A capability statement is a short document, usually four to sixteen A4 pages, that tells a buyer who you are, what you do, what you are qualified to do and who you have done it for. In Australia it is standard kit for government tenders, supplier panel applications and expressions of interest, and it doubles as the thing you leave on the table after a pitch. If you have been asked for one and your answer so far is a link to your website, this is for you: what to put in it, how long it should be, what design and printing costs in Perth, and how to get it done without a six-week project.
What is a capability statement?
A capability statement is a company profile written for someone who is deciding whether to buy from you, shortlist you or add you to a panel. It is not a brochure and it is not a tender response. It sits in between: enough to prove you are a real, qualified, insured business with a track record, short enough that a procurement officer can read it in two minutes.
Most run to four, six, eight, twelve or sixteen pages. The four and six page versions fold flat. Eight pages and up are stitched into a booklet with a spine, which is the version that gets kept.
When do you need a capability statement?
You need one the moment a buyer asks "can you send me something about your business?" and the answer is a link to your website. The usual triggers are:
Government and council tenders, where the submission form asks for a company profile or capability statement as an attachment. Supplier panels and prequalification, where you are applying to be on the list before any work is offered. Expressions of interest, where the buyer wants a short pitch before a full proposal. Builders and head contractors vetting subcontractors. NDIS, aged care and community sector providers applying to organisations that must show due diligence on suppliers. And the handshake moment after a site visit or pitch meeting, where the person you met needs something to pass on to the person who decides.
What should a capability statement include?
The core sections are a business overview, your services, your key people, your licences and accreditations, your clients and projects, and your contact details. Government supplier guidance lists the same six, and every buyer's checklist works from them. Add the optional sections only if they strengthen your case.
The six core sections
| Section | What goes in it | Keep it to |
|---|---|---|
| Business overview | Who you are, how long you have been operating, where you work, what you are known for | One paragraph |
| Services or core competencies | Each service with a line or two on what it covers | Five to eight |
| Key people | Names, roles, a sentence each, headshots if you have them | Two to five people |
| Licences, insurances and accreditations | Trade licences, public liability and other cover, safety and quality certifications such as WHS and ISO, with numbers | Exact wording from the certificates |
| Clients and projects | Two or three you can name, with what you delivered and when | A line or two each |
| Contact details | Business name, ABN, phone, email, website, address, the person to call | One block, on the back |
The optional sections
Testimonials with a real name and business behind them. Awards, memberships and industry associations. A short company timeline, year and one line per milestone, in order. Stats callouts such as years in business, staff, projects completed or square metres installed. Your service area as a list or a map. Equipment and fleet if it matters for the work. Safety, quality and environmental policies, a line each, if the tenders you go for ask about them.
Every number, date and licence in the document is something a procurement officer can check, so send them to your designer in final form and check them first.
How many pages should a capability statement be?
Four pages for a single-service business, eight for most tenders and panel applications, twelve or sixteen for a firm with several divisions or a long track record. More pages do not make you look bigger. Empty pages and repeated content do the opposite.
| Pages | Format | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | A4 folded in half | One core service, something to hand over on site |
| 6 | A4 folded in three | A panel per service, quick reference |
| 8 | Stitched booklet | Most tenders and panel applications, room for a case study |
| 12 | Stitched booklet | Several divisions, more projects and people |
| 16 | Stitched booklet | Established firms, institutional and government tenders |
A useful rule of thumb is 150 to 250 words per page once the photos and headings are in. A capability statement is scanned, not read.
How much does capability statement design cost in Perth?
At Tako Print, design is a fixed price by page count, including GST: $800 for four pages, $1,000 for six, $1,200 for eight, $1,800 for twelve and $2,500 for sixteen. That covers two concepts, two rounds of revisions, a print-ready PDF and digital files for email and tender portals. Printed copies are added on top at the quantity you choose, and you see the total before you order.
| Pages | Design only | Design plus 100 printed copies |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | $800 | $1,010 |
| 8 | $1,200 | $1,650 |
| 12 | $1,800 | $2,380 |
| 16 | $2,500 | $3,205 |
Two add-ons sit outside that. A licensed stock image pack, up to one image per page, for businesses without their own photography yet. And copywriting, quoted per job once the page count is known, for businesses that want a writer to pull the content together. What we do not do is write your tender response. That stays with you or your bid consultant.
Pick your page count and quantity on the Capability Statement Design and Print page. If you already have print-ready artwork, order print-only capability statements instead.
How long does it take to get a capability statement designed and printed?
First concepts in five business days from the day we have your content, then printed copies two to five business days after you approve the proof. Add a couple of days for your own feedback on each round and a full design-and-print job lands in two to three weeks. If you have a submission date, say so when you order and we plan the job backwards from it.
The clock starts when the content arrives, not when the order does. The quickest jobs are the ones where everything comes in one email, in final wording, with one person giving feedback.
Should you print a capability statement or keep it digital?
Both. The digital PDF is what goes into tender portals and emails, and it is the version most buyers see first. Printed copies do a different job: they get handed across a table, left in a foyer, passed from the site manager to the estimator. You do not need many. Ten or twenty-five copies for a single tender or a trade expo is a normal order, and a small run of a stitched booklet with a laminated cover costs less than most people expect.
For the digital version, keep the file under a few megabytes so it clears portal upload limits, name it sensibly (your business name, "capability statement", the year), and keep the year in the file name so nobody attaches last year's version.
For paper, minimums and what usually needs fixing before it prints, see capability statement printing in Perth.
What do you need to send a designer?
Your logo as the original file (EPS, AI, SVG or PDF, not the one saved from your website), your business details and ABN, a paragraph about the business, your services, your licence and insurance details with the certificates behind them, your key people, two or three projects, and any photos you have. Supplier and accreditation logos need the official file from that body and their permission to use it.
The full list, with the traps on logos, photos and dates, is on one page: download the content checklist (PDF). We email the same sheet to you when you order.
What are the most common capability statement mistakes?
Walls of text. A logo pulled from an email signature that prints fuzzy. Licence numbers and insurance limits that were current two years ago. Photos of other people's work. Claims with no client or project behind them. No contact person, so the buyer has to phone the office and ask. And starting the design before the content exists, which uses up your revision rounds on changes that were never about the design.
The fix for all of them is the same: gather the content first, check the numbers, then design.
How do you keep a capability statement up to date?
Keep the artwork on file with whoever designed it and treat updates as edits, not new projects. Licences renew, contacts change, you add a service or win a bigger job. At Tako Print we keep your artwork, make the change and reprint at the print-only price, so the version in the tender is always the current one. For businesses that go for tenders regularly, that sits inside our commercial print management service alongside the cards, folders and stationery that go out with it.
Ready to get yours done?
Choose your page count on the Capability Statement Design and Print page, tick the checklist, and send your content. Concepts in five business days, printed here in South Perth, collect from the shop or have them delivered. Not sure what you need yet? Ask us and we will tell you what would work for the tender you are chasing.