12 Capability Statement Examples by Industry

Capability statement examples are the fastest way to understand what a strong one-page credentials document looks like before you write your own. This page collects one worked example per industry - twelve in all - and, more usefully, points out exactly which patterns make each one effective so you can reuse the structure rather than the wording.

Every example follows the same five-section format explained in the capability statement guide: core competencies, past performance, differentiators, company data, and contact details. If you want to start writing immediately, download the free capability statement template (free: the PDF and the editable Word and Google Docs versions all come with a free account) and use these examples to see how each section should read.

On this page:

• What makes a capability statement example worth copying?
• The pattern every good example shares
• Examples by industry
• How many examples should you look at?
• FAQ

What makes a capability statement example worth copying?

Most capability statement samples you find online are templates in disguise - empty layouts with lorem-ipsum competencies. Those show you the boxes but not what belongs in them. A genuinely useful example does the opposite: it fills the boxes with content specific enough that you can judge whether your own draft is specific enough.

When you study an example, look at three things:

1. Are the core competencies matchable? Can a buyer read a bullet and map it directly to something they need to procure? “Full-service solutions” fails this test; “SCADA integration for municipal water treatment plants” passes it.
2. Is every differentiator backed by evidence? A number, a certification, a named credential, or a client. Claims without evidence are mentally deleted by evaluators.
3. Is past performance verifiable? Client named, contract value stated, dates given, outcome measured. An anonymous project scores near zero in a formal evaluation.

The pattern every good example shares

Across every industry below, the effective examples share the same anatomy. This table is the pattern to copy:

Section	Weak version	Strong version (copy this)
Core competency	”Engineering services"	"Structural design of mid-rise timber and steel buildings to IBC / Eurocode”
Differentiator	”Committed to quality"	"ISO 9001 certified; 98% of submittals accepted without revision”
Past performance	”Various municipal clients"	"City of Northgate - $18M WWTP upgrade, 2023-25, 6 weeks early, prime consultant”
Company data	”Established, reputable firm"	"UEI ABC123…, CAGE 1AB23, NAICS 237110 / 541330, WOSB certified”

Note that the strong version is not longer - it is more specific. Specificity, not length, is what separates a statement that gets a callback from one that gets skimmed.

Capability statement examples by industry

Each example below shows the one competency and one past-performance line that would anchor a statement in that sector, plus the proof point evaluators in that industry check first. All use fictional firms.

Construction capability statement example

Firm: Keystone Building Group (fictional general contractor). Core competency: “Ground-up commercial construction, $5-50M, design-build and CMAR delivery.” Past performance: “Riverside Logistics Center - $34M, 2023-24, delivered on GMP, zero lost-time incidents.” Checked first: bonding capacity, EMR/safety record, and licenses. Build these into your differentiators. Full layout: construction capability statement template.

Engineering capability statement example

Firm: Meridian Engineering Consultants (fictional civil/environmental firm). Core competency: “Municipal water and wastewater process design, hydraulic modeling, construction-phase engineering.” Past performance: “Northgate WWTP upgrade - $18M, 2023-25, 12→17 MGD, 3.2% under estimate.” Checked first: discipline coverage, PE licensure by state, and design codes worked to. See the engineering capability statement template.

IT services capability statement example

Firm: Northwind Digital (fictional systems integrator). Core competency: “Cloud migration and managed services for federal civilian agencies; DevSecOps.” Past performance: “USDA subagency - 3-year O&M task order, $6.2M, 99.95% uptime, ATO maintained.” Checked first: contract vehicles (GSA MAS, GWACs), NAICS 541511/541512, and compliance (FedRAMP, CMMC). See the IT services capability statement template.

Consulting capability statement example

Firm: Halden Advisory (fictional management consultancy). Core competency: “Operational transformation and PMO stand-up for regulated industries.” Past performance: “Regional health system - PMO redesign, 2024, $2.1M program, 22% cycle-time reduction.” Checked first: methodology, named senior personnel, and measured outcomes. See the consulting capability statement template.

Architecture capability statement example

Firm: Atelier Nordlys (fictional design studio). Core competency: “Public and cultural architecture, feasibility through construction administration.” Past performance: “Coastal Library & Archive - $12M, 2022-24, LEED Gold, RIBA regional award.” Checked first: design awards, sustainability credentials, and relevant building typologies. Pair it with an architecture portfolio template for image-led depth.

Professional staffing capability statement example

Firm: Cascade Talent Partners (fictional staffing firm). Core competency: “Contract and direct-hire placement for cleared IT and engineering roles.” Past performance: “Defense prime - 40 cleared placements in 90 days, 94% retention at 12 months.” Checked first: fill rate, time-to-fill, and clearance handling. Firms that manage consultant CVs at scale should also see CV and skills management software.

Manufacturing capability statement example

Firm: Ironline Precision (fictional contract manufacturer). Core competency: “Precision CNC machining and assembly for aerospace and defense, AS9100.” Past performance: “Tier-1 aerospace supplier - 5-year production contract, 0.02% defect rate, on-time 99.1%.” Checked first: quality certifications (AS9100, ISO 9001), capacity, and ITAR registration.

