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SCP-5368 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-5368
Expected annual
$1.0M
One-time setup
$256K
Annual recurring
$1.0M
Personnel
10
First-year costs are dominated by personnel and contingency/setup spending: one-time setup and contingency funds of $256,000 plus ongoing annual operating costs of $1,022,500, with staff wages (security + research) and legal/contingency reserves as the primary drivers.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $256K
Incident Contingency Fund $100K
[#12] One-time / contingent incident response budget for rapid PR/legal actions and containment response in a major disclosure event.
Breach Response Reserve $50K
[#13] One-time contingency for tactical recovery, transport, forensic work and overtime in event of theft/removal.
Equipment $48K
[#2, #8, #18] Includes high-resolution CCTV/environmental sensors and secure feed (#2), on-site secure server initial hardware (#8), and optional forensic/technical analysis equipment (#18).
Facilities $35K
[#1] Secure containment chamber fit-out with plant-friendly tray, tamper-proof lid, biometric access, internal planting station and basic sensors.
Sop Development $16K
[#9] One-time development of SOPs, memetic-safety protocols, chain-of-custody procedures and initial training materials.
Background Checks Initial $4K
[#10] Initial enhanced background checks / vetting for ~10 staff (behavioral, financial, security-style screening).
Transport Cases $4K
[#14] Secure transport case(s), tamper seals and chain-of-custody hardware (one-time purchase).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $0
[]
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.0M/yr
Staff Wages $640K/yr
[#3, #4] Security staffing (6 FTE guards, #3) plus core research team salaries (memetics researcher, botanist, psychologist, lab tech, #4); includes benefits.
Research And Monitoring $94K/yr
[#6, #8, #9, #17] Subject recruitment & compensation (#6), secure storage/licenses and IT support (#8), annual refresher training/memetic-safety refreshers (#9), and ongoing research program funding/longitudinal studies (#17).
Contingency Payouts Reserve $75K/yr
[#21] Annual reserve to cover low-probability civil litigation/settlements or payouts if misuse/leak causes third-party harm.
Cover Story And Legal $55K/yr
[#11, #12] Ongoing legal/ethics oversight, counsel time and retainer for PR/cover-story and proactive leak monitoring.
Insurance And Legal Reserve $50K/yr
[#16] Insurance/reserve budget for personnel disputes, harm claims and legal defense.
Mental Health Services $45K/yr
[#5] Part-time counseling/clinical support retainer for volunteers and staff affected by tests.
Administration And Opportunity Cost $30K/yr
[#20] Estimated opportunity cost / senior staff time (0.1-0.5 FTE equivalent) for approvals, oversight and administration.
Facilities Maintenance $19K/yr
[#2, #15] Annual maintenance/replacement for CCTV/environmental sensors (#2) plus apportioned energy and facility overhead (HVAC, utilities, janitorial share, #15).
Logistics And Transport $7K/yr
[#14] Per-trip secure transport and courier security costs for moving SCP-5368-1 between labs/sites.
Supplies And Consumables $6K/yr
[#7, #19, #22] Planting soil, sterile tools, disposables and waste handling (#7, #19) plus miscellaneous petty supplies (#22).
Background Checks $2K/yr
[#10] Periodic rechecks and vetting for staff with access.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.0M/yr
94.0% probability / year
Normal year with no major incidents; routine research, monitoring, and overhead only.
no_disclosure routine_operations standard_research_cycle
🚨 Minor Incident $1.1M/yr
5.0% probability / year +$75K vs baseline
Limited unauthorized disclosure or minor theft attempt requiring PR response, legal action, overtime and small forensic work.
small_leak localized_privacy_breach minor_containment_breach
🚨 Major Breach $1.3M/yr
1.0% probability / year +$300K vs baseline
Significant unauthorized disclosure, theft or misuse leading to extensive recovery, legal settlements and larger PR/containment operations.
theft_of_object public_exposure large-scale_litigation
👥 Personnel 10 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 6 [#3] Two guards per shift, three shifts = 6 FTE for 24/7 access control.
Research Scientist (Memetics/Anomalous Research) 1 [#4] Core memetics/anomalous-object researcher.
Research Scientist (Botanist/Plant Technician) 1 [#4] Botanist / plant tech for experiments and plant care.
Research Scientist (Psychologist/Social Researcher) 1 [#4] Psychologist / social researcher to study effects on subjects.
Lab Technician 1 [#4] Lab technician (could be shared) for sample prep and routine operations.
📋 Confidence Notes
Estimates are based on analyst-provided ranges and standard Foundation staffing models; line-item ranges and contingent-event magnitudes produce moderate uncertainty, especially for contingent/legal payouts.
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