Procurement Documents

Capability Statement Template (Free, Word)

A free, one-page capability statement template for IT and security firms selling to government, with company data, past performance, a tailoring checklist and a worked example.

8 pages Microsoft Word Updated November 15, 2026
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Capability Statement Template (Free, Word)

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What's inside

The sections in the document, in order.

  1. Capability statement
  2. How to fill it in
  3. Worked example: Example IT Services LLC
  4. Pre-send checklist

A capability statement is a one-page summary of your company for government buyers: what you do, the relevant work you've delivered, and the registration data an agency uses to look you up, such as your Unique Entity ID, CAGE code and NAICS codes. Use this capability statement template to build one for IT and cybersecurity work, then tailor a copy for each agency or opportunity you find on the federal IT RFP radar.


It's written for IT and security firms selling to federal, state and local government, from cloud migration and managed security to help desk and application development. You'll use it in sources sought responses, meetings with agency small business specialists, teaming conversations and industry days. When a sources sought notice asks questions, the sources sought response template covers the rest of the response.


The Word file has the capability statement itself, laid out in tables so it holds together as you edit it. After it come guidance for each block, a tailoring checklist, a worked example for a fictional IT and security firm, and a pre-send checklist. Delete everything after the statement before you save it as a PDF.


What's inside this template


  • A one-page capability statement in Word tables: a header with your logo, company name and one-line positioning statement, then core competencies, past performance, differentiators, company data and a point of contact
  • A past performance table for three projects, with the customer, contract or order number, scope, period and result
  • A company data block for your UEI, CAGE code, primary and other NAICS codes, PSC codes, size status, SBA certifications, contract vehicles and whether you accept the government purchase card
  • Guidance for each block, including where each ID and code comes from and how to check it against your SAM.gov registration
  • A tailoring checklist to run for each agency or opportunity, plus what to include if you have no federal past performance
  • A worked example for a fictional IT and security firm, with every ID left as a placeholder
  • A pre-send checklist: one page, saved as PDF, a clear file name, a match with SAM.gov, the right NAICS codes and no claims you can't back up

Download the editable Microsoft Word version below. The full text is on this page, so you can read it before you download.

How to use this template

Fill in Section 1 once as your master copy, then tailor a copy for each agency or opportunity. Sections 2 to 4 are guidance, a worked example and a checklist, so delete them from every copy you send.

  1. Start from your SAM.gov registration. Copy your legal name, address, UEI, CAGE code and NAICS codes from your SAM.gov entity record, so the statement matches what an agency sees when it looks you up. Check that the registration is active: SAM.gov registrations must be renewed every year.
  2. Write your competencies and choose past performance. List four to six specific services you can deliver now. Pick the three projects closest to the work you’re pursuing, and give each one a result you can document. If you have no federal work yet, use state and local, commercial or subcontract work, labeled as such.
  3. Add what sets you apart. Write two to four differentiators a buyer could check. Fill in your size status, SBA certifications and contract vehicles, listing only what you hold today.
  4. Tailor a copy for each opportunity. Read the notice and its attachments, then run the tailoring checklist in Section 2. Put the notice’s NAICS code first with your size status under it, reorder your competencies and past performance to match the work, and use the agency’s own terms.
  5. Check it and send it as a PDF. Run the pre-send checklist in Section 4, save the statement as a PDF and give it a file name that says who it’s from and what it’s for. If a notice sets its own format, page limit or file name, follow the notice.

Where a capability statement gets used

A capability statement is what you hand over whenever someone in government contracting needs an accurate picture of your company on one page. Keep a master copy, and tailor one for each of these:

  • Sources sought responses. A sources sought notice is an agency’s market research: it describes a need and asks which businesses could meet it before the agency decides how to buy. It isn’t a solicitation, and no contract is awarded from it, but small business responses can lead the agency to set the contract aside for small businesses. Follow the notice’s instructions and page limit, and use the sources sought response template when it asks questions.
  • Meetings with small business specialists. Agencies have small business specialists, often in an Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU), and SBA lists asking them for advice as one way contracting officers research the market before a set-aside. Bring a copy tailored to that agency, and ask which offices buy the work you do.
  • Teaming conversations. A prime contractor looking for subcontractors, or a small business weighing a joint venture with you, wants your competencies, past performance, size and certifications on one page. Tailor the copy to the opportunity you’re discussing.
  • Industry days. Agencies hold industry days and other outreach events to learn what businesses can offer. Bring printed copies, and send the PDF to the people you met afterward if the event’s rules allow follow-up contact.
  • Your SBA profile. SBA tells contracting officers to search its Small Business Search as part of their market research, and you reach your SBA profile through a link in your SAM.gov registration. Keep that profile consistent with your capability statement.