Facilities management capability statement example

Firm: Summit Facility Services (fictional FM provider). Core competency: “Integrated facilities management for federal and commercial campuses, 24/7 O&M.” Past performance: “Federal campus, 1.2M sq ft - 5-year IDIQ, 98% SLA compliance, 15% energy reduction.” Checked first: square footage managed, SLA performance, and safety record.

Environmental services capability statement example

Firm: Terrafirma Environmental (fictional consultancy). Core competency: “Site assessment, remediation, and NEPA/permitting support.” Past performance: “Brownfield redevelopment - $4.5M remediation, regulatory closure achieved in 14 months.” Checked first: regulatory closure record, certified professionals, and relevant methodologies.

Healthcare services capability statement example

Firm: Vantage Health Solutions (fictional provider). Core competency: “Clinical staffing and medical records management for VA and DoD facilities.” Past performance: “VA medical center - 3-year staffing contract, 100% credentialing compliance.” Checked first: credentialing, compliance (HIPAA), and relevant agency experience.

Security services capability statement example

Firm: Sentinel Protective Group (fictional provider). Core competency: “Armed and unarmed guard services and access control for federal facilities.” Past performance: “GSA building portfolio - 4-year contract, 500+ posts, zero security breaches.” Checked first: licenses, cleared personnel, and incident record.

Marketing and creative capability statement example

Firm: Beacon Creative (fictional agency). Core competency: “Integrated campaign strategy and digital production for public-sector outreach.” Past performance: “State health department - vaccination campaign, 2.4M impressions, 31% appointment lift.” Checked first: measurable campaign outcomes, relevant sector work, and named creative leads.

How to adapt an example to your own firm

Studying an example is only half the work; the value comes from translating its pattern onto your own facts. Work through it in this order:

1. Steal the structure, not the sentences. Keep the section order and the density, but replace every claim with something only your firm can say. If you can imagine a competitor writing the identical line, it is too generic to keep.
2. Match the proof points to your buyer. Each industry example above leads with what that sector’s evaluators check first. Confirm which proof points matter to your specific buyer - a state DOT and a private developer weight different things - and lead with those.
3. Swap in your real numbers. The example’s power is its specificity: contract values, dates, percentages, named clients. Replace the placeholder figures with your verifiable ones, and delete any claim you cannot back with a number, a certification, or a reference.
4. Cut until it fits one page. Every strong example fits on a single page. If your draft spills over, remove a past-performance entry before you shrink the type - three readable projects beat five cramped ones.

The fastest route from example to finished document is the capability statement template, which already carries this structure. Fill it with your data and you have matched the pattern the examples demonstrate.

Red flags in weak capability statement examples

Not every “example” online is worth imitating. Many are cautionary. Watch for these red flags, and make sure your own statement avoids them:

• A mission statement where competencies should be. “Our mission is to deliver excellence” tells a buyer nothing they can procure. Weak examples open with values; strong ones open with matchable services.
• Past performance with no numbers. “Delivered numerous successful projects” is unverifiable and scores nothing. Every credible entry names a client, a value, and a dated outcome.
• Differentiators anyone could claim. “Experienced, reliable, customer-focused” appears on every discarded statement. A real differentiator is specific and evidenced.
• Missing registration codes. A federal-facing example with no UEI, CAGE, or NAICS forces the reader to email before acting - most will not.
• Two pages of dense prose. A statement that reads like a brochure has misunderstood the genre. It is a 30-second screening document, not a sales narrative.

If an example you find commits these errors, it is showing you what to avoid, which is still useful - just do the opposite.

Capability statement sample vs. template: which do you need?

Searchers often want a “sample” and a “template” interchangeably, but they solve different problems, and knowing which you need saves time:

• A sample (or example) - like the twelve above - is a filled-in statement. Its job is to show you what “specific enough” looks like: the level of detail in a competency, the density of a past-performance line, the way a differentiator is evidenced. You read it, internalize the pattern, and close it.
• A template is an empty statement with the structure pre-built. Its job is to save you the layout work so you can pour your own content into the right boxes. You download it, fill it in, and keep it.

Most people need both, in sequence: study two or three samples to calibrate your judgment, then open a capability statement template and write your own to that standard. Reading samples without writing produces nothing; filling a template without studying samples produces a generic statement. The examples on this page are calibration; the template is production.

If your work sits in a specific sector, skip the general template and start from the industry version - construction, engineering, IT services, or consulting - each of which pairs a template with a fuller worked example than the summaries above.

How many examples should you look at?

Two or three from your own industry, and one from a very different one. Same-industry examples show you which proof points to lead with; a cross-industry example (a construction firm looking at a consulting statement, say) shows you the underlying pattern stripped of sector habits, which is what you actually need to internalize.

Once you have seen the pattern, stop collecting examples and start writing. The next step is to open the capability statement template and draft your own, using past performance examples for the entry format and the main guide for section-by-section instructions. If you would rather answer a form than format a document, the free capability statement builder produces the same one-page output and keeps your data so future versions regenerate in seconds.

Better still, build these documents from your projects automatically - create a free SUNAGO account and generate a current capability statement, portfolio, or reference sheet straight from your live project data.