Guides / Templates and checklists / Capability statement

Capability statement

One tender, one statement. Every claim with proof attached.

A capability statement written for a single opportunity: each claim paired with proof, relevance to this buyer, and the capacity behind it. Not a brochure. Part of our guide on templates and checklists.

Published: 16 September 2026 · By Andre · Reviewed by Bill · selrob

Takeaways

  • Claim, proof, relevance, capacity: four columns, no exceptions.
  • Proof is a named project with a reachable referee, matched on referee evidence.
  • Team fit is mapped on the capability matrix; this page is the statement that cites it.

When do you use it?

For EOIs, ROIs, panel applications, and short capability sections: anywhere the buyer asks who you are before asking for price. Write it fresh per opportunity from the compliance matrix: the matrix holds the requirements; this statement answers the capability ones with evidence. Reuse paragraphs, never claims; each claim re-anchored to this buyer.

What goes in each field?

  • Claim. One capability sentence, scoped to this tender: not “extensive experience” but “three council drainage panels delivered in-region since 2022”.
  • Proof. Named project, value, dates, referee, reachable, consented, briefed.
  • Relevance. Why this proof answers this buyer’s criterion: one line tying project to requirement.
  • Capacity. Named people and availability for this delivery window, not firm headcount.

Blank template

Blank capability statement

Claim Proof Relevance to this tender Capacity
       
       
       

Version 1.0, September 2026. Scope: one statement per opportunity. Unsupported claims are excluded by design, not by policy.

Worked example

Completed example: regional engineering panel EOI

Hypothetical. The buyer, tender and figures are invented to show the fields in use; they are not a client result.

Claim Proof Relevance to this tender Capacity
Three regional drainage design packages delivered since 2022 Example Shire Package A ($1.8m, 2023–24); referee: shire engineer, consented Matches panel discipline 4 scope and in-region delivery test Two designers named; available Nov 2026–Mar 2027
Panel call-off response within five business days Current state panel: 11/12 call-offs answered inside five days (2025–26) Answers the panel’s responsiveness criterion directly BD lead plus resourcing calendar shared with delivery

What does this mean for the bid/no-bid call?

A statement that cannot fill its proof column is the gate speaking: no evidence, no bid, or a narrower scope bid to what can be proved. Engineering panels add their own discipline test: qualifying council and state panels.

Keep reading

Elsewhere in this guide.

Templates and checklistsThe collection of working templates. The capability matrixThe team-fit map behind the claims. Compliance matrix templateThe requirements these claims answer.

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