Qualification statements are a good example of work nobody should have to do by hand twice. The answers barely change from bid to bid, yet teams retype them every time. Here is how I would fill out the A305, section by section.
What is the AIA A305?
A305-2020 replaced A305-1986. Owners use it to prequalify contractors before inviting bids, often requested through AIA A304-2024, Request for Contractor's Qualifications. The main form identifies the contractor, the owner and the project and lists which exhibits are attached. It must be paired with at least one exhibit.
Which exhibits do I need to attach?
| Exhibit | What it asks for | When owners require it |
|---|---|---|
| A, General Information | Legal name, organization type, years in business, licenses, key personnel, safety record, insurance and bonding | Almost always |
| B, Financial and Performance | Financial statements, bonding capacity, claims, disputes, judgments and disciplinary actions | Public work and larger private work |
| C, Project-Specific | How you would staff and run this particular project | When the owner is qualifying for one project |
| D, Past Project Experience | Up to four comparable completed projects with owner contacts | Very common |
| E, Past Project Experience (continued) | Additional projects in the same format as D | When four projects are not enough |
Read the bid instructions first. Many public owners specify the exhibits, the number of comparable projects and the dollar thresholds those projects must meet.
How do I fill it out section by section?
- Main form. Enter your legal entity name exactly as it appears on your license and SAM registration, the project name and the owner. Check the boxes for the exhibits you attach.
- Exhibit A. List license numbers by state, officers, key project staff, your EMR (experience modification rate), OSHA recordables, insurance carriers and limits, and your surety with single and aggregate bonding capacity.
- Exhibit B. Attach the financial statements the owner asks for and disclose claims, litigation and terminations honestly. The AIA notes that the standard form has no confidentiality provision, so ask for a confidentiality agreement before you send sensitive financials.
- Exhibit C. Name the project manager and superintendent you will assign, your approach to schedule and safety, and any self-performed scopes.
- Exhibits D and E. Choose projects that match the bid on building type, size, delivery method and CSI divisions. Include contract value, completion date and a reference who will answer the phone.
- Sign and notarize. A305 is a sworn statement, so an authorized officer signs before a notary.
What are the most common mistakes?
- Copying last year's statement with an expired license number or an outdated EMR.
- Picking past projects that do not match the building type the owner cares about.
- Bonding capacity figures that do not match the surety letter in the same package.
- Forgetting the notary, which can make a submission nonresponsive on public work.
How much time does this take, and how does Clara help?
Most of the time goes into finding current numbers and retyping them: licenses, EMR, insurance limits, bonding capacity and project references. Clara lists every form a bid package requires and fills the A305, bid form, bid bond details and HUB or DBE forms from your company records, with every field cited to its source document. Your team reviews, signs and submits. Clara never signs or submits for you.
Time saved on forms is time you can spend bidding more work. If a qualification statement takes several hours to assemble by hand and you submit one with most public bids, that time adds up quickly across a year of bidding.
We built Clara's bid forms for exactly this. If you want to see her fill an A305 from your own records, join our US founding cohort.
Tushar Adsul, Founder and CEO, BAU AI
Frequently asked questions
Is A305 the same as a prequalification questionnaire? It serves the same purpose, but many owners use their own questionnaires instead. When an owner provides its own form, use theirs.
Does A305 need to be notarized? Yes, the A305 is a sworn statement signed by an authorized representative before a notary.
Where do I get the official form? From AIA Contract Documents. Owners often include a copy in the bid package.
Sources
- AIA Contract Documents, A305-2020 Contractor's Qualification Statement: summary, instructions and FAQs.
- AIA Contract Documents, A304-2024 Request for Contractor's Qualifications.