The Civil Construction Capability Statement: A Complete Worked Example

Most guidance on capability statements tells you what sections to include. Very little shows you a finished one. This guide does both: it explains the strategic thinking, then gives you a complete, realistic example you can read end to end — and download as an editable Word document.

The worked example below is built on a representative civil contractor — Macarthur Earthworks & Civil, a 22-person earthworks business in South-West Sydney. It is the same illustrative company profiled in our Liverpool City Council panel case study, so you can see how a capability statement connects to a real submission. The company, its people, and its projects are illustrative — but everything they do in the document is exactly what we build for live tenders.

1. How to use this worked example

This article is the companion to our strategic guide, How to Write a Capability Statement for Civil Construction. That piece explains the why behind each section. This one shows you the what.

In the worked example, a handful of details appear as bracketed, highlighted fields — ABNs, licence and policy numbers, insurer names, exact expiry dates, and referee contact details. These are the items you must never invent or copy: they have to be your own, current, and verifiable. Everything else is written out in full so you can see what a complete answer looks like. When you adapt the template, replace the bracketed fields with your real details and rewrite the narrative around your own projects.

2. General-purpose vs tender-specific: which are you writing?

There are two distinct documents that both get called a “capability statement”, and confusing them is the most common reason good contractors score in the middle of the pack.

A general-purpose capability statement is a business-development asset. It introduces your company broadly — what you do, where you work, who you are — and you hand it out at industry days, send it with introductory emails, or keep it on file for prequalification registers. It is necessarily generic because it has no single audience.

A tender-specific capability statement is re-tailored to one opportunity. It foregrounds the experience, personnel and accreditations most relevant to that scope and that region, mirrors the buyer’s published evaluation criteria and terminology, and names the exact prequalification class the tender requires. It is a different document for every bid, even if it shares a backbone with your general version.

The practical model is to build one strong master capability statement, then adapt it for each tender. The worked example below is written as a master document, with notes throughout showing where you would cut, re-order, or sharpen the content for a specific opportunity. Knowing when to walk away from a tender entirely is a separate discipline; our Go/No-Go bid calculator helps with that decision before you invest the writing time.

3. What evaluators actually do with your capability statement

Before writing a word, it helps to picture the reader. Your capability statement is not read as a brochure or admired for its design. It is scored — line by line — against published criteria, by an evaluation panel that is instructed to assume no prior knowledge of your business.

NSW Government guidance is explicit on this point: applicants should not assume the agency or the evaluation committee has any previous knowledge of their skills, abilities or past performance.^[1] Every claim you make has to be evidenced inside the document, because nothing outside it counts.

Value for money is a balanced judgement, not the lowest price. Across the Commonwealth and every state, evaluation weighs price against non-price (quality) criteria — relevant experience, past performance, management systems, resourcing, methodology and work health and safety. At council level it is very common to weight non-price criteria the majority share (a 60/40 split toward quality is typical, though it varies by project).^[2] Your capability statement is the primary evidence behind those non-price scores.

Past performance is verified and shared between agencies. This is not a paperwork formality. In NSW, contractor performance is formally tracked on contracts over $1 million and the reports are shared with other agencies on request.^[3] In Queensland, agencies complete performance reports on prequalified contractors at the halfway point and again three months after practical completion, and those reports are shared across government to determine continued prequalification.^[4] Victoria’s Construction Supplier Register interviews project referees to verify the project information suppliers submit. Referees get contacted. Write nothing you cannot stand behind.

Boilerplate scores low — evidence is the threshold. Independent research into Australian tender evaluators found that a compliant but generic submission typically scores around the bottom of the range, and that demonstrating genuine understanding, backed by evidence, is what lifts a response into the competitive band.^[5] The single highest-leverage change you can make is to replace assertion with proof: not “we are experienced in drainage”, but a named drainage project, its value, your role, and the outcome.

4. The anatomy of a civil capability statement: the eleven sections

Tenders specify slightly different requirements, but a complete civil construction capability statement covers eleven areas. The worked example follows this structure exactly.

5. The worked example: Macarthur Earthworks & Civil

What follows is a complete master capability statement. Read it as a finished document; the small ochre notes are our commentary, not part of the statement itself.

That is a complete master capability statement. For most council and state tenders in the $50,000–$2 million range, this is the level of evidence that moves a non-price score out of the middle of the pack. The remaining sections go deeper on the three areas contractors most often get wrong: prequalification across jurisdictions, accreditation, and insurance and finance.

