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SCP-088 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-088
Expected annual
$3.5M
One-time setup
$6.2M
Annual recurring
$3.5M
Personnel
11
Upfront capital for containment construction, custom acrylic case, robotics and lab equipment is substantial (~$6.2M in this estimate) while annual operating costs are dominated by staff wages, contracted BSL‑4 access and administrative/monitoring overhead (baseline ~$3.46M/yr). Main drivers are BSL requirements, specialist staff/security, and contingency/reserve funding.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $6.2M
Contingency Reserve $2.0M
[#24] Reserve fund for catastrophic breach, decommissioning, remediation (recommended reserve mid-range).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $1.5M
[#8] Analytical lab equipment (GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, proteomics/sequencing platforms, pilot synthesis equipment).
Equipment $1.3M
[#1, #3, #4, #5, #6, #9, #19, #22] Custom airtight acrylic case, HVAC (one-time install), backup generators/UPS, environmental/breach monitoring hardware, remote handling robotics, initial level-4 hazmat kits, secure transport vehicle/mods, cybersecurity hardware.
Forensic Analysis Remains $632K
[#21] Forensic workup/storage/disposition of 23 mummified remains (avg cost midpoint applied).
Facilities $500K
[#2] Containment room buildout (sealed, lined surfaces, doors, pass-throughs).
Coverup One Time Reserve $200K
[#18] One-off cover story / PR / discrete recovery costs (reserve for a high-profile event).
Containment Procedures Development $60K
[#20] SOP writing, certification and initial audits (one-time development cost).
Containment Case Major Replacement $50K
[#16] Occasional larger replacement/refurbishment of acrylic case/seals (every 3–7 years cost component treated as one-time here).
Bsl4 Build Or Contract $0
[#7] BSL-4 facility: one-time build not selected in baseline (using contract access instead); build option would be $10M–$50M one-time (not budgeted here).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $3.5M/yr
Staff Wages $1.2M/yr
[#10, #11] Security personnel (6 guards, 3 shifts) and containment/research staff (1 PI, 2 researchers, 2 technicians) including salaries + ~30% benefits.
Bsl4 Contract Access Or Operations $600K/yr
[#7] Contracted access to BSL-4 facilities for analysis (baseline chosen over new-construction option).
Administrative Overhead $300K/yr
[#25] Records, payroll, procurement, compliance officers and site administrative functions (~15–25% of operations estimated).
Supplies And Consumables $200K/yr
[#5, #8, #9] Monitoring sensor maintenance/cloud storage, general lab consumables, PPE replacement and decon consumables.
Cover Story And Legal $200K/yr
[#17, #18] Insurance, legal counsel, liability funds, and recurring cover-up/PR expenditures.
Analytical Consumables And Service Contracts $200K/yr
[#8] Consumables, reference services, and service contracts for GC-MS/LC-MS/proteomics/sequencing platforms.
Hazmat Training And Response $200K/yr
[#12] Emergency response hazmat team on-call premiums, drills, training, and consumables.
Medical Monitoring Program $150K/yr
[#13] Periodic genomic/proteomic screening, baseline/long-term health surveillance and occupational exposure insurance.
D Class Management $120K/yr
[#14] Costs for D-Class holding, escorts, medical/security overhead (baseline assumes limited retained D-Class usage).
Facilities Maintenance $50K/yr
[#3, #4, #26] HVAC maintenance & redundancy testing, backup power fuel/testing and general facility upkeep; pro rata lifecycle servicing.
Research And Monitoring $50K/yr
[#20] Ongoing protocol updates, audits, and lower-cost recurring research coordination (separate from analytical service contracts).
Lifecycle Replacement Pro Rata $50K/yr
[#26] Pro rata budgeting for major rebuilds/replacements (HVAC, acrylic case, room lining) on a 10–20 year cycle.
Cybersecurity Operations $40K/yr
[#22] Hardened networks, secure backups, access-control operations and SOC monitoring for containment data.
Logistics And Transport $30K/yr
[#19] Per-transport operational costs (climate-controlled crates, trained crew) averaged annually.
Hazardous Waste Disposal $20K/yr
[#15] Incineration/chemical neutralization and transport to licensed facilities for contaminated materials.
Containment Case Maintenance $20K/yr
[#16] Routine seal replacements, inspections, minor acrylic refurbishment due to corrosive secretions.
Energy Costs $10K/yr
[#23] Power costs to maintain chilled containment and ventilation (small containment room baseline).
Monitoring Cloud And Alarms $10K/yr
[#5] Cloud storage, tamper detection, off-site mirroring and alarm services for cameras/sensors.
Forensic Storage Recurring $10K/yr
[#21] Recurring storage/curation costs for the 23 mummified remains (if retained in secure storage).
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $3.5M/yr
96.0% probability / year
Normal year with no major containment incidents; recurring operations, contracted BSL-4 access, routine maintenance and staffing.
no breach routine maintenance scheduled research activities
🚨 Minor Incident $3.7M/yr
3.0% probability / year +$250K vs baseline
Localized containment failure or small secretion leak requiring repairs, targeted medical screening, and PR mitigation.
seal degradation small leakage of corrosive secretion limited personnel exposure
🚨 Major Breach $6.0M/yr
1.0% probability / year +$2.5M vs baseline
Significant containment breach with multiple exposures, quarantine, large-scale remediation, possible facility lockdown and decontamination.
full seal failure multiple personnel mutations/exposures facility decontamination & rebuild
👥 Personnel 11 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 6 [#10] 24/7 coverage: 6guards (3 shifts) as baseline staffing used in wage calculations.
Research Scientist 3 [#11] PI + 2 researchers (senior PI and two containment/biochem researchers).
Technician 2 [#11] 2 technicians for daily maintenance, sampling support, and equipment operation.
📋 Confidence Notes
Many major items (containment case, room buildout, robotics, BSL-4 choice) have large ranges; historical behavior gives some guidance but the need for BSL-4 build vs contract access is a major driver of uncertainty.
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