What's in this guide
What a capability statement is and why agencies expect one
A capability statement is a short document, usually 2 to 4 pages, that summarises who you are, what you do, and why an agency should trust you with their work. Think of it as your business resume.
It is not a proposal for a specific job. It is a general document you attach to most tender submissions. Some agencies ask for it as part of the submission. Others want it upfront when you register as a supplier. Either way, having one ready to go saves you time every time you apply.
Agencies use it to quickly assess whether your business has the experience, qualifications, and capacity to deliver the work. An evaluator reviewing 30 submissions needs to filter fast. Your capability statement is how they decide whether to read the rest of your application closely.
You will use the same base document across multiple tenders, tweaking it slightly each time to match what the specific tender is asking for.
The exact structure
A good capability statement has seven sections. Each one is short and factual. Here is what to include in each.
Two to three sentences covering who you are, how long you have been operating, where you are based, and what you specialise in. No marketing speak. Just the facts.
A bullet list of your core services. Be specific. "Commercial electrical maintenance, switchboard upgrades, data cabling, emergency fault repair" is better than "all electrical work."
Three to five past projects. For each one, include the client name (if you can), the scope of work, and the value if possible. This is the section evaluators spend the most time on.
Trade licences with numbers, ISO certifications, safety cards (Working at Heights, Confined Spaces, Asbestos Awareness), security clearances. List them all.
Public liability amount, professional indemnity (if applicable), and workers compensation. Include the insurer name and policy expiry date. Evaluators check these against the tender requirements.
Brief bios (2 to 3 sentences each) for the people who would actually work on the contract. Qualifications, years of experience, and relevant project history.
ABN, business address, phone, email, and website if you have one. Make it easy for the evaluator to reach you if they have questions.
Worked example: electrician
Here is a complete capability statement for a fictional electrical business. Use it as a template and swap in your own details.
Spark Solutions Electrical Pty Ltd
ABN 12 345 678 901
Business Overview
Spark Solutions Electrical is a Western Sydney based electrical contracting business established in 2011. We employ 8 electricians and specialise in commercial electrical maintenance, switchboard upgrades, data cabling, and emergency fault repair for government and corporate clients across the Greater Sydney region.
Key Capabilities
- Commercial and industrial electrical maintenance
- Switchboard upgrades and replacements (up to 800A)
- Structured data cabling (Cat6/Cat6A)
- Emergency fault finding and repair (24/7 call-out available)
- LED lighting upgrades and energy efficiency audits
- Fire detection and emergency lighting systems
- Solar PV installation and maintenance (CEC accredited)
Relevant Experience
NSW Department of Education, Parramatta
Switchboard replacement across 12 school sites. Scope included isolation, removal of existing boards, installation of new switchboards with RCD protection, and compliance testing. Completed March 2025. Project value: $180,000.
Western Sydney Local Health District
Ongoing electrical maintenance across 3 community health centres. Quarterly testing and tagging, emergency lighting testing, switchboard thermal imaging, and 24/7 emergency call-out. Contract held since 2022. Annual value: $95,000.
Blacktown City Council
LED lighting upgrade for 4 council-owned community centres. Scope included lighting design, supply and install of LED panels and drivers, emergency lighting upgrades, and certification. Completed August 2024. Project value: $62,000.
Qualifications and Certifications
- Licensed Electrical Contractor, NSW Fair Trading (Licence No. 234567C)
- AS/NZS 3000 Wiring Rules certified
- CEC Accredited Solar Installer (A1234567)
- Working at Heights (all staff current)
- Asbestos Awareness (all staff current)
- Construction Induction Card (White Card, all staff)
Insurance
- Public Liability: $20,000,000 (QBE Insurance, expires 30 June 2027)
- Workers Compensation: current (icare NSW)
- Motor Vehicle: fleet policy covering 6 work vehicles
Key Personnel
Michael Torres, Director / Licensed Electrician
15 years experience in commercial electrical contracting. Holds a Diploma of Electrical Engineering and manages all government contract delivery. Previously supervised electrical works on the Parramatta Light Rail project.
Sarah Chen, Operations Manager
8 years experience in project coordination for electrical contractors. Manages scheduling, compliance documentation, and client reporting for all active contracts.
Contact
Michael Torres, Director
Phone: 0412 345 678
Email: michael@sparksolutions.com.au
Address: Unit 7, 45 Industrial Ave, Seven Hills NSW 2147
ABN: 12 345 678 901
Worked example: cleaning company
Here is a second example for a cleaning business. The structure is the same, but the details reflect a different trade.
CleanEdge Commercial Services
ABN 98 765 432 100
Business Overview
CleanEdge Commercial Services is a Brisbane based cleaning company established in 2018. We employ 6 cleaners and specialise in commercial office cleaning, medical facility cleaning, and end-of-lease cleaning for government agencies, healthcare providers, and corporate tenants across the Brisbane metropolitan area.
