A capability statement is a two-page document that tells a commercial buyer, in the order they care about it, whether your drainage or hydro-excavation company is a safe choice. It sits at the centre of everything else we do: ICI prospecting sends it, strata programs attach it, and hydro-ex outreach depends on it. If you only buy one thing from us, this is often the one that pays back fastest, because it shortens every future sales conversation.
The job, the buyer, the offer
The job. Whatever you do commercially: jetting, interceptor service, camera inspection, catch-basin cleaning, hydro-excavation, emergency response.
The buyer. Here, the buyer is often a reviewer rather than the person who needs the work: a procurement officer, a contractor's safety coordinator, a property-management firm's vendor administrator, or a facilities manager filling in an approval checklist. They have a list and limited time.
The offer. Evidence, laid out so it can be checked in ten minutes.
What a reviewer looks for
This is general guidance from how vendor reviews usually work, not any one owner's rules. Most reviewers look for the same things in roughly the same order:
- Legal identity. Registered business name, operating name, province of registration, years operating.
- Scope. Exactly which services, and which you subcontract.
- Service area and response. Where you go, and how fast you can mobilise for planned and urgent work.
- Equipment. Truck types, jetting and vacuum capacity, camera systems, as you describe them.
- Safety documentation. The programs, certificates and workers' compensation coverage you actually hold, named exactly as issued.
- Insurance. The coverage types and limits on your certificate, as stated by your broker.
- References and past work. Only customers who've agreed to be named.
- Contacts. One named person for sales, one number for dispatch.
What's included
- Interview and document gathering with you, your office manager and a crew lead.
- The capability statement: two pages, designed, as a PDF, plus a plain-text version for portals that strip formatting.
- A matching web page at a short address (for example
/capability/), so contacts can find it again. - A document pack checklist with every supporting document a reviewer might ask for, where it lives and when it expires.
- One sector variant (for example a food-service or contractor version) with the order of sections changed to suit that buyer.
- A six-month review to update expiry dates, equipment and references.
Timeline
- Week 1: interview and document gathering.
- Weeks 2–3: first draft, your corrections, fact check against your documents.
- Weeks 4–5: design, web page, plain-text version.
- Week 6: sector variant and document checklist.
Most delays come from missing documents, not writing. Start collecting your insurance certificate and safety paperwork before the kick-off call.
How results are measured
| Measure | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Statement requests and downloads | Interest from buyers |
| Time from request to submission | Readiness |
| Vendor or bid-list invitations | Reviewers accepting the file |
| Questions asked after submission | Gaps in the document |
| Contracts where the statement was submitted | Final value |
A worked illustration (assumed numbers): if your office spends five hours assembling a response each time someone asks for "something about your company", and that happens three times a month, a ready pack saves about 15 hours a month. At an assumed $60 an hour of office time, that's $900 a month before it wins anything.
Mistakes to avoid
- Claiming what you can't prove. Every certificate, limit and reference must match a document you can produce. Misleading representations are a Competition Act matter, not just a sales risk.
- Expired documents. A certificate that lapsed last quarter tells a reviewer how you manage details.
- Vague scope. "All drainage services" reads as "we haven't thought about it".
- Unpermitted references. Ask every customer before naming them, and keep the answer in writing.
- Stock photography. Use your own trucks and crews, with consent from anyone identifiable.
Our capability statement guide walks through each section in detail. To start, see pricing or get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a capability statement and a brochure?
A brochure tries to persuade. A capability statement lets a reviewer check boxes: who you are, what you do, where, with what equipment, under what insurance and safety documentation, and who can vouch for you.
Can you get us prequalified with a specific owner's system?
No. Each owner runs its own process and makes its own decision. We make sure your marketing documents are accurate, consistent and ready, so filling in their forms takes less time.
How long should it be?
Two pages for the statement itself. Supporting documents, such as certificates and insurance summaries, sit behind it in a pack, not inside it.
What if we're a new company with few past projects?
Lead with equipment, people's experience (with their permission), service area and response capability. Don't inflate the project list; reviewers check.