SCP-3342 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-3342
Expected annual
$2.0M
One-time setup
$1.8M
Annual recurring
$2.0M
Personnel
15
One-time capital costs are driven by greenhouse construction/retrofit, laboratory instrumentation, transport vehicles and a recommended emergency reserve; recurring costs are dominated by staff wages (MTF + research + security), utilities, research program costs, instrumentation access and field operations.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $1.8M
Emergency Reserve $600K
[#19] Contingency / rapid-response fund (mobilization, quarantine, amnestic surge, contractor decon). Recommended one-time reserve; midpoint of recommended range used.
Facilities $450K
[#1] Construction/retrofit of a secure 10m × 25m × 3m greenhouse: structural shell, insulated glazing, benches, decontamination-rated flooring and access/security provisions. Midpoint of provided range used.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $348K
[#13, #15, #21, #24, #25] Specialized pathology/histology equipment and lab buildout (tissue processors, microtome, cryostat, -80°C storage), tissue-culture/clonal bank setup, refrigerated/backup freezers and alarms, one-time instrumentation purchase (sequencer/MS) option, and LIMS/database setup. Midpoint sums used.
Equipment $258K
[#2, #3, #4, #5] Environmental control & grow systems (HVAC, dehumidification, CO2 control, LED lighting, UPS/generator), HEPA filtration/airlocks/decon pass-throughs, physical security systems (CCTV, intrusion detection, biometric access), secure transport containers and chain-of-custody equipment. Midpoint sums of ranges used.
Vehicles $140K
[#6] One-time purchase/retrofit of 1–2 secure vans/trucks for seizures and sample transport (refrigeration/secure storage, stealth wrapping). Midpoint of provided range used.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $2.0M/yr
Staff Wages $1.2M/yr
[#7, #8, #9] Salaries/benefits for MTF Theta-4 seizure team (~6 operators), routine 24/7 site security staffing, and dedicated scientific staff (PI, plant scientists, lab techs). Midpoint totals of provided ranges used and allocated to role groups.
Research And Monitoring $489K/yr
[#12, #23, #24, #25] Per-sample analysis and lab assays budget, dedicated research program funding, recurring instrumentation access/maintenance (if purchased) or per-run core facility costs, and LIMS/database maintenance. Midpoint estimates used.
Facilities Maintenance $106K/yr
[#6, #20, #21] Vehicle maintenance/fuel for field ops, utilities for greenhouse (electricity for grow lighting, HVAC, water), and ongoing power/consumables for refrigerated storage. Midpoint sums used.
Cover Story And Legal $55K/yr
[#18] Annual legal/cover-up, fabricated paperwork, liaison/forensic consults, and cover identity maintenance. Midpoint of provided range used.
Amnestic And Medical Support $55K/yr
[#17] Class B amnestic production/administration, medical staff time and post-administration follow-up averaged over expected administrations (midpoint used).
Supplies And Consumables $44K/yr
[#11, #14, #15, #16] Field seizure consumables and incidentals, cultivation consumables (soil, substrate, bulbs/LED replacement, irrigation parts), tissue-culture consumables (ongoing), and biohazard/waste disposal. Midpoint sums used.
Logistics And Transport $19K/yr
[#10] Monthly field assessment and cover operation travel, lodging, per diem, rental vehicles and related covert operation costs. Midpoint of provided range used.
Psych Medical Surveillance $18K/yr
[#22] Psychological support, annual medical surveillance, serology and counseling for exposed staff. Midpoint used.
Misc Admin Overhead $15K/yr
[#26] Administrative overhead, background reinvestigations, training refreshers, SOP updates and internal audits. Midpoint used.
Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $2.0M/yr
90.0% probability / year
Normal uneventful year with scheduled seizures, routine research, and no significant incidents.
regular_monthly_seizures routine_research_activity no_breaches_or_major_incidents
🚨 Minor Incident $2.0M/yr
6.0% probability / year +$50K vs baseline
Localized contamination, small breach, or a single-resource emergency requiring overtime, limited replacement equipment and targeted decontamination.
localized_contamination limited_breach_requiring_overtime targeted_decontamination_services
🚨 Major Breach $2.5M/yr
2.0% probability / year +$500K vs baseline
Significant containment breach or discovery forcing large-scale seizure, mass amnestic deployment, contractor decon and legal/PR response.
containment_breach mass_amnestics large_scale_decontamination
🚨 Research Breakthrough Requiring Scale Up $3.0M/yr
2.0% probability / year +$1.0M vs baseline
A research breakthrough or clinical-trial opportunity requires rapid scale-up: capital purchases, additional hires, and expanded containment capacity.
positive_transplant_viability_results regulatory_or_internal_decision_to_scale rapid_equipment_and_staff_hiring
👥 Personnel 15 total
Role Count Notes
MTF Theta-4 / Seizure Team 6 [#7] Six operators assumed (training, benefits included) consistent with analyst example; represents the seizure team staff covered in staff_wages.
Security Officer / Site Guards 4 [#8] On-site security staffing to provide 24/7 greenhouse protection (midpoint budgeted).
Research Scientist / PI 1 [#9] Principal Investigator for SCP-3342 research program (fully loaded salary included).
Research Scientist / Plant Scientist 2 [#9] Plant scientists / pathologist roles to run experiments and assays (fully loaded salaries included).
Laboratory Technician 2 [#9] Lab technicians to maintain cultures, run assays and support hands-on containment work (fully loaded salaries included).
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed line items and ranges for nearly all cost drivers, enabling midpoint-based estimates; uncertainty remains in frequency/severity of incidents, decisions about purchasing vs. core-facility use of instrumentation, and eventual program scale, so confidence is medium.
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