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A Corporate Capabilities document, also called a one-pager, can be a powerful marketing tool your company can create. It’s a get-to-know-me document that condenses key information about your business into a concise format. This offers potential clients and government Contracting Officers (KOs) an opportunity to understand what you do and how you can provide value to their company or the government. Side Note: It’s also a great document to add to your onboarding to give an overview for new hires. However, crafting an effective one-pager often seems overwhelming as it requires specific information to ensure it’s relevant, professional, and informative. Here are some key points to consider when developing a compelling one-pager.

Why Develop a One-Pager?

If you don’t already have one, developing a one-pager may not seem like a priority. But if you’re in the government contracting market, you want to add it to the top of your list because you can use your one-pager:

• To brief Contracting Officers/Contract Specialists
• To brief Program Managers
• As part of Sources Sought or Request for Information responses
• As a physical or digital handout at events, networking events, or industry days
• To help introduce new Primes to your company’s capabilities
• As part of your Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS) profile
• As a required part of some proposals

So, if it’s that valuable, what are the tips for developing one?

Tips for a Successful One-pager

• Convey Quick Value: Think of your one-pager as an "elevator pitch" on paper. Anyone reading it should understand your company’s offerings, experience, and value within 30 seconds. If they want a more detailed explanation, that’s a great excuse to schedule a “get to know you” meeting!
• Use bullet points: Bullets help break up the content and are easier to skim. Also, avoid long narratives by using short sentence fragments. Remember, you’re going for brevity.
• Avoid niche jargon or trade language: Using colloquial language may obstruct a reader’s understanding of who you are and what you do. Be sure you design your one-pager for maximum audience reach. (Tip: Use a neutral third party or even an artificial intelligence chatbot like Copilot, ChatGPT, Jasper, Claude, etc., to help you trim content and put it into simple text).
  • Note about this – it’s always a great idea to have a baseline one-pager and then tailored versions that you can use for specific audiences, like at a tradeshow or industry event. In a tailored one pager, you SHOULD include industry-specific language (think NAICS codes, contract vehicle information, certifications, etc.).
• Call it a Capabilities Statement: Keep it simple and call it what it is. Avoid calling it something flowery. Remember, you want to make it easy for a contracting officer, potential prime or sub, or other business partner to understand what they’re looking at.
• Focus on your Company: A one-pager is not a personal résumé. It's designed to showcase your company's capabilities and the value it can provide, not your individual achievements.
• Branding: Use your branding elements. This includes your logo, your unique (or not unique) font, and colors. I highly recommend you run it through a Section 508 compliance review before you send it. This avoids having specific colors disappear or look different for other users. If you use imagery, include alt text so text-to-speech programs can describe your photo or logo.
• Use the Right File Format: Send it as a PDF. Do not rely on image file types like JPEG, PNG, or TIFF. These formats can distort the layout and aren’t print-ready. A PDF ensures your design stays the same way for all recipients.
• Optimize File Size: Keep the file size under 1 MB to ensure it’s easily shareable. If your document includes imagery, ensure the image sizes aren’t too large (compressing helps, but check the output). Otherwise, this can cause the file to be larger than it seems.

What kind of information should my Capabilities Statement include?

I’m glad you asked! Remember, this is designed to be succinct and tell someone about your company. Your document should include the following items:

GovCon Relevant

•  Company Name
•  Company Website
•  Phone number
•  Specific Point of Contact information
•  Company History (established XX)
•  Size Standard and Socio Economic Status (e.g., SDVOSB)
•  Special Certifications* (e.g., ISO 9001:2015)
•  Facility clearance (as applicable)
•  Geographic area(s) you serve
• CAGE Code 
• UEI number 
• NAICS codes – identify your primary one, then others**
•  What the potential client buys – Product Service Code (PSC) and Federal Supply Classification (FSC)
•  MAC or IDIQ contract schedule and contract number
•  Special teaming agreements (e.g., Joint Ventures or Mentor/Protégé)
•  Existing clients (more on this in the past performance section)
•  Optional: If you provide products, consider adding whether you accept credit cards.***

*DO NOT include Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) or sensitive information. It should all be unclassified

** We touched on this earlier, but it bears repeating. You want to create one overall one-pager with all your NAICS codes (consider it your “corporate knowledge” document) and then make a one-pager specific to your audience. We recommend removing the litany of NAICS codes and only adding the relevant ones.

*** If you’re a products-based company, ensure you are registered with SAM.gov and that you can accept credit cards. According to GSA’s OSDBU, KOs are going to SAM.gov to find suppliers for micro-purchases. Those purchases are made with credit cards. 

Get to Know Me Information

• Core Competencies: Service areas, specific skills, or capabilities your company offers. This is your “value proposition” or sales pitch
• Differentiators: This is what makes you special. These may be your core values, primary focus area, or anything else that differentiates you from your competitors. Key note about differentiators: Ensure you tailor this for each What may be a differentiator for the Army may not be the same for the State of Virginia. It’s key to understand what your target audience is buying so that you can tell them how you’ll fill that need.
• Value Proposition: Explains why they should choose you.
• Past Performance: Highlight any successful past performance. You can do this with a short narrative or by highlighting the logos of the organizations you support. When creating a market-specific one-pager, list any past performance similar to what you’re pitching (show that relevancy). Additionally, if you have a project that is not relevant to your targeted audience, do not include that work. They want to see where you have provided similar work and that you understand them. As a reminder, nothing sensitive or classified should be included in your Past Performance work. (As a related note, check out our past blog on Submitting an RFP with Past Performance that Includes Classified Work).

What a One-Pager Is Not

It’s important to distinguish a one-pager from other marketing materials. A one-pager is not a capabilities brief—those are designed for in-depth discussions. Instead, a one-pager should act as a snapshot of your company that sparks interest in learning more. It’s the gateway that leads to deeper conversations, enabling you to elaborate further on your offerings in meetings or presentations.

One-Pagers and MAC and GWAC Awards

If you are the proud recipient of a multiple award contract (MAC) or a government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC), we highly encourage you to make a one-pager specific to your contract vehicle. Highlight your contract number, primary domain(s) (as applicable), your contract number, your capabilities, the NAICS codes you have for that contract, any work you performed on a similar contract (list client), and your contact information. Don’t miss our recent blog on how to leverage your new MAC.

Use the Government’s Language

It’s easy to get caught up in the industry jargon but remember who your intended client is. If your document says you perform “groundskeeping,” but your intended client (government or potential partner) calls it “landscaping,” then adjust your language to say “landscaping.” Make it super easy for the KO to see what you do/provide matches they do/offer.

Final Thoughts

A well-developed one-pager can be a valued tool for your business toolkit. It’s designed to provide a snapshot of why you’re a good fit, can accomplish a specific task, or are the best partner for an existing challenge. Too often, these are viewed as purely marketing tools, but they should be viewed holistically as business tools. Whether you’re looking for a prime, reaching out to a KO, or submitting a bid, this gives the info they need without having to dig too deep. When done right, your one-pager can answer the question “What do they do?” without someone having to voice it (you should still voice it when you hand it over).

If you need help developing a one-pager, consider contacting Trident. Our team can help build your document to prepare your business toolkit for your next engagement.

Morgan Over
Morgan is our marketing manager and a proposal support specialist. When she isn’t handling marketing for Trident, she is tech editing documents and building orals decks for our clients. As a military spouse based on the East Coast, she supports clients around the world as part of our globally dispersed team.