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SCP-4904 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-4904
Expected annual
$402K
One-time setup
$247K
Annual recurring
$399K
Personnel
4.5
One-time setup costs are approximately $247,000 driven primarily by the custom reinforced test rig and contingency/overhead; ongoing annual operations are approximately $398,850/yr driven largely by specialist staff wages and an allocated contingency overhead.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $247K
Initial Research And Lab Setup $106K
[#6, #15, #20] Research/lab buildout and instrumentation: reinforced test rig (design+fabrication/control electronics) estimated at $100,000, emulation/test software one-time costs $3,000, cataloging/documentation one-time setup $3,000.
Equipment $51K
[#2, #3, #5, #7, #8, #9, #13, #14, #17] One-time hardware purchases and installs: climate-control unit ($8,000), environmental monitoring system ($2,500), anti-vibration mounts ($1,000), legacy GD-ROM drives/spares ($8,000), forensic imaging hardware ($5,000), high-speed/thermal cameras & sensors ($7,000), secure transport container ($2,500), data storage/NAS initial hardware ($12,000), PPE/cleanup kit one-time portion ($5,000).
Contingency Overhead $40K
[#22] One-time component of recommended contingency/overhead ($40,000 one-time equivalent as per analyst guidance).
Facilities $25K
[#1, #4] One-time costs for dedicating/modifying a Safe-class storage locker ($10,000) and installation/tie-in of a clean-agent fire suppression upgrade ($15,000).
Legal And Cover $25K
[#19] One-time legal/cover contingency for provenance, NDAs, acquisition fees and outreach contingency (~$25,000).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $399K/yr
Staff Wages $320K/yr
[#10, #11, #12] Recurring personnel costs: Mechanical/Electrical engineer contractor time (~$50,000/yr), Digital Archivist + Reverse Engineer (~$190,000/yr), additional/marginal guard coverage (~$80,000/yr).
Contingency Overhead $60K/yr
[#22] Recurring contingency/overhead budget (~20% of operating costs as recommended; analyst suggested ~$60,000/yr).
Research And Monitoring $12K/yr
[#3, #15, #21, #23] Recurring monitoring/calibration and programmatic activities: environmental monitoring calibration/monitoring (~$500/yr), software support/updates (~$1,000/yr), periodic audits/compliance reviews (~$5,000/yr), long-term preservation/training (~$5,000/yr).
Supplies And Consumables $4K/yr
[#14, #16, #17, #20] Consumables and small recurring supplies: data/media refresh & storage maintenance (~$1,500/yr), handling consumables (~$1,200/yr), PPE replenishment (~$500/yr), ongoing documentation updates (~$300/yr).
Logistics And Transport $2K/yr
[#12, #13] Transport-related recurring costs: assumed one secure off-site transfer per year at ~$2,000 plus consumable tamper-seal replacement (~$250/transfer).
Facilities Maintenance $2K/yr
[#2, #4] Annual maintenance/energy costs: climate control energy & filter maintenance (~$600/yr) and fire suppression inspection (~$1,000/yr).
Cover Story And Legal $0/yr
[]
Incident Response Reserve $0/yr
[#18] Per-incident contingency reserve is not budgeted as a fixed annual sum here; incident response and forensic analysis cost is estimated at $15,000 per incident and is modeled in adverse scenarios.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $399K/yr
93.5% probability / year
Normal uneventful year with routine operations, scheduled monitoring, and no major incidents.
no_long_tests_or_incidents routine_maintenance_and_imaging
🚨 Minor Incident $424K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$25K vs baseline
A single short-to-moderate test results in disc deformation/fragments requiring cleanup, fragment forensics, and modest equipment repair.
disc_deformation fragment_cleanup forensic_analysis
🚨 Major Test Failure $524K/yr
1.0% probability / year +$125K vs baseline
Long-duration test damages/requires replacement of the reinforced test rig and additional cleanup/analysis.
rig_destruction large_scale_fragmentation extended_forensics
🚨 Political Exposure $429K/yr
0.5% probability / year +$30K vs baseline
Provenance leaks or public attention require substantial legal, acquisition, and outreach expenditures to contain reputational risk.
provenance_leak collector_attention legal_challenge
👥 Personnel 4.5 total
Role Count Notes
Mechanical / Electrical Engineer 0.5 [#10] 0.5 FTE-equivalent contractor for design/maintenance of test rig (~$50,000/yr).
Digital Archivist 1 [#11] 1 FTE archivist to image and document media (~$70,000/yr).
Reverse Engineer 1 [#11] 1 FTE reverse engineer for analysis and emulation (~$120,000/yr).
Security Officer / MTF Agent 2 [#12] Two additional/marginal guard coverage estimated at ~$80,000/yr (marginal extras beyond site baseline).
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed line-item estimates for equipment, staff, and contingencies, so core costs are reasonably well-defined; however several assumptions (transfer frequency, incident rates, contingency sizing, and the decision to perform long-duration tests) introduce uncertainty, so confidence is medium.
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