You need a builder to understand your trade business without reading a long brochure. Put the scope, service area, crew arrangement, comparable work, and contact on one page. Use the sheet to earn a relevant conversation, then send private onboarding documents through the builder’s process.
This subcontractor capability statement is a template for residential trades. It is not a required government form or a substitute for the builder’s qualification packet.
Put scope, area, and relevant work first
Write for someone deciding whether to ask you about a particular package. Show what you do, where you work, and how your project examples match the package. Put those answers before company history.
The SBA business-plan guide asks you to identify the customers you serve and the services you offer.
Start with the business name and an accurate trade description. Add a plain sentence about the packages you accept. If your company has a separate legal name and trade name, show the relationship clearly enough to prevent an identity mix-up.
Avoid unsupported claims such as “best in the area” or “trusted by every major builder.” Show your role, completed work, current service area, and a reference you have permission to share. Do not fill space with claims you cannot back up.
A sub can be qualified and still be booked for the requested start. Keep credentials and availability separate so the builder can check both.
Lay out the subcontractor capability statement
Use this layout and adjust the space for your trade. Keep the text and photos readable.
Scroll to read all columns.
| Section | Include | Leave out |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Business name, trade, responsible contact | Personal tax identifiers |
| Work | Specific packages and important exclusions | Every service you might offer someday |
| Area | Places you accept and travel limits | An unsupported statewide promise |
| Capacity | Current crew arrangement and supervision | Uncommitted labor presented as employees |
| Evidence | Relevant jobs, captions, and permitted links | Unexplained pictures of other firms’ work |
| Credentials | Applicable license details and evidence available | Claims of blanket approval or coverage |
| Contact | Business email, phone, portfolio link | A past customer’s private details |
| Currency | Date the sheet was checked | A permanent availability claim |
One page is a suggested length for the introduction. If a builder requires more, provide the requested packet separately. Do not shrink the type until the document becomes difficult to read on a phone.
Describe your scope precisely
Use the builder’s words for the trade package. Distinguish installation from supply, rough work from finish work, and new construction from repairs if those boundaries matter to your company.
Add a short exclusions line. For an illustrative trim business, the sheet could separate interior trim installation from painting or cabinet supply. Replace the example with your own scope. Do not list work you are not authorized to perform.
Explain the work you want more of. If you prefer a defined residential package over scattered service calls, say so. If you accept both, show the distinction without promising identical pricing or timing.
Give the builder enough information to route the sheet. David Weekley’s vendor form separates market and trade categories. Make your location and scope clear. Follow each builder’s own requirements.
List the crew you can assign and who runs it
List your company headcount separately from the crew you propose for the job. Identify any other businesses you might hire. Do not combine them into a larger number without explaining the arrangement.
Use actual figures from your records if you include numbers. Name who supervises and who handles scheduling. If crew availability changes by phase, explain when the crew is available.
Suggested wording to adapt:
Assigned crew: [current people available for this package]. Supervision: [responsible role]. Scheduling: [contact]. Earliest discussion window: [date or condition], subject to scope and existing commitments.
Do not invent a production rate to make the sheet look established. If a builder asks about output, discuss the plan, conditions, crew, and comparable job before offering an estimate you can back up.
Date the information. Review it before each new outreach round. Remove outdated crew, area, and availability details. Do not rely on a disclaimer at the bottom.
Show the work, the detail, and the handoff
Use a context view, a close detail, and a completion view if those images help explain your work. These are suggested image roles, not a required photo count. Use project photos you have permission to share.
The context view identifies the package and setting. The detail view shows a relevant task, connection, finish, or point where your work meets another trade’s. The completion view shows the work at handoff. Avoid three nearly identical angles that leave the same question unanswered.
Caption every image with the scope, your role, and project stage. Avoid an address when a general area is enough. Remove private information and obtain the needed permissions before distribution.
Check photo rights separately from permission to discuss the project. The U.S. Copyright Office explains that the photographer is generally the initial copyright owner, subject to exceptions. Ask before copying a builder’s marketing image, even when your crew performed work visible in it.
If the work predates the company, label your personal role accurately. Do not suggest your new company completed a project done by your former employer.
Use the construction portfolio structure to organize the supporting projects behind your one-page summary.
Name the license holder and share references privately
List the applicable license, where it was issued, and who holds it. For NC GCs, the board ties the license to a specific entity. Do not present an individual’s qualifier credential as the new company’s license.
Use “insurance evidence available through our agent” only if that is true. Have the agent review any more specific wording. In NC, a certificate cannot expand the underlying policy’s coverage.
Offer references privately with permission. Say what project and scope they can discuss. Constructed Matter includes references in its partner checklist. The target builder may request a different format or level of detail.
Send the sheet through the builder’s process
Use the sheet with a concise introduction to the person handling your trade. If you do not know the person, ask the office for the correct process. Use approaching a home builder for wording.
Send a readable PDF and a working portfolio link when the builder accepts them. Check the file on a phone and a printed page. Test links and confirm that contact details match the business record.
Ask someone outside the company to read the page without an explanation. Have them find your trade, area, contact, and the packages you can take. Revise anything they cannot find quickly.
Check the images at the final size. If a detail is too small to see on the sheet, put it in the linked portfolio.
After sending, note the recipient, date, and next step. Use getting on a builder’s bid list to track qualification. Revise the sheet when your work, crew, credentials, or area changes.
Use finding subcontracting work to choose suitable builders before sending the capability sheet.
Where Cercha fits
Cercha profiles and portfolios provide a place to show project work, alongside builder and sub endorsements and direct messaging. The app starts in the Research Triangle and maintains an outside-market waitlist. Ask about the beta for participation details.