6. Itemising prequalification by state and territory

Prequalification is the part of a capability statement that must be localised, because prequalification in one jurisdiction does not automatically transfer to another. Each state and territory runs its own scheme and portal. If you operate across borders, your capability statement should itemise your status in each jurisdiction precisely — scheme, category, level and expiry. The summary below is the national picture; for the full detail, see our state-by-state prequalification guide.^[6]

The national framework: Austroads NPS (road & bridge)

Most state road agencies prequalify civil road and bridge contractors through the Austroads National Prequalification System. It separates technical capability (Roadworks R1–R5, Bridgeworks B1–B4, defined by complexity and risk, not dollar value) from financial capacity (Financial Levels such as F2, F10, F50 — the maximum GST-inclusive contract value).^[7] So “R2 F2” means roadworks complexity level 2 and a $2 million financial capacity. “Full” prequalification can be mutually recognised between participating agencies, but you must apply for it — and specialist categories are excluded.

State and territory schemes

Thresholds vary by agency, GST treatment and contract type. Confirm current requirements on the relevant official portal before relying on them.

How to itemise this in your statement. If you work in one state, list that scheme precisely (as Macarthur Earthworks does for NSW). If you work across borders, give each jurisdiction its own line — scheme, category, level, expiry — so an evaluator can verify the entry relevant to their tender. Never imply that prequalification in one state covers another; it does not, and a probity-conscious evaluator will notice.

7. Accreditations: ISO certification and the CCF Code

For civil contractors, the core accreditation “stack” is ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental) and ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety). Above roughly $1 million in contract value these become, in practice, expected — and several prequalification schemes require them outright (NSW SCM1461 requires ISO 9001 and ISO 45001, for example).^[20]

Certified beats “aligned”. There is a real scoring difference between holding certification from a JAS-ANZ accredited certification body and merely describing your system as “aligned with” or “compliant with” an ISO standard. Certified is verifiable and is what schemes require at higher levels; “aligned” is self-asserted and materially weaker. If you are certified, say so with the certificate number. If you are not yet certified, say “aligned with ISO 9001, certification in progress” — do not imply certification you do not hold.

The CCF Code is a civil-specific alternative. The Civil Contractors Federation’s Civil Construction Management Code is a JAS-ANZ accredited, integrated safety/environment/quality management system code built for civil contractors, drawing on the same ISO standards. It is accepted as an alternative to full ISO certification in several schemes (Victoria’s DTP Roads register among them) and is well-suited to SMEs.^[21] If full ISO certification is a stretch, the CCF Code is often the more proportionate path.

One further credential matters at the federal level: OFSC accreditation under the Australian Government Building and Construction WHS Accreditation Scheme is mandatory for head contractors on Commonwealth-funded building work where the head contract is $4 million or more. It is generally not triggered by SME work in the $50,000–$2 million band — but flag it if federal funding could push a project over the threshold, and note that it carries automatic recognition of the WHS elements of state prequalification schemes (except Tasmania).^[18]

8. Insurance and financial capacity: the pass/fail gate

Insurance is where compliant-but-incomplete bids get excluded. For civil works in the $50,000–$2 million range, expect to need:

• Public liability — $20 million is the de facto government and infrastructure standard; $10 million is sometimes accepted for smaller council work. Civil exposures (underground services, vibration, excavation) need careful policy wording.
• Workers compensation — mandatory wherever you employ workers, through the relevant state scheme (icare in NSW, WorkSafe Victoria, WorkCover Queensland, and so on).
• Contract works / construction all risk — covering the works in progress, typically to contract value.
• Professional indemnity — required if you carry any design responsibility; Victoria’s CSR requires $5 million for works categories.
• Plant and motor vehicle — for your fleet and mobile equipment.

Present these as a table with certificates available on request, exactly as the worked example does. The single most common avoidable error is a certificate that is missing, expired, or below the required limit at the moment of evaluation.

Financial capacity is assessed independently for larger contracts — NSW requires a financial assessment for construction contracts over $1 million, and the Austroads NPS, Queensland’s PQC and Victoria’s CSR all run their own financial checks. In your capability statement, present financial strength proportionately: a turnover band, your prequalification financial level (which has already been assessed for you), and a note that audited accounts and a banker’s or accountant’s reference are available. Do not publish sensitive figures in a marketing-facing document; route the detail through the formal assessment channel.

9. Length, format and design

For Australian government and council use, a master capability statement of roughly two to eight pages is the norm; a one-page version is useful for expressions of interest and industry days. Length is not the point — proof is. A tight six-page document dense with evidence beats a glossy twenty-page brochure.

Design for an evaluator who is scanning under time pressure:

• Lead each section with the most relevant evidence; put your strongest projects first.
• Use clear headings, short paragraphs, bullet points and tables — the project, plant, personnel, insurance and prequalification sections all read better as tables.
• Keep contact details and your ABN easy to find.
• Use plain English. Evaluators are often not technical specialists; explain your work without jargon.
• Brand it cleanly and consistently, but never let design crowd out substance.

