SCP-3821 — SCP-3821 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-3821 Safe ✓ high confidence

SCP-3821

Expected annual

$613K

One-time setup

$336K

Annual recurring

$608K

Personnel

Initial capital costs are moderate (~$336k one-time) driven by facility construction (vault + humanoid cell) and equipment (mail sorter, CCTV, shredder). Recurring annual costs are dominated by personnel wages and overhead (~$608k/yr), with security staffing and an assigned researcher as the main drivers.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $336K

Facilities $170K

[#1, #3] Secure storage vault construction and 5m×5m×3m humanoid containment cell (vault fit-out, reinforced door, view port, sanitation, wiring).

Equipment $64K

[#2, #4, #5, #10, #17, #18] Electronic access readers/alarm integration ($10k), mail chute & sorting unit installation ($27,500), CCTV & sensors ($14k), industrial shredder/incinerator ($7k), initial PPE kit ($1k), IT/data security setup ($5k).

Program Contingency Uplift One Time $44K

[#22] One-time contingency uplift (15% applied to one-time capital subtotal) per administrative recommendation.

Initial Research And Lab Setup $25K

[#13] Forensic testing and anomaly characterization (testing mailings, lab time, instrumentation).

Contingency Reserve $25K

[#14] One-time contingency/reserve fund to finance retrievals or incident response operations.

Opsec Vetting $8K

[#16] Initial background checks / vetting for ~10 staff (midpoint estimate).

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $608K/yr

Staff Wages $390K/yr

[#6, #7] Security staffing (4 FTE × $60,000 = $240k/yr) and assigned researcher / containment specialist + part-time testing contingency (~$150k/yr).

Insurance Overhead $70K/yr

[#20] Insurance/site overhead and administrative charge (15% of recurring subtotal before uplift; midpoint of 10–20% range).

Program Contingency Uplift $70K/yr

[#22] Recurring contingency uplift (15% applied to recurring program subtotal) per administrative recommendation.

Cover Story And Legal $22K/yr

[#11, #15] Front business cover maintenance (Royal Paper Distributor) ~$12k/yr and legal/compliance counsel & retainer ~$10k/yr.

Supplies And Consumables $15K/yr

[#8, #9] SCP-3821-1 care (food, medical, bedding) ~$15,000/yr and consumables for insertion protocol ~$300/yr (envelopes, stamps, stationery).

Contingency Response Fund $10K/yr

[#14] Recurring contingency budget for retrievals, legal mitigation, and rapid-response tasking.

Facilities Maintenance $8K/yr

[#19] Maintenance & spare parts for cell components, mail sorter, cameras, door actuators, HVAC.

Logistics And Transport $6K/yr

[#12] Secure internal transfers, vehicle/fuel/escort for occasional off-site transport.

Opsec Cover Media $6K/yr

[#21] PR/cover diversion budget to manage local attention and protect the front company.

Cctv Storage And Backup $2K/yr

[#5] Secure video storage, backups, and camera maintenance (estimate midpoint).

Opsec Training $2K/yr

[#16] Annual OPSEC refresher training and recertification.

It And Data Security $2K/yr

[#18] Ongoing IT maintenance, intrusion detection, and secure logging software updates.

Mail Sorter Maintenance $2K/yr

[#4] Mail chute and sorting unit maintenance and minor repairs.

Mail Disposal Services $1K/yr

[#10] Secure disposal contracts / operating costs for shredding/incineration (mid-range).

Vault Access And Alarm Support $1K/yr

[#2] Ongoing support/maintenance for electronic access readers, alarm integration and logging.

Ppe Restock $500/yr

[#17] PPE replacement and consumables (gloves, wipes, evidence bags).

Research And Monitoring $0/yr

[]

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $608K/yr

94.0% probability / year

Normal uneventful year with routine operations, scheduled insertions every three days, and no major incidents.

routine_operations no_incidents

🚨 Minor Incident $643K/yr

5.0% probability / year +$35K vs baseline

Small external exposure or misaddressed letter that requires retrieval, legal mitigation, and PR work.

misaddressed_letter civilian_receipt local_attention

🚨 Major Breach $858K/yr

1.0% probability / year +$250K vs baseline

Serious incident such as an explosive mail event, major security breach, injuries, or extensive exposure requiring repairs, legal action and increased security.

explosive_mail security_breach civilian_injuries

👥 Personnel 5 total

Role	Count	Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent	4	[#6] 24/7 coverage: minimum 3–4 FTE; estimate uses 4 full-time guards for shift coverage.
Research Scientist	1	[#7] One assigned researcher/containment specialist (full-time) responsible for oversight and testing coordination.

📋 Confidence Notes

Analyst notes provide detailed line-item estimates, ranges, and specific operational requirements; costs are straightforward (construction, equipment, personnel, cover) so estimates are well-founded.

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