SCP-4704 — SCP-4704 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-4704 Neutralized ~ medium confidence

SCP-4704

Expected annual

$3.8M

One-time setup

$7.3M

Annual recurring

$3.7M

Personnel

Estimated one-time setup costs are roughly $7.3M driven primarily by acquisition payments, facility retrofit/build and heavy-lift logistics; annual recurring costs are ~ $3.68M driven mainly by staff wages, security, and facilities/energy.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $7.3M

Acquisition Payments $1.8M

[#2] Purchase/acquisition payments, indemnities or expropriation costs to secure dispersed items from private owners/museums.

Archival Storage Reserve $1.2M

[#22] Long-term archival & storage expansion contingency / reserve fund for decades-long custody obligations.

Crating And Transport Prep $600K

[#6] Specialized transport, custom crating, vibration isolation and insurance-grade packing for large and small spheres.

Archaeological Fieldwork Initial $600K

[#13] Initial multi-site archaeological survey/excavation program and in-situ conservation to contextualize finds.

Cataloging And Digital Archive Setup $455K

[#11] High-resolution photography/3D scans for 300 items and initial database development/cataloging labor.

Field Recovery $418K

[#1] Field recovery / salvage operations (crane/rigging/truck/permits and local hires) for large and small items — aggregated estimate.

Initial Research And Lab Setup $400K

[#5, #12] Conservation lab buildout, microscopes/benches and initial scientific testing/consumables for early program.

Heavy Equipment Purchase $400K

[#7] Purchase of minimal heavy equipment fleet (forklifts/crane/flatbeds) as capital option.

Replica And Pr Initial $350K

[#15, #19] Initial replica fabrication for high-visibility pieces and initial PR/cover-story expenses and exhibit swaps.

Facilities $300K

[#3] Retrofit/build-to-suit or retrofit & crane installation for secure storage (reinforced floors, gantry/crane installation).

Legal Diplomatic Initial $288K

[#14] Legal/diplomatic retainers, negotiation budgets and initial repatriation negotiation costs.

Equipment $225K

[#4, #9] One-time HVAC equipment and electronic security/CCTV/environmental sensor installation.

Disposal And Salvage $125K

[#20] Disposal/remediation of destroyed fragments and associated archaeological salvage/lab work.

Replica Database And Legal Initial $88K

[#21] Legal safeguards, NDAs, copyrights and documentation to protect replica designs and cover narratives (initial).

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $3.7M/yr

Staff Wages $1.0M/yr

[#16] Core program staff (project manager, curator, conservators, archaeologists, logistician, registrar, DB admin) loaded salaries.

Security Personnel $600K/yr

[#8] 24/7 guarded storage staffing (12 guards, overtime, transport security teams) and related benefits.

Research And Monitoring $500K/yr

[#12, #17] Ongoing scientific studies (dating, petrography, isotopic analyses) and provenance tracking / monitoring program.

Facilities Maintenance $450K/yr

[#3, #4, #7] Ongoing lease (warehouse footprint), facility maintenance, HVAC energy/maintenance and heavy-equipment upkeep.

Insurance And Risk Transfer $200K/yr

[#10] Annual premiums for theft/damage/art transport insurance and liability coverage based on declared values.

Incident Response Fund $200K/yr

[#18] Annual contingency for emergency stabilization, re-lifts, urgent conservation triage and PR/legal response.

Cover Story And Legal $180K/yr

[#14, #15, #21, #19] Ongoing legal/diplomatic retainers, PR, replica program maintenance and legal upkeep for cover narratives.

Archaeological Fieldwork Recurring $150K/yr

[#13] Periodic field seasons, small surveys and follow-up excavations.

Supplies And Consumables $100K/yr

[#5] Ongoing conservation consumables, packaging materials and per-artifact treatment supplies.

Logistics And Transport $100K/yr

[#6, #7] Recurring transport costs, ad-hoc heavy-lift rentals if needed, and transport insurance/operations.

Public Education And Replica Program $75K/yr

[#19, #15] Ongoing replica manufacturing and public educational outreach to reduce suspicion and support community relations.

Archival Storage Maintenance $50K/yr

[#22] Annual contributions for long-term storage expansion contingency and major conservation cycles.

Electronic Security Monitoring $30K/yr

[#9] Remote monitoring, alarm service contracts and maintenance for CCTV/environmental sensors.

Replica Legal Maintenance $30K/yr

[#21] Ongoing legal maintenance for replica copyrights, NDAs and suppression measures.

Digital Archive Maintenance $15K/yr

[#11] Server, backup and database hosting/maintenance costs for digital archive and 3D assets.

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $3.7M/yr

85.0% probability / year

Normal year with standard operations, no major incidents.

routine recovery scheduled research standard facility operations

🚨 Minor Incident $3.9M/yr

10.0% probability / year +$250K vs baseline

Minor damage during recovery/transport requiring emergency stabilization and extra conservation.

damage during lift transport accident urgent conservation triage

🚨 Political Exposure $5.2M/yr

3.0% probability / year +$1.5M vs baseline

Diplomatic dispute or public outcry forcing repatriation payments, extended negotiations and major PR/legal response.

government demands repatriation claim major negative media attention

🚨 Research Scale Up $7.7M/yr

2.0% probability / year +$4.0M vs baseline

Decision or requirement to scale program rapidly (large acquisitions, build dedicated facility) in a single year.

capex approval mass acquisition campaign building dedicated consolidation facility

👥 Personnel 22 total

Role	Count	Notes
Project Manager / Curator	1	[#16] Oversees program, liaison with stakeholders.
Research Scientist	2	[#16, #12] Scientific analyses, sample management and publication.
Conservator / Lab Technician	2	[#5] Conservation treatments and lab work.
Archaeologist / Field Technician	1	[#13] Fieldwork leadership and excavation teams.
Logistician / Registrar	1	[#6, #16] Shipping, chain-of-custody and artifact tracking.
Database Administrator	1	[#11] Cataloging, digital archive and 3D asset management.
Monitoring Investigator / Outreach	2	[#17] Provenance tracking, museum/outreach monitoring and rapid-response to new sightings.
Security Officer	12	[#8] Onsite guards (3 shifts × 4) and transport security teams.

📋 Confidence Notes

Estimates are derived from detailed analyst notes and realistic museum/archaeological cost ranges but many inputs are wide ranges (acquisition valuations, number of recoveries, build vs. lease choices), so uncertainty remains.

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