Capability statement examples: weak and stronger entries

A contracting officer or a prime reads a capability statement quickly, so every line has to say something specific they can check. Some rewrites, using the worked example in the template:

  • Positioning statement. Weak: “A trusted partner delivering innovative IT solutions.” Stronger: “Cloud migration, managed security and help desk services for government agencies.”
  • Core competency. Weak: “Cybersecurity.” Stronger: “Managed security services: around-the-clock security monitoring, vulnerability scanning with remediation tracking, and incident response support.”
  • Past performance result. Weak: “Delivered excellent results.” Stronger: “Cutover on the agreed schedule with no unplanned outage. Written reference from the prime.” Add a measured result, such as how many applications you moved, when you have the record to prove it.
  • Differentiator. Weak: “Commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.” Stronger: “The engineers who plan a migration also carry out the cutover and support it afterward.”
  • Company data. Weak: every NAICS code in your registration, in no particular order. Stronger: the notice’s NAICS code first, with your size status under it, then the two or three codes closest to the work.
  • Leave out what you can’t back up. A shorter statement with claims you can prove reads better than a longer one with claims you can’t.

The full template

This is the complete text of the Word document. Fill in the [bracketed] placeholders and delete the italic guidance before you use or send it.

1. Capability statement

Instructions: Section 1 is the capability statement. Replace
every [bracketed placeholder], delete any row or bullet that doesn’t
apply, and delete all italic guidance. Filled in, it should fit on one
page, two at most. Sections 2 to 4 are guidance, a worked example and a
pre-send checklist: delete them before you save the statement as a PDF.
Keep this as your master copy, and tailor a new copy for each agency or
opportunity.

[Company logo] [Company legal name, exactly as registered in SAM.gov]
[One-line positioning statement: the work you do and who you do it
for]
[Prepared for [agency, or notice ID and title]], [month and
year]

Core competencies

Four to six services you can deliver now, the ones that match the
opportunity first.

  • [Competency: a specific service, and what it includes]
  • [Competency]
  • [Competency]
  • [Competency]
  • [Optional competency]
  • [Optional competency]

Past performance

The three projects closest to the work you’re pursuing, most
relevant first.

Customer Contract or order number Scope Period Result
[Agency and office, or company. If you were a subcontractor, say so
and name the prime.]		 [Contract or order number] [What you delivered, in one line] [Month and year to month and year] [An outcome you can document]
[Customer] [Contract or order number] [Scope] [Period] [Result]
[Customer] [Contract or order number] [Scope] [Period] [Result]

Differentiators

  • [A specific reason to choose you that a buyer can check]
  • [Differentiator]
  • [Differentiator]

Company data

Copy each item exactly from your SAM.gov registration. Section
2.2 explains where each one comes from.

Item Details
Unique Entity ID (UEI) [12-character UEI]
CAGE code [CAGE code]
Primary NAICS code [NAICS code and title]
Other NAICS codes [NAICS codes and titles, the opportunity’s code first]
PSC codes [Product and service codes for the work]
Size status [Small business / Other than small] under [NAICS code]
Socioeconomic certifications [SBA certifications held: 8(a), HUBZone, WOSB, EDWOSB, VOSB, SDVOSB,
or None]
Contract vehicles held [Vehicle, your contract number and, for a GSA schedule, your special
item numbers, or None]
Government purchase card [Accepted / Not accepted]
SAM.gov registration [Active / In progress]
Address [Physical address, as registered in SAM.gov]

Point of contact

Name and title Email Phone Website
[Name, title] [Email] [Phone] [Website]

2. How to fill it in

Delete Sections 2 to 4 from every copy you send.

2.1 Block by block

Block What to write Leave out
Header Your legal name as SAM.gov shows it, with a trading name after it if
you use one. One sentence on what you do and for whom, in the words
agencies use for that work. Add the “prepared for” line when you tailor
a copy.		 A slogan or mission statement that could describe any company
Core competencies Four to six services, each specific enough that a contracting
officer can match it to a requirement. Name what each one includes.		 Long lists, broad labels such as “IT solutions”, and skills you’d
have to hire for
Past performance Three projects, chosen for relevance: similar work, for a similar
customer, at a similar size. Give the customer, the contract or order
number, the scope, the period and a result. If you were a subcontractor,
say so and name the prime if you’re allowed to.		 Results you can’t document, and customers who haven’t agreed to be
named
Differentiators Two to four facts that set you apart and that a buyer could check,
such as a credential, how you staff the work, a delivery record or where
the team is based.		 Claims every competitor also makes, such as “quality” or “customer
focus”
Company data The IDs and codes from your SAM.gov registration, copied exactly
(Section 2.2).		 Codes that aren’t in your registration, and certifications you don’t
hold yet
Point of contact One named person who answers email and phone promptly and can talk
about the work.		 A general inbox that nobody checks

