SCP-349 — SCP-349 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-349 Safe ~ medium confidence

SCP-349

Expected annual

$1.6M

One-time setup

$772K

Annual recurring

$1.5M

Personnel

Initial capital/setup costs are approximately $672,000 driven by perimeter upgrades, field station and secure storage build-out, and equipment purchases; steady-state annual operating costs are about $1,516,275/year driven primarily by staff wages, a response-team retainer, and ongoing research/monitoring expenditures.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $772K

Facilities $255K

[#1, #10, #16, #26] Perimeter fence and gate upgrades, small field station/shelter build-out, construction/installation of climate-controlled freezer/vault, and set-aside for site expansion construction.

Incident Emergency Fund $200K

[#21] One-time contingency/reserve for emergency remediation and extraordinary expenditures.

Equipment $197K

[#3, #4, #5, #6, #9, #12, #17] Remote surveillance hardware, off-grid power setup, secure communications hardware, on-site SAN video storage (choice of on-prem), vehicle purchases (2x 4x4s), initial biohazard PPE kit, and evidence locker/barcoding hardware.

Site Expansion Reserve $100K

[#26] One-time placeholder for potential larger expansion (ground prep, markers, stonework) if required.

Cover Story Buyouts $20K

[#22] One-time buyouts/landowner agreements/initial legal/PR cover payments.

Initial Research And Lab Setup $0

[] No dedicated one-time laboratory purchase (specialized equipment hires used instead; purchase option not selected).

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.5M/yr

Staff Wages $590K/yr

[#7, #18] On-site rotating security personnel (2 guards) and specialist research staff salaries (project lead, archaeologist/anthropologist/forensic specialists, conservator).

Response Team Retainer $300K/yr

[#8] Standby/retainer costs (personnel allocation, training retention) for a tactical rapid-response team assigned to the site.

Contingency Reserve $198K/yr

[#30] 15% annual contingency set-aside for scalability and unplanned growth (10-30% guidance; midpoint applied).

Research And Monitoring $166K/yr

[#6, #11, #13, #14, #15, #27, #28, #29] Video storage/analytics maintenance, scheduled exhumation campaigns, forensic autopsy/pathology analyses, radiocarbon/material analysis campaigns, DNA sequencing per-specimen costs, scientific collaboration/travel, mobile imaging hires, and training/protocol development.

Supplies And Consumables $62K/yr

[#12, #20] PPE resupply and general lab consumables/reagents/sterile disposables for ongoing research.

Incident Fund Replenish $50K/yr

[#21] Annual replenishment to the emergency remediation reserve.

Information Security $45K/yr

[#23] Data redaction, takedown/legal monitoring, secure database maintenance, and infosec staffing/tools.

Cover Story And Legal $40K/yr

[#22] Ongoing legal, public affairs, cover-story maintenance, payments to local parties, and records-sealing/legal fees.

Logistics And Transport $24K/yr

[#9, #24] Vehicle operating costs (fuel/insurance/maintenance) and per-transport costs for moving remains/hazardous shipments.

Psychological Services $12K/yr

[#19] Counseling, health monitoring, vaccinations, and staff medical screening related to exposure to remains.

Biohazard Waste Disposal $9K/yr

[#25] Incineration/medical waste contractor fees for contaminated PPE/soil/pathology waste.

Facilities Maintenance $8K/yr

[#2, #10] Ongoing fence/ground maintenance, vegetation control, and small field station utilities/repairs.

Communications And Telemetry $7K/yr

[#5] Satellite/microwave link subscription and encrypted telemetry service fees.

Storage Maintenance $6K/yr

[#16] Electricity and maintenance for climate-controlled mortuary freezer/refrigeration and climate vault upkeep.

Site Expansion Maintenance $5K/yr

[#26] Additional maintenance costs associated with any incremental plots/markers and landscape upkeep.

Evidence Systems Maintenance $3K/yr

[#17] Support/licensing and maintenance for chain-of-custody systems, barcoding, and evidence lockers.

Power Maintenance $2K/yr

[#4] Fuel, generator maintenance, and battery servicing for off-grid power systems.

Surveillance Maintenance $1K/yr

[#3] Maintenance and replacement parts for cameras, sensors, PTZ and mounts.

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.5M/yr

86.0% probability / year

Normal, uneventful year covering routine security, research, maintenance, and monitoring.

routine_surveillance scheduled_research_campaigns no_major_incidents

🚨 Minor Incident $1.6M/yr

12.0% probability / year +$28K vs baseline

Localized vandalism, a small unauthorized excavation, or one-off exhumation requiring rapid response and limited additional forensics.

vandalism unauthorized_entry single-dig_recovery

🚨 Major Breach $2.8M/yr

2.0% probability / year +$1.2M vs baseline

Significant containment incident or large-scale unauthorized excavation requiring emergency remediation, heavy excavation, extended MTF operations, and possible purchase of specialized equipment.

large_scale_excavation prolonged_remediation specialized_equipment_purchase

👥 Personnel 6 total

Role	Count	Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent	2	[#7] Rotating on-call guards to deter vandalism and respond to alarms.
Project Lead / Research Scientist	1	[#18] Lead investigator/project manager for research into anomalous preservation and oversight of site operations.
Research Specialist (Archaeologist / Anthropologist / Forensic Scientist)	2	[#18] Specialist researchers for excavation, dating, and material analysis.
Conservator	1	[#18] Artifact and remains conservation and long-term preservation specialist.

📋 Confidence Notes

Analyst notes provide detailed line items and ranges making order-of-magnitude estimates reliable, but many items have wide ranges (e.g., equipment purchase vs. hire, frequency of exhumations, scale of response), so exact figures retain moderate uncertainty.

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