Advising a $450M port build through two federal programs to a $25.5M award
An agricultural cooperative building a $450M Washington port engaged Prosody to find the right federal capital. Two strong program fits, an advisor role through the PIDP pursuit, and a $25.5M reimbursement commitment.
At a glance
AG Processing Inc (AGP) came to Prosody Consulting with one of the largest projects in the firm’s book: a roughly $450 million port facility in Washington state that would open new markets and add efficiencies for its farmer-owners. The cooperative’s team was driving the project; what it needed was senior counsel on which federal programs could carry part of the capital — and how to compete for them.
Prosody identified two strong federal fits and served as the cooperative’s program advisor through the pursuit. The effort secured a $25.5 million reimbursement commitment from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s MARAD Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).
The challenge
A $450 million build is a long, complex capital effort, and federal infrastructure dollars are competitive and technical. AGP’s internal team was capable and already engaged — so the value of an outside advisor wasn’t to take the work over. It was to make sure the cooperative pursued the right programs, positioned the project to score, and didn’t leave a competitive application exposed on the technical points that decide these awards.
What Prosody did
Mapped the program landscape. Prosody reviewed federal and state programs for fit and funding and identified two strong opportunities — the DOT RAISE program and the MARAD PIDP program — so the cooperative could pursue federal capital on more than one front.
Advised the PIDP pursuit. Prosody served as the client’s program advisor for the PIDP application, working alongside the cooperative’s team rather than replacing it.
Coordinated and pressure-tested. Prosody assisted in coordinating port personnel and activities and provided feedback on the project’s benefit-cost analysis — the exhibit federal reviewers scrutinize most.
The outcome
The pursuit landed a $25.5 million PIDP reimbursement commitment toward the project — federal capital that reduced how much of the build the cooperative had to carry on its own balance sheet, on a project measured in the hundreds of millions.
Just as important, AGP’s own team kept the pen and the relationships while gaining a senior advisor who knew the federal mechanics cold — the leverage an internal team gets from outside fluency without giving up ownership of its project.
Why it matters
On a project this size, the difference between one program and two, or between an application that scores and one that merely files, is measured in millions. Prosody’s role here is the one many strong internal teams actually need: a senior advisor who knows exactly where the federal points are won and lost, brought in to sharpen the pursuit rather than run it.
That is the standard Prosody brings to every project: find the capital that fits, make the case that holds up, and run it to close.
Prosody Consulting advises agriculture, infrastructure, and logistics clients on federal and state capital strategy. To discuss your project, request a consultation.