Writing a Capability Statement for Government Contracts
Marketing to the Government is all about relationships and results. And the primary factor in winning government contracts in showcasing those relationships and results!
What is a Capability Statement? It’s like a resume for your business, but specifically for public sector clients.
Capabilities Statements are meant to show buyers that your business is established and reliable. It is meant to be used in networking situations or in instances of information exchange and it is a necessary document to have on hand if you are to compete in the government contracting space. The elements of a successful capabilities statement should all be reflected in a meaningful way on the document. A business starting out should not cut corners on the most basic information documents.
Those elements include: Company name, contact information, company profile, core competencies, DUNS number, NAICS codes, commodity codes, socioeconomic certifications, differentiation, and current and recent projects.
COMPANY NAME
This should be your company’s Doing Business As name. If your company’s legal name is the name as your DBA, then that should suffice.
CONTACT INFORMATION
You want to make sure you have consistent contact information listed across your different marketing platforms and document. The Capability Statement should include a reliable and professional email address, phone number and mailing address for your company.
COMPANY PROFILE
Your company profile is kind of like your Linkedin Summary section. This is where you’ll provide a short company bio detailing who you are and what you do. If nothing else, your partners are looking here to understand your company.
CORE COMPETENCIES
Your company’s core competencies should be very specific. They should match the typical wording from your industry. What are you good at? What should we hire you for?
NAICS CODES
A NAICS Code is a classification within the North American Industry Classification System. ; specifically related to businesses contracting with governments. These codes help you to designate what type of service you offer the government at all levels. All Major industries have corresponding codes: manufacturing, construction, office supplies, marketing, professional services and more.
OTHER COMMODITY CODES
NIGP Commodity Codes- the codes that local entities use to identify and classify the bid opportunities in their contracting and procurement systems. Visit your local business office website to find commodity codes.
SIC Codes Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) These codes can be found online at NAICS.com
SOCIOECONOMIC CERTIFICATIONS
Buyers want to know what certifications you hold so that they can apply these incentives to their projects and conduct specific outreach based on these identifiers. On your capability statement, this is where you get to showcase the certifications you’ve obtained and how they can be applied to the work you pursue. These may include minority and woman owned business certifications like MBE and WBE and small business certifications like SBE according to the SBA Size Guidelines
DIFFERENTIATORS
this is where you really get to shine. Tell potential buyers and partners why you stand out, why you’re different than the other companies in your industry. And, no, your differentiators should not be about how many staff you have and how long you’ve been in business. It’s about the special thing that makes your business different. Your unique value proposition.
CURRENT AND RECENT PROJECTS
This is where you will place the three to five most recent projects you’ve done along with the name of the client, your company’s role and the timeframe. This section will offer buyers a preview of the kind of work you’re capable of and give them a sense of the scale at which you can work. It lets them know that you now your stuff!