SCP-4903 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-4903
Expected annual
$1.6M
One-time setup
$326K
Annual recurring
$1.6M
Personnel
10
Estimated one-time setup costs are approximately $326,150, driven mainly by specialized research instrumentation, timekeeping equipment, and initial data-security/amnestic stock. Recurring annual operations are estimated at $1,595,250/yr, dominated by personnel wages, an annual contingency reserve, and ongoing data-security/monitoring costs.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $326K
Initial Research And Lab Setup $120K
[#12, #13] Initial specialized laboratory analysis campaign (metallurgy, spectroscopy, mass spec) and high-precision timekeeping/temporal-research equipment purchases.
Data Security Setup $90K
[#14] Initial secure-network, anti-memetic tooling, hardened storage, and information-security setup.
Equipment $56K
[#3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #16, #17, #19, #20] Cameras/recorders and clocks, monitoring workstation & software, tethering/delivery tools, initial decon kit, bonesaw & first-aid hardware, text-to-speech hardware, secure item storage hardware, emergency retrieval equipment, and UPS installation.
Amnestic Stock Initial $28K
[#7] Initial secure stock of Class-B amnestics stored per protocol.
Facilities $16K
[#1] Structural reinforcement, mounting plates, welding, and inspection for two load-bearing hooks and chamber modifications.
Initial Vetting $12K
[#21] Initial background checks/clearance processing for assigned personnel (estimate for ~10-person team).
Industrial Safety Net $4K
[#2] Removable safety net and mounting system installation.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.6M/yr
Staff Wages $710K/yr
[#8, #9, #10] Round-the-clock security staff (6 guards), research lead/technician salaries, and monitoring/conversation-staff wages (2 FTE equivalents).
Contingency Reserve $500K/yr
[#22] Annual reserved fund for large-scale memetic remediation, emergency amnestic deployment, PR/legal response, and rapid specialist procurement.
Data Security Operations $125K/yr
[#14] Ongoing operational costs for secure networks, audits, anti-memetic training, and incident remediation capabilities.
Research And Monitoring $85K/yr
[#12, #13, #23] Ongoing lab follow-ups and consumables, calibration/maintenance for precision timekeeping, and longitudinal research program expenses.
Cover Story And Legal $65K/yr
[#11, #24] Ethics committee / administrative overhead, legal counsel, insurance, and compliance audits.
Supplies And Consumables $20K/yr
[#6, #7, #15] Decontamination consumables, ongoing amnestic/controlled-handling replacements, and consumables/replacements for approved items privileges.
Psych Services $20K/yr
[#10] Psychological follow-up, monitoring, and amnestic-treatment budget for conversation partners and affected staff.
Background Vetting Ongoing $20K/yr
[#21] Periodic re-screening and ongoing vetting for assigned personnel (~10 people).
Facilities Maintenance $15K/yr
[#18, #20, #17] Scheduled inspections and certifications, incremental power/HVAC & UPS maintenance, and secure-sample-storage environmental upkeep.
Emergency Drills Training $15K/yr
[#19] Annual tabletop exercises, emergency drills, and training for retrieval/post-distortion response.
Logistics And Transport $12K/yr
[#25] Item/sample transport between sites, shipping to external labs, and routine logistical costs.
Storage Hosting $6K/yr
[#3, #4] Ongoing video storage/backup and archival hosting costs for continuous recording retention.
Text To Speech Maintenance $2K/yr
[#16] Maintenance, licensing, and filtering for isolated text-to-speech/web-search appliance.
Industrial Safety Net Inspection $500/yr
[#2] Annual inspection/repair budget for mounted safety net.
Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.6M/yr
90.0% probability / year
Normal operational year with no major incidents; routine research, monitoring, and scheduled maintenance only.
no_incident routine_maintenance scheduled_research
🚨 Minor Incident $1.7M/yr
8.0% probability / year +$150K vs baseline
Localized equipment failure, small memetic information leak, or a minor containment-related injury requiring repairs, limited amnestic deployment, and legal/admin response.
localized_equipment_failure small_memetic_leak minor_injury
🚨 Major Breach $3.1M/yr
2.0% probability / year +$1.5M vs baseline
Significant information exposure or containment breach resulting in large-scale remediation, mass amnestic use, replacement of systems, and extended legal/PR operations.
large_memetic_exposure containment_breach public_exposure
👥 Personnel 10 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 6 [#8] 2 guards per shift × 3 shifts (on-site, 24/7) as minimum staffing.
Research Scientist 1 [#9] Full-time research lead to supervise experiments and Ethics coordination.
Technician / Lab Technician 1 [#9] Full-time technician for instrumentation, sample handling, and operations support.
Monitoring Staff / Conversation Partners 2 [#10] Equivalent of 2 FTEs for monitored conversation partners, transcription, and review duties.
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed line-item ranges which allow a mid-range estimate, but uncertainty remains around amnestic unit costs/quantities, contingency drawdown frequency/size, and low-probability breach impacts; scenario probabilities are expert estimates rather than empirical frequencies.
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