2.2 Company data:
where each item comes from

Item Where it comes from What to check
UEI SAM.gov assigns the Unique Entity ID, a 12-character code, when you
register your entity, or when you request an ID without registering. It
replaced the DUNS number.		 Copy it from your SAM.gov entity record.
CAGE code A Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code identifies your
company at a specific location. For US entities, the Defense Logistics
Agency’s CAGE branch assigns it, and if you don’t have one, SAM.gov has
one assigned after you submit your registration.		 It matches SAM.gov for the address on the statement.
NAICS codes NAICS codes classify businesses by the products or services they
supply. You list yours in your SAM.gov registration, usually with one
primary code. The contracting officer designates a NAICS code for each
contract, and notices usually show it.		 The opportunity’s code is listed first, if it fits your work and is
in your registration. If it fits but isn’t registered, add it in SAM.gov
first.
PSC codes Product and service codes (PSCs) describe what the government buys.
The PSC manual is on acquisition.gov. Adding PSCs to your SAM.gov
registration is optional.		 The codes match the work you’re pursuing. A notice usually shows the
code the agency chose.
Size status SBA sets a size standard for each NAICS code, generally based on the
number of employees or average annual receipts, and your affiliates
count toward your size. So you can be small under one code and other
than small under another. You state your size in your SAM.gov
registration.		 Your size under the opportunity’s NAICS code. SBA’s size standards
tool checks it.
Socioeconomic certifications SBA certifies businesses for the 8(a) Business Development program,
the HUBZone program and the Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) Federal
Contract program, which includes economically disadvantaged WOSBs
(EDWOSB). Its Veteran Small Business Certification program certifies
veteran-owned (VOSB) and service-disabled veteran-owned (SDVOSB) small
businesses. Some contracts are set aside for certified firms.		 List a certification only once SBA has granted it, and keep it
current.
Contract vehicles Existing contracts that agencies can order from, such as a GSA
Multiple Award Schedule contract, a governmentwide acquisition contract
(GWAC) for IT, or a blanket purchase agreement (BPA).		 Each vehicle has your contract number. If you’re on it as a
subcontractor, say so.
Government purchase card Federal purchase cards are issued through GSA’s SmartPay program and
used to buy supplies and services. GSA says a business that already
accepts the major charge cards is set up to accept them.		 Say “Accepted” only if you can take card payments now.

Your legal name, address, IDs and codes in Section 1 have to
match your SAM.gov registration, and SAM.gov registrations must be
renewed every 365 days to stay active.

2.3 Tailoring checklist

Run this for each agency or opportunity, on a copy of your master
statement.

Check Done
You’ve read the notice, its attachments and any draft statement of
work, and noted the agency’s own words for the work.
The positioning line names the work this agency or notice
needs.
Core competencies are reordered so the matching ones come first. Cut
the rest if space is short.
Past performance shows the three projects closest in scope, customer
type and size.
The notice’s NAICS code is listed first, with your size status under
it.
The notice’s PSC is included, if it fits your work.
If the notice names a set-aside or asks about socioeconomic status,
the matching certification is easy to find.
Contract vehicles the agency can order from are listed first.
The “prepared for” line shows the agency, or the notice ID and
title.
If the notice sets a page limit, format or file name, this copy
follows it.

2.4 If you have no
federal past performance

  • Use your closest work for state and local government, then for
    commercial customers, and say which is which.
  • Count subcontract work. Name the prime and the end customer if
    you’re allowed to.
  • Work your key staff did before they joined you can show capability.
    Label it as staff experience rather than company past performance.
  • Use fewer, stronger rows rather than filling the table with weak
    ones.

3. Worked example:
Example IT Services LLC

A fictional company, for illustration only. The IDs, codes,
numbers and contact details are placeholders. Use your own, from your
SAM.gov registration.

