SCP-531 — SCP-531 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-531 Safe ✓ high confidence

SCP-531

Expected annual

$944K

One-time setup

$1.3M

Annual recurring

$930K

Personnel

Initial capital outlay is approximately $1.31M driven by facility construction, transport crates, equipment and cover-story/acquisition costs; recurring annual costs are roughly $930k/year driven by security staffing, contingency funds and ongoing research/maintenance.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $1.3M

Historic Retrieval And Acquisition $400K

[#25] Historical retrieval/acquisition cost estimate for original field extraction (archaeological support, secure transport, diplomatic cover) if budgeting retroactively.

Cover Story Initial $325K

[#20] Initial cover-story/legal/administrative costs for acquisition concealment, fake documentation, travel and diplomatic/field expenses.

Equipment $324K

[#3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8] Sliding motorized alcove doors and actuation, orientation/tamper sensors & automation, CCTV hardware & installation, backup power hardware (UPS/generator) initial purchase, heavy-handling equipment (forklift/gantry) purchase, and custom transport crates (per-statue) purchase.

Facilities $178K

[#1, #2, #9] Marble-lined hallway alcove construction, structural reinforcement/floor loading upgrades, and bolted anchoring/mounting base installation for 14 statues.

It Initial Deployment $28K

[#19] Initial secure IT/database deployment, sensor-logging software, secure hosting setup and integration with monitoring systems.

Initial Research And Lab Setup $20K

[#14] Materials and provenance analysis (XRF, CT, SEM, metallurgical assays) and contracted lab work for initial characterization.

Training Initial $18K

[#18] Initial personnel training and certifications for handling, safety and psychological protocols.

Archive Initial $12K

[#24] Initial archive/redaction tooling and classified records handling setup (secure document processing, tooling).

Hvac Initial $7K

[#21] Initial small-zone HVAC/humidity control installation for the hallway to stabilize environment for brass/tiger-eye stones.

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $930K/yr

Staff Wages $440K/yr

[#10, #11] Routine 24/7 security staffing (6–8 personnel) and remote operations/control-room technician salaries (1–2 FTE).

Research And Monitoring $138K/yr

[#15] Ongoing research and experimental testing budget (instrumentation, subject recruitment, test facilities, consumables and related small personnel costs).

Incident Contingency Fund $125K/yr

[#16] Set-aside fund for rapid retrieval operations, emergency logistics, transport and overtime in case of disappearance or unexpected pairing events.

Conservation And Artifact Maintenance $60K/yr

[#13] Conservation personnel salary and supplies for regular brass/tiger-eye stone maintenance and monthly inspections.

D Class Program Costs $45K/yr

[#12] D-class assignment and supervision program costs (housing, nutrition, supervision and administrative overhead for rotating D-class position).

Cover Story And Legal $40K/yr

[#20] Ongoing cover-story, legal and PR management costs for concealment upkeep and incident handling.

Logistics And Transport $32K/yr

[#17] Internal transport logistics: secured moves, crane rentals, armored/secured vehicle moves and staff overtime for 2–4 moves/year.

Medical And Psych Support $12K/yr

[#22] Medical and psychological screening and support for staff and D-class personnel.

It Maintenance $12K/yr

[#19] Annual IT hosting SLA, secure backups, software maintenance and logging service costs.

Supplies And Consumables $10K/yr

[#23] Spare parts, consumables and maintenance reserve for doors, sensors and CCTV; small consumables for conservator ($2k included in conservator line).

Archive Recurring $6K/yr

[#24] Ongoing archive, redaction and classified records handling staffing and tooling costs.

Training Recurring $6K/yr

[#18] Annual recertification and refresher training for security, handlers and D-class supervisors.

Backup Power Fuel Maintenance $2K/yr

[#6] Fuel and maintenance for on-site generator and UPS upkeep to ensure continuity of doors/sensors/cameras.

Hvac Maintenance $1K/yr

[#21] Electricity and maintenance for small-zone environmental control.

Operator Certification $1K/yr

[#7] Annual operator certification and recertification costs for heavy-handling equipment operators.

Facilities Maintenance $0/yr

[]

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $930K/yr

90.0% probability / year

Normal year with no major incidents; regular operations, maintenance, research and staffing costs only.

routine_operations scheduled_testing no_unexpected_disappearances

🚨 Minor Incident $1.0M/yr

8.0% probability / year +$75K vs baseline

Localized sensor/door failure or a single-statue disappearance requiring a targeted retrieval and repairs.

sensor_or_actuator_failure single_statue_missing small_retrieval_operation

🚨 Major Breach $1.3M/yr

2.0% probability / year +$400K vs baseline

Significant containment breach or loss leading to large-scale retrieval, extended research response and increased cover-story/legal actions.

multiple_disappearances public_exposure extended_retrieval_operation

👥 Personnel 15 total

Role	Count	Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent	8	[#10] 24/7 routine security staffing as described (6–8 FTE); using upper-range staffing for continuous coverage.
Remote Operations / Control-room Technician	2	[#11] 1–2 FTE to monitor sensors/CCTV and operate doors; two positions assumed for coverage.
Research Scientist	1	[#15] Research budget supports at least one lead research scientist for experimental programs.
Lab Technician / Research Assistant	1	[#15] Research operations and experimental setup support (assistants/technicians).
Conservator	1	[#13] Conservator personnel for artifact maintenance and monthly inspections.
D-class Personnel (rotating)	1	[#12] One rotating D-class assigned as-needed for pairing protocols; counted as position supported by recurring D-class program costs.
Engineer / Maintenance	1	[#7, #23] Maintenance/engineer support for heavy-handling equipment, door/motor maintenance and spare-parts servicing.

📋 Confidence Notes

Analyst notes provide detailed line-item ranges for construction, equipment, staffing and recurring budgets allowing mid-point estimates; most costs are tangible and well-described, so confidence is high.

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