SCP-1668 — SCP-1668 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-1668 Safe-praedico ~ medium confidence

SCP-1668

Expected annual

$1.1M

One-time setup

$674K

Annual recurring

$1.0M

Personnel

Initial one-time setup (~$674k) is driven by containment infrastructure, testing booths, hardware, and a contingency fund; recurring annual costs (~$1.04M/yr) are dominated by staff wages, field investigations, legal/PR/insurance, and ongoing subject testing and monitoring.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $674K

Escalation Contingency Fund $500K

[#25] Contingency reserve for escalated scenarios (re-housing, mass recall, public-health measures, large-scale research) per analyst note.

Facilities $50K

[#1, #8] Evidence locker installation and integration (#1) plus construction/installation of one or two audiology-grade soundproof booths and associated wiring (#8).

Equipment $50K

[#2, #3, #4, #5, #9] Archival cabinet/HVAC stabilization (#2), air-gapped archive hardware initial purchase (#3), access control & biometric hardware/software initial purchase (#4), initial evidence handling kit (#5), and audio capture/ADC/playback hardware (#9).

Initial Research And Lab Setup $48K

[#10, #13, #14] Initial multi-discipline forensic run and outsourced lab fees (#10), SOP/course development and initial documentation (#13), and incident response plan development/equipment procurement (#14).

Mail Monitoring Setup $20K

[#17] One-time setup for domestic mailbox/residence monitoring for ~10 residences (cameras, initial covert hardware/setup).

Archival Duplication And Destruction $6K

[#21] Initial purchase of validated media destruction tools / incinerator access and duplication workflow setup.

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.0M/yr

Staff Wages $480K/yr

[#11, #12] Salaries for behavioral/memetic research staff and audiology/neurolab techs (#11) plus security personnel for access enforcement (#12).

Field Investigation $150K/yr

[#18] Recurring budget for surveillance teams, informants, travel, and covert ops to identify delivery groups when investigations are active.

Cover Story And Legal $105K/yr

[#16, #22] Legal retainers, NDA processing, cover-story expenditures, contingency payouts and PR/crisis response budget for potential leaks/exposure.

Subject Testing $85K/yr

[#19] Compensation, EEG/fMRI rentals, screening, and per-subject testing costs for ongoing research programs.

Insurance And Indemnity $55K/yr

[#23] Self-insurance or reserve for liabilities, staff compensation and potential third-party claims.

Data Security And Cyber Forensics $28K/yr

[#20] Monitoring for unauthorized digital copies, intrusion detection, forensic analysis and takedown coordination if digital instances circulate.

Logistics And Transport $27K/yr

[#6] Secure transport/retrieval operations (12 retrievals/year at ~$1.5k–3k each) and associated vehicle/personnel costs.

Long Term Medical Monitoring $25K/yr

[#24] Annual neuropsychological follow-ups and recordkeeping for previously exposed staff.

Forensic Tests $20K/yr

[#10] Ongoing/periodic outsourced forensic analyses (DNA, handwriting, trace-element testing) as investigations proceed.

Mail Monitoring $20K/yr

[#17] Ongoing monitoring service fees and maintenance for monitored residences (~10 residences).

Research And Monitoring $14K/yr

[#3, #15] Periodic integrity checks for air-gapped archives and replacement media (#3) and periodic compliance/audit activities (#15).

Medical And Psych Support $12K/yr

[#7] On-call medical and psychological support costs for exposed personnel (exams, therapy, short-term care).

Training And Sop $6K/yr

[#13] Annual refresher training, SOP updates, and clearance maintenance for authorized personnel.

Facilities Maintenance $5K/yr

[#2, #4] Ongoing HVAC/archival cabinet monitoring/calibration (#2) and access control/software maintenance (#4).

Incident Response And Drills $3K/yr

[#14] Annual drills, emergency supplies replenishment, and response equipment maintenance.

Destruction Services $2K/yr

[#21] Per-destruction services and consumables for validated destruction of low-priority copies (shredding/incineration/media degaussing).

Supplies And Consumables $1K/yr

[#5] Replacement consumables for evidence handling (bags, tamper seals, anti-static sleeves, gloves, labels).

Audio Software Licenses $1K/yr

[#9] Ongoing software license fees for spectral/waveform/time-alignment tools used in audio analysis.

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.0M/yr

75.0% probability / year

Normal uneventful year with routine monitoring, retrievals, research, and administration but no major incidents.

regular retrievals routine testing no exposures or public leaks

🚨 Minor Incident $1.1M/yr

8.0% probability / year +$25K vs baseline

Single accidental exposure or small containment lapse requiring limited medical/legal response and investigation.

accidental playback single-subject exposure minor legal payout

🚨 Major Investigation $1.2M/yr

15.0% probability / year +$200K vs baseline

Sustained field operations are launched to identify deliverers, requiring expanded surveillance, forensic work, and travel.

intensified delivery activity new evidence requiring multi-jurisdiction ops expanded forensic campaigns

🚨 Public Exposure $2.0M/yr

2.0% probability / year +$1.0M vs baseline

Widespread public leak or viral dissemination of recordings requiring major PR, legal containment, mass recall, and potential indemnities.

public release of recording media attention multiple harmed civilians

👥 Personnel 6 total

Role	Count	Notes
Research Scientist	2	Mid-level memetics/neuroscience researchers responsible for study design, analysis, and publications; salaries included in staff_wages.
Memetics Researcher	1	Specialist in memetic effects and containment protocols; salary included in staff_wages.
Audiologist / Neurolab Tech	1	Runs audio capture, playback control, EEG sessions and equipment maintenance; salary included in staff_wages.
Security Officer / MTF Agent	2	Access enforcement, retrieval escort, and site response coverage; salaries included in staff_wages.

📋 Confidence Notes

Analyst notes provide detailed line-item ranges for most categories, but memetic effects and investigative scale introduce uncertainty in long-term operational tempo and escalation likelihood.

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