[Company logo] Example IT Services LLC
Cloud migration, managed security and help desk services for
government agencies
Prepared for [agency], [notice ID and title], [month and year]

Core competencies

  • Cloud migration: application and data assessments, migration plans,
    cutover with a tested rollback, and support after the move
  • Managed security services: around-the-clock security monitoring,
    vulnerability scanning with remediation tracking, and incident response
    support
  • Help desk: first- and second-line support by phone, email and
    portal, with monthly ticket reports to the customer
  • Application development: modernizing legacy web applications, with
    automated testing and accessibility checks
  • Identity and access management: single sign-on and multi-factor
    authentication rollouts

Past performance

Customer Contract or order number Scope Period Result
[Federal civilian agency office], as subcontractor to Example Prime
Contractor Inc.		 [Subcontract number] under [prime contract number] Moved [number] internal applications to a cloud environment [Month and year] to [month and year] Cutover on the agreed schedule with no unplanned outage. Written
reference from the prime.
Example County Health Department [Contract number] Security monitoring, vulnerability management and incident response
support		 [Month and year] to present Every critical vulnerability closed within the contract’s deadline.
Contract renewed.
Example State Revenue Agency [Contract or order number] Help desk for [number] staff, by phone, email and portal [Month and year] to [month and year] Met the contract’s response-time targets in every monthly
report

Differentiators

  • The engineers who plan a migration also carry out the cutover and
    support it afterward.
  • Security monitoring runs from the company’s own operations center in
    the United States, staffed by its own employees.
  • Key staff hold [relevant independent certifications], and the
    company holds [independent security certification, with its scope].

Company data

Item Details
Unique Entity ID (UEI) [12-character UEI]
CAGE code [CAGE code]
Primary NAICS code [NAICS code] Computer Systems Design Services
Other NAICS codes [NAICS code] Custom Computer Programming Services; [NAICS code]
Computer Facilities Management Services
PSC codes [PSC codes for the IT services offered]
Size status Small business under [primary NAICS code]
Socioeconomic certifications Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), certified by
SBA
Contract vehicles held GSA Multiple Award Schedule, contract [contract number], special
item numbers [SINs]
Government purchase card Accepted
SAM.gov registration Active
Address [Street address], [city, state, ZIP code]

Point of contact

Name and title Email Phone Website
[Name], Director of Government Programs contracts@example.com [Phone] www.example.com

4. Pre-send checklist

Check Done
It fits on one page, two at most, at a readable font size.
It’s saved as a PDF, and you’ve opened the PDF to check the tables,
logo and links.
The file name says who it’s from and what it’s for, such as
[Company]-Capability-Statement-[agency or notice ID].pdf, unless the
notice sets a naming rule.
Legal name, UEI, CAGE code, address and NAICS codes match your
SAM.gov registration, and the registration is active.
The opportunity’s NAICS code is listed, with your size status under
it.
Certifications and contract vehicles are current, and none is listed
before it’s granted or awarded.
Every claim can be backed up: each result has a record behind it,
and each past performance customer has agreed to be named.
The point of contact’s email and phone work, and that person knows
the statement is going out.
It holds no sensitive data, such as your taxpayer ID or bank
details.
If it goes with a sources sought response, the notice’s
instructions, page limit and deadline come first.

Frequently asked questions

What is a capability statement?

A capability statement is a one-page summary a company gives government buyers and prime contractors: what it does, the relevant work it has delivered and the registration data needed to look it up, such as its UEI, CAGE code and NAICS codes. Companies send it with sources sought responses, leave it after meetings with agency small business specialists and share it in teaming conversations. It’s an introduction, so when a solicitation asks for a proposal, you still write the proposal.

What should a capability statement include?

A header with your company name, logo and a one-line positioning statement, then four to six core competencies, past performance, differentiators, company data and a point of contact. Company data means your UEI, CAGE code, primary and other NAICS codes, PSC codes, size status, SBA certifications, contract vehicles and whether you accept the government purchase card. This template lays them all out in tables that fit on one page.

How long should a capability statement be?

One page, and two at most. A single page is quick to read and makes you keep only what matters for the opportunity in front of you. If a notice sets a page limit or format for responses, follow the notice.

What should I include if I have no government past performance?

Use your most relevant state and local government, commercial or subcontract work, and label each project so the reader knows what it is. Work your key staff did before they joined you can show capability, but present it as staff experience rather than company past performance. Keep to fewer, stronger examples, and check that each customer will confirm the work if contacted.

Should I make a different capability statement for each agency?

Keep one master version and tailor a copy for each agency or opportunity. Reorder your competencies and past performance to match the work, list the notice’s NAICS code first with your size status under it, and use the agency’s own terms. Your company data and contact details stay the same in every copy.

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