDVOSB. Add PSC codes, contract vehicles such as a GSA Schedule, and your business size where they help. SBA's guide also says to keep your SAM and Small Business Search profiles in sync with the statement.
How long should a capability statement be?
One page. SBA's guide calls it a one-pager and accepts front and back. APEX Accelerator counselors advise sticking to one page because buyers rarely read a second. If your past performance runs long, keep the three projects closest to this buyer's work and save the rest for a longer brochure.
Should I make a different capability statement for each agency?
Yes. Keep one master version, then tailor a copy for each agency or prime: the overview line, the order of your competencies, and the past performance closest to their work. SBA's guide and Norcal APEX Accelerator both recommend versions for different audiences. Your codes and contact details stay the same in every version.
What if I have no government past performance yet?
Use your most relevant commercial or nonprofit projects, and any work you did as a subcontractor. SBA's guide notes that subcontract work can be more relevant than prime work for some buyers. Describe a client you can't name, such as "a regional hospital system", and give one measured result. Never list a project you can't back up.
Is a capability statement the same as a proposal?
No. A capability statement introduces your company before there is a specific project: at a meeting, with a sources sought reply, or linked from your SBS profile. A proposal answers one client's need with scope, options and fees. When a buyer asks for one, start from the consulting proposal template, or let the proposal generator draft it from your call notes.
Does River write the statement for me?
Only a first draft, and only from what you paste. Services, customers, results and codes come from your text; anything it doesn't state stays in brackets on a list to confirm. What you paste stays in your own River space, and River's privacy policy says it isn't used to train AI models.
Your next step
More for your project
Give the buyer one page that answers their questions
Open the template with every part in place, or paste your About page for a first draft with your codes left for you to confirm.