Tip for July 2013: Capabilities Statement – Is It A Big Deal?

Yes it is if you want to do business with the government!

As a MBE in the State of Ohio, creating a capabilities statement is critical.  This was a relatively easy activity for me. As a career development professional, I likened it to developing a career portfolio, which is one of the mandatory assignments for those going through the Career Development Facilitator training. In the CDF course, each student has to create a portfolio that tells the story of their professional history. When comparing the two, the CB statement is just a scaled down version of the career portfolio. Most of the information that I have collected and continue to collect for my portfolio was extracted to create my CB statement.

The CB statement should be one to two pages and mirror the design of your company stationery/ graphics; you should save it as a PDF. The statement should include the following information*:

1. Capabilities: Areas of expertise – type(s) of work you can perform. Bullets are best or short sentences or bullet statements.
2. Facilities and Equipment: List all facilities, equipment and resources used to manufacture the product(s) or provide the service(s). Include unique qualifications, techniques and approaches used to perform work, including and state-of-the-art equipment or capabilities that are part of your business.
3. Expertise: A brief summary of your expertise, as well as that of your key personnel/staff, highlighting their education and technical experience as it relates to your business.
4. Codes: List your NAICS, SIC, FSC codes as appropriate, certifications (DBE, MBE, WBE, corporate status (LLC, etc.).
5. Customers: Provide a list of at least three or four of your key customers, past or present. Company names are sufficient but providing a point of contact is even better.
6. Contact Information: Company name, address, phone, fax, email address and website
* http://www.sbtdc.org/services/ptac/newsletter/09winter/capab.htm

I will put my capabilities statement to work as I try to do business with our government! Wish me luck!