Key Capabilities
- Daily and periodic commercial office cleaning
- Medical facility cleaning (infection control compliant)
- End-of-lease and make-good cleaning
- Carpet steam cleaning and hard floor maintenance
- Window cleaning (internal, up to 3 storeys)
- Washroom consumables supply and restocking
Relevant Experience
Queensland Health, Southside Clinics
Daily cleaning of 2 community health clinics in Logan and Beenleigh. Scope includes clinical area disinfection, waiting room cleaning, washroom servicing, and clinical waste area maintenance. Infection control protocols followed per QLD Health standards. Contract held since 2023. Annual value: $72,000.
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations
After-hours office cleaning for a 2-floor government office in Brisbane CBD. 5 nights per week, including kitchen cleaning, bin servicing, vacuuming, and monthly carpet steam clean. Completed a 12-month contract in December 2025. Contract value: $48,000.
Brisbane City Council, Libraries
Periodic deep clean of 3 council library branches. Scope included carpet extraction, hard floor strip and seal, high dusting, and upholstery cleaning. Completed over 2 weeks in January 2025. Project value: $18,500.
Qualifications and Certifications
- Certificate III in Cleaning Operations (CPP30316), all staff
- Infection Control Training (healthcare cleaning module)
- QLD Blue Card (Working with Children), all staff
- Chemical Safety and SDS handling training
- Construction Induction Card (White Card), 4 staff
Insurance
- Public Liability: $10,000,000 (Vero Insurance, expires 31 March 2027)
- Workers Compensation: current (WorkCover QLD)
Key Personnel
Lisa Nguyen, Owner / Operations Manager
8 years experience in commercial cleaning operations. Manages all client relationships, quality inspections, and staff training. Holds Certificate IV in Cleaning Management.
David Park, Team Lead
5 years experience. Supervises the healthcare cleaning team. Trained in infection control procedures and clinical waste handling. Holds Certificate III in Cleaning Operations.
Contact
Lisa Nguyen, Owner
Phone: 0423 456 789
Email: lisa@cleanedge.com.au
Address: 12/88 Merivale St, South Brisbane QLD 4101
ABN: 98 765 432 100
Common mistakes that make evaluators skip yours
If your capability statement is 10 or 20 pages, the evaluator will skim it and miss the good parts. Two to four pages is the sweet spot. Use clear headings and bullet points so the key information is easy to find.
"We do everything" tells the evaluator nothing. Be specific about what you actually do. If you are an electrician, say which types of electrical work you specialise in. If you are a cleaner, say whether you do offices, medical, industrial, or all three.
Claims without evidence score poorly. "We have extensive experience" means nothing. "We completed a $180,000 switchboard replacement across 12 NSW school sites" means everything. Include project names, values, and outcomes.
These are often mandatory requirements. If you do not include your insurance details and licence numbers, your submission may be excluded automatically. No review, no second chances.
Evaluators can tell when you have not tailored the document. If the tender is for electrical maintenance and your capability statement leads with solar installations, you are making them work to find the relevant information. Put the most relevant experience first.
This signals carelessness to an evaluator. If your capability statement has typos, they will wonder what your work quality is like. Get someone else to proofread it, or run it through a grammar checker.
If the tender is for cleaning services, the evaluator does not need to know you also do landscaping. Every line in your capability statement should be relevant to the work being tendered. Remove anything that dilutes your message.
How to tailor it for each tender without rewriting everything
You do not need to start from scratch every time. The trick is to keep a master version and adapt it for each submission.
Keep a master version
This is your complete capability statement with all your experience, all your services, and all your qualifications. It might be 5 or 6 pages. You never submit this directly. It is your source document.
For each tender, copy and adjust
When you find a tender worth applying for, copy the master and make these changes:
- Reorder your experience so the most relevant projects are listed first. If the tender is for electrical maintenance, put your maintenance contracts at the top, not your solar installations.
- Remove capabilities that are not relevant to this particular tender. A focused 2-page document beats a scattered 4-page one.
- Add any specific certifications the tender asks for. If they require Asbestos Awareness, make sure it is listed prominently, not buried at the bottom.
- Update project values and dates. Nothing looks worse than a capability statement with projects from 5 years ago when you have done more recent work.
Read the evaluation criteria first
The tender document will tell you exactly what the evaluators are looking for. Most tenders have a section called "Evaluation Criteria" or "Assessment Criteria." Read it carefully. Your capability statement should directly address each point they say they are scoring on.
Tips for writing yours faster
Writing a capability statement from scratch can feel like a big job, but most of the work is reusable. Once you have a solid base document, you only need to tweak it for each tender.
Build a base document first
Start with the structure from the examples above and fill it in with your real details. This base version covers about 80% of what any tender will ask for. For each new submission, you only need to adjust the project examples and tailor the overview to the specific contract.
Keep a project library
Every time you finish a job, write up a short project summary while the details are fresh: client, scope, value, outcome. Store these in a simple document. When a tender asks for "three relevant projects," you pick the best matches from your library instead of writing from memory.
Your capability statement is ready. Now find the tenders.
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