10. Common mistakes that sink capability statements

• The company brochure. Pages of history and general capability with no mapping to the tender’s scope or criteria. This is the most common pattern behind a mid-pack score.
• Assertion without evidence. “We are committed to safety” instead of a certified system and your actual frequency rates; “extensive drainage experience” instead of a named project, value and outcome.
• Claiming everything. “We can do any civil work” signals no specialisation and makes your genuine capability harder to assess.
• Vague or transferable prequalification claims. Implying that prequalification in one state covers another, or omitting the category and level.
• Insurance gaps. A missing, expired or under-limit certificate at evaluation — an avoidable pass/fail failure.
• Unconfirmed referees. Listing referees who have not been asked, or who are junior or out of date. Evaluators contact them.
• Inflated or unverifiable claims. Beyond the probity risk, fabricated statistics and superlatives expose you under Australian Consumer Law if published. Every number must be substantiable.

11. Download the editable Word template

The complete worked example above is available as an editable Word document. It contains every section, the tables pre-built, and the bracketed fields ready for your details — so you can adapt it for your own business rather than starting from a blank page.

A capability statement is the foundation of every government submission, but it is one document in a larger response. If you are preparing a tender now — or have recently lost one — the highest-leverage step is usually to rebuild the response framework once, so every future bid starts from a stronger baseline.

References

1. NSW Government, Construction practice guide: Expression of interest for construction projects, buy.nsw — applicants are advised not to assume the agency or evaluation committee has prior knowledge of their skills, abilities or past performance. info.buy.nsw.gov.au ↩
2. Evaluation weighs price against non-price criteria; weighted price/non-price methods (e.g. a 60/40 split toward non-price) are common in local government procurement. Local Government Procurement. lgp.org.au ↩
3. NSW Government, Performance management for construction, buy.nsw — contractor performance is tracked on contracts over $1 million and shared with agencies on request. info.buy.nsw.gov.au ↩
4. Queensland Government, Contractor performance reporting (PQC) — reports completed at 50% completion and three months after practical completion, and shared across government. forgov.qld.gov.au ↩
5. Aurora Marketing, Behind Closed Doors — What Tender Evaluators Are Really Looking For, 2023. Boilerplate submissions score at the bottom of the range; evidence and demonstrated understanding lift scores into the competitive band. auroramarketing.com.au ↩
6. TenderBuilt, Prequalification for Civil Construction in Australia: The State-by-State Guide for SMEs. tenderbuilt.com.au ↩
7. Austroads, National Prequalification System for Civil (Road and Bridge) Construction Contracts — separates technical capability (R/B levels) from financial capacity (F levels). austroads.gov.au ↩
8. NSW Government, construction prequalification schemes (SCM0256, SCM1461), buy.nsw. info.buy.nsw.gov.au/resources/construction ↩
9. Transport for NSW, contractor and consultant prequalification (Austroads NPS), required for civil road/bridge contracts over $250,000. transport.nsw.gov.au ↩
10. Queensland Government, Prequalification (PQC) System — mandatory for government building contractors over $1M. forgov.qld.gov.au; PQC contractor financial requirements, hpw.qld.gov.au ↩
11. Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, contractor prequalification (Austroads NPS plus QLD asphalt categories). tmr.qld.gov.au ↩
12. Queensland Government, Queensland Procurement Policy 2026 (commenced 1 January 2026) — removes Best Practice Industry Conditions for construction and the Best Practice Principles subcontractor prequalification requirement. Verify current implementation detail before relying on it. forgov.qld.gov.au ↩
13. Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance, The Construction Supplier Register — eligibility, minimum insurances (public liability ≥ $20M; professional indemnity ≥ $5M for works), project limits and Fair Jobs Code pre-assessment. dtf.vic.gov.au ↩
14. South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport, contractor prequalification (building and transport-infrastructure categories; Austroads NPS). dit.sa.gov.au ↩
15. Main Roads Western Australia, National Prequalification System requirements; and WA Department of Finance builders prequalification (non-residential state building). mainroads.wa.gov.au ↩
16. Transport Tasmania (Department of State Growth), National Prequalification System for Civil (Road and Bridge) construction. transport.tas.gov.au ↩
17. Contractor Accreditation Limited (NT) — mandatory pre-qualification for most NT Government works. accreditation.com.au ↩
18. Office of the Federal Safety Commissioner — Australian Government Building and Construction WHS Accreditation Scheme; mandatory for head contractors on Commonwealth-funded building work with a head contract of $4M or more; carries recognition of the WHS elements of state prequalification schemes (except Tasmania). fsc.gov.au ↩
19. Australian Government Department of Finance, Commonwealth Procurement Rules (effective 17 November 2025), including Australian-business preferencing for construction under $7.5M. Date-sensitive; verify current text. finance.gov.au; summary, Clayton Utz, claytonutz.com ↩
20. ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental) and ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety); certification by a JAS-ANZ accredited body is materially stronger than self-asserted alignment. iso.org; jas-anz.org ↩
21. Civil Contractors Federation, Civil Construction Management Code — a JAS-ANZ accredited, civil-specific integrated management system code accepted as an alternative to ISO certification in several schemes. Confirm the current certification pathway with the CCF. civilcontractors.com ↩