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SCP-420 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-420
Expected annual
$328K
One-time setup
$186K
Annual recurring
$321K
Personnel
8
One-time startup capital is modest under a containment-only posture (~$187k in this baseline, dominated by research startup and a contingency reserve). Recurring annual costs are dominated by staff wages (research, medical, and 24/7 surveillance) and ongoing research/monitoring, totaling ~$321k/yr in the baseline.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $186K
Initial Research And Lab Setup $111K
[#6, #15, #21] Initial analytical/testing program and research program startup: initial GC-MS/characterization program (#6 one-time), expanded research program startup (pharmacology/animal work/clinical protocol development) (#15 one-time), and consumable capital included as part of initial lab setup (#21 one-time).
Contingency Reserve $50K
[#20] One-time contingency reserve held for escalation, replenishment, or special actions.
Equipment $26K
[#1, #2, #9, #11, #14, #19, #21] One-time purchase and installation: secure storage locker hardware and sealed vessel/biometric lock (#1), chain-of-custody RFID/tablet setup hardware and license portion (#2 one-time), CCTV cameras and recorders install (#9 one-time), initial SCP-420-1 decon container (#11 one-time), emergency response gear/equipment (#14 one-time), IT/hardened storage hardware (#19 one-time), miscellaneous capital (replacement bottle replicas, sterile glassware) (#21 one-time).
Facilities $0
[]
Incinerator Capital $0
[#13] Option A (on-site incinerator) exists but is NOT funded in baseline; baseline uses contract disposal. Capital set to $0 for baseline posture.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $321K/yr
Staff Wages $228K/yr
[#3, #4, #5, #7, #8] Recurring labor: Level-3 access/admin audits and clearance work (#3), part-time research scientist salary pro rata (~0.2–0.3 FTE) (#4), lab technician pro rata (~0.3–0.5 FTE) (#5), medical staffing and on-call physician consultation (~0.3–0.5 FTE) (#7), dedicated 24/7 surveillance guards/observers rotation for phase-4 subjects (#8).
Research And Monitoring $53K/yr
[#6, #15] Ongoing analytical testing and confirmation runs (#6 recurring), and ongoing R&D/treatment program funding (pharmacology, trials, animal models) (#15 recurring).
Cover Story And Legal $20K/yr
[#18] Documentation, record redaction, legal/OPSEC consultations and cover-story upkeep (#18).
Supplies And Consumables $8K/yr
[#10, #11, #12, #16, #21] PPE and disposable consumables (#10), periodic replacement/seals for decon container (#11 recurring), biohazardous liquid waste processing/disposal (#12), increased rations budgeting for phase-3 infectees (#16), recurring small replacements of glassware/labels (#21 recurring).
Logistics And Transport $6K/yr
[#17, #13] Secure transport budget for couriers/secure trips and inter-site transfers (#17), plus allowance for occasional contracted cremation/incineration per-event costs when used rather than building an on-site incinerator (#13 recurring Option B).
Emergency Response Training $3K/yr
[#14] Annual refresher training and exercises for the rapid-response containment team (#14 recurring).
Facilities Maintenance $2K/yr
[#9] CCTV and recorder maintenance, storage upkeep and minor site maintenance for monitoring equipment (#9 recurring).
It Security And Backup $2K/yr
[#19] Ongoing IT security, encrypted backups and maintenance for sensitive test results (#19 recurring).
Chain Of Custody Maintenance $200/yr
[#2] Ongoing software/license maintenance for chain-of-custody logging and minimal IT integration (#2 recurring).
Contingency Replenish $0/yr
[#20] Annual replenishment of contingency reserve is budgeted as-needed; baseline assumes no planned annual replenish.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $321K/yr
94.0% probability / year
Normal operating year with containment maintained, routine monitoring, and modest research activity using contract disposal for extreme cases; no major incidents or capital projects.
routine monitoring scheduled research activity no containment breaches
🚨 Minor Incident $351K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$30K vs baseline
Single localized containment incident (e.g., accidental bottle breach or a phase-4 case requiring emergency measures) requiring extra medical treatment, incident response, and one-off disposal/forensic costs.
accidental exposure or bottle breach single phase-4 subject escalation emergency response deployment
🚨 Major Breach $821K/yr
1.0% probability / year +$500K vs baseline
Multiple-phase escalation or outbreak requiring large-scale emergency actions: on-site incinerator construction or many contracted disposals, major legal/containment actions, and rapid research scale-up.
multiple phase-6 cases major containment breach need for capital incinerator or large-scale disposal
👥 Personnel 8 total
Role Count Notes
Research Scientist 1 [#4] One Level-3 researcher assigned (0.2–0.3 FTE pro rata).
Laboratory Technician 1 [#5] One lab technician (0.3–0.5 FTE equivalent) handling assays and GC-MS runs.
Medical Officer / Nurse 1 [#7] One medical staff member (0.3–0.5 FTE equivalent) for monitoring and treatment.
Security Officer / MTF Agent 4 [#8] Rotating guards/observers for 24/7 surveillance of phase-4 subjects (3–4 personnel to maintain coverage).
Administrative Staff 1 [#3] Level-3 access administrator / auditor (0.05–0.1 FTE equivalent).
📋 Confidence Notes
Estimates use midpoints of ranges provided in analyst notes and assume baseline use of existing site infrastructure (no on-site incinerator). Uncertainty arises from optional capital choices (incinerator vs contract disposal), rare-event probabilities, and variability in staffing intensity and research scope.
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