Federal Capability Statement Template + Example (Free)

A federal capability statement is the one-page document US government buyers and prime contractors use to screen your firm before any solicitation exists. It follows the standard five-section capability statement format but leads with the identifiers a federal reader needs to act - UEI, CAGE code, registered NAICS, SAM.gov status, and set-aside eligibility. It is free to download: create a free account to get the PDF and the editable Word version.

Get the federal capability statement template - free to download:

• The print-ready PDF - US Letter and A4.
• The editable Word version - the .docx, and the option to generate your own federal capability statement from your live project and registration data.

Every file is free. Create a free account to download - that is the only step.

Once you have the editable version, prefer Google Docs? Upload the .docx to Google Drive and open it with Docs. Every file ships with a filled-in example from a fictional government contractor. For the format reasoning behind each section, see the full capability statement guide.

What a federal capability statement must include

A federal capability statement is a buyer-type document - built for the way US government buyers screen - not an industry document. The reader is a contracting officer, small-business specialist, or prime contractor who filters on eligibility before capability. The template puts those answers first, following the five-section format explained in the capability statement guide but ordered for federal buyers:

Section	Federal-specific content
Header + identifiers	Firm name, logo, UEI, CAGE code, SAM.gov status
Core competencies	4-6 outcomes phrased in solicitation language
Past performance	3-5 federal projects: agency, contract/task-order, value, period, outcome
Differentiators + certifications	Set-aside status (8(a), WOSB, SDVOSB, HUBZone), clearances, credentials
Company data + codes	Primary/secondary NAICS, business size, year founded, POC

The federal identifiers are the whole point: your SAM.gov registration supplies the UEI and CAGE code, and your NAICS codes and small-business size determine which solicitations you are eligible to pursue.

How to fill in the federal capability statement template

1. Lead the header with firm name, UEI, and CAGE code. A federal buyer looks for these first; a statement without them forces a follow-up email before anyone can act.
2. List your primary and secondary NAICS codes. Buyers match statements to solicitations by NAICS, primary first - the codes must reflect the work you actually pursue.
3. Add your socioeconomic and set-aside status. Show 8(a), WOSB/EDWOSB, SDVOSB, or HUBZone eligibility prominently; set-aside status often governs whether you are eligible at all.
4. Write core competencies in the buyer’s solicitation language. Phrase four to six competencies as outcomes that echo how agencies describe the work, so a contracting officer can match you to a requirement.
5. Enter past performance with contract details and CPARS-worthy outcomes. For each of three to five recent federal projects, add the agency, contract or task-order number where allowed, value, period of performance, and a measurable outcome - preferring work reflected in your CPARS record.
6. Complete company data and export to PDF. Add SAM.gov status, business size, year founded, and a named point of contact, then export to PDF on US Letter (A4 optional) so the layout survives email.

Federal capability statement example: filled in

The template ships with a complete example from Summit Federal Solutions, a fictional service-disabled veteran-owned IT and engineering firm:

Summit Federal Solutions, LLC · UEI: ABC123DEF456 · CAGE: 8J4K2 · Registered and active in SAM.gov Set-aside status: SDVOSB · Small business under primary NAICS Primary NAICS: 541512 (Computer Systems Design) · Secondary: 541330, 541519 Core competencies: Cloud migration & modernization (FedRAMP-aligned) · Systems engineering & integration · Cybersecurity (RMF, CMMC readiness) · O&M support Past performance - Enterprise Cloud Migration, Dept. of Example Value: $4.8M · Period: 2023-2025 · Role: Prime · Outcome: migrated 42 legacy applications with zero unplanned downtime; CPARS rating Exceptional for schedule.

Notice how the example front-loads the eligibility answers: the UEI, CAGE, set-aside status, and NAICS tell a contracting officer whether they can act on the statement before they read a word of prose.

What the contracting officer checks first

Before anyone reads your competencies, a federal buyer scans for disqualifiers. In the first pass they look for:

• The identifiers. UEI and CAGE, and active SAM.gov registration. A federal-facing statement without them cannot be acted on without a follow-up email - most buyers will not send it.
• NAICS match. Are you registered under the NAICS the solicitation is set under, and are you small under it?
• Set-aside eligibility. For a set-aside opportunity, your socioeconomic status is the first gate. If it is not visible, you may be passed over.
• Recency and relevance of past performance. Recent federal work that resembles the requirement, with verifiable outcomes.
• One page. Multi-page statements get skimmed as if they were one page, or discarded.

Source each section from your project and registration data

The identifiers, NAICS, and past-performance figures on a federal capability statement change on their own schedule - a new task order, a renewed certification, an updated CPARS rating. Rather than editing the Word file each time, keep the underlying data once and regenerate the document. Map the template’s fields to structured records you maintain:

Template field	Where it should live
Past-performance rows	One record per project (agency, value, period, role, CPARS outcome)
Header identifiers	Your registration record (UEI, CAGE, SAM.gov status)
NAICS + size	Your SAM.gov registration data
Certifications	Your set-aside and socioeconomic status record

A project reference sheet per project is the minimum viable version of this data source, and the same records feed the SF 330 Section F boxes design firms need for architect-engineer selection.

Or build and regenerate it free

A federal capability statement is out of date the moment a task order closes or a certification renews. The free capability statement builder stores your firm’s registration data and projects once and regenerates a current federal capability statement on demand - update a project or your CPARS record once, and the document stays correct. Create a free account to download the template and generate your statement from your own project data. For the general format, see the capability statement template; for architect-engineer selection, see the SF 330 guide.