There are thousands of lucrative federal government contractor jobs out there, and when you are putting yourself out there and bidding on jobs, one of the items you’ll need is a top-notch capability statement. Here’s a quick look at this statement and some tips to make yours stand out.
What Is A Capability Statement?
In some ways, a capability statement is a bit like a resume. It’s meant to be brief, usually just a single page and never more than two, and it provides a quick glimpse at your company, the services it offers and exemplifies what makes your business a good contender for federal government contractor jobs.
Typically, your Capability Statement will include an introduction followed by four main areas:
The Introduction – At the top of the page, simply use the word “Capability Statement” and include your company logo. You might also include contact information at the top of the page. After adding this information, you’ll want to write a short paragraph introducing your company and quickly describing your services and experience.
Core Competencies – This is where you would list your areas of specialization, but not necessarily every service that your offer. Basically create a quick list of your most valuable services, or the services that best match what you will provide as far as federal government contractor jobs go.
Experience/Past Performance – In this section, you will want to list some past customers and include contact information for those clients. If you’ve done work for state and local government agencies, this is definitely something to highlight, as this makes you more attractive to federal agencies.
Differentiators – Basically, this area is a sales pitch for your company. For this section, you’ll want to identify how your business can better serve a government agency than another company offering services similar to your own. If you aren’t quite sure what to say, consider reading over some reviews or surveys from previous clients. What did they find distinguished you over another service? What factors did they use to select your company over a competitor?
Company Data
In this section, you will want to highlight all pertinent information regarding your business. You can begin by listing your DUNS number and CAGE code, as well as your physical address and an email and phone number, as well as the name of the contact person in charge of your federal government contractor jobs and bidding.
Additionally, you will want to list any “set-aside” types. The federal government sets aside a portion of federal government contractor jobs specifically for certain types of small businesses. For instance, you might be a woman-owned small business, or a veteran-owned small business, or both. Be sure to list your set-asides in this section, which you can label as Socio-Economic Certifications.
You also will want to list all of our NAICS codes. NAICS stands for North American Industry Classification System, and there are thousands of these codes, and each one identifies a specific type of service you might provide. You can simply list the numbers here, and you don’t have to include a description, as representatives from government agencies already know which codes they need to see.
You also can list additional certifications that your company has earned, and your license numbers, if this applies to your type of business. If space permits, you can even list any industry awards that you might have won.
Some Additional Tips:
1. Edit, Edit, Edit – Ensure that there are no grammar and spelling mistakes, and be sure to double-check your contact information as well as the contact information for any of the companies with whom you’ve worked previously.
2. Keep A Consistent Style – Stick with just one or two typefaces at the most, and ensure that all of your bulleted lists are in the same style with the same margin sizes. Keep it clean and crisp so that the person reading it will be focusing more on the content than any weird design inconsistencies.
3. Look For Style Examples
If you are still stumped, there are many good examples of attractive Capability Statements on the internet. Take a look at how others have designed their statements to give you some good ideas about what to do. You also can hire an outsourcer to create and design your Capability Statement.
At Federal Contractor Registry, our piece of the government contracting pie is helping you with SAM registration, which must be completed before you bid on any federal government contractor jobs.
While you can complete SAM registration on your own, at no charge, the process is long and often confusing and frustrating. Hiring an experienced third-party registration service can make the process easier. Additionally, as we fill at your registration, we also can provide you with helpful information, such as researching your set-aside types and finding your specific NAICS codes, which then can be added to your Capability Statement. To get started with SAM registration, just head to our homepage and click on the green New Registration tab. This leads you to a quick contact form, and once you’ve filled it out, one of our registration specialists will be in touch as soon as possible.