SCP-537 — SCP-537 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-537 Safe ~ medium confidence

SCP-537

Expected annual

$114K

One-time setup

$116K

Annual recurring

$112K

Personnel

First-year one-time setup is approximately $116,300 with ongoing annual operations of about $112,120. Main cost drivers are the soundproof containment build-out, security staffing, and ongoing research/monitoring and contingency budgets.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $116K

Facilities $60K

[#1] Construction of dedicated soundproof containment cell (double stud walls, MLV, resilient channel, acoustic seals, floating floor/isolation pads, HVAC baffling).

Initial Research And Lab Setup $25K

[#14] Initial focused exploratory scientific program (imaging, micro-CT, EM mapping, acoustic emission testing, external facility use and specialist consultants).

Equipment $11K

[#4, #8, #10, #17, #20, #24] CCTV (2x), directional microphones/decibel meters and recorder; cleaning equipment (ultrasonic cleaner); PPE initial purchase; padded transport crate/cart; audio analysis software (one-time licenses); requested poster (framing).

Hvac Modification $8K

[#2] Quiet HVAC installation, vibration-damped ducting, low-vibration pump/fan units, HEPA/humidity control (one-time install).

Legal Coverup Payments $5K

[#18] Initial cover-story/compensation payments, NDAs, paperwork to manage origin witnesses (one-time contingency).

Conservator Initial Assessment $3K

[#9] Initial specialist conservation assessment and stabilization of gramophone and stylus.

Sop Development $3K

[#19] Development of formal SOPs, training materials and initial training session costs (one-time development).

Cleaning Supplies One Time $1K

[#8] Brushes, anti-static tools, professional cleaning solution, optional small ultrasonic cleaner (one-time purchases).

Archival Supplies One Time $300

[#16] Initial acid-free sleeves, archival framing/supplies for SCP-537-2/poster.

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $112K/yr

Staff Wages $83K/yr

[#6, #7, #11] Security staffing (2 guards @ $40k/yr each = $80k) and part-time technician/conservator labor for weekly cleaning and routine diagnostics (~$3,120/yr).

Research And Monitoring $10K/yr

[#14, #20] Ongoing study budget if maintained ($10,000/yr) plus audio analysis software updates/licenses (~$500/yr).

Facilities Maintenance $7K/yr

[#2, #25] HVAC maintenance and low-vibration unit upkeep (~$750/yr) plus pro rata facility overhead allocation ($6,000/yr).

Contingency And Small Repairs $2K/yr

[#23] Small replacements, bulbs, seals, emergency stylus replacements and contingency (~$500-$5,000/yr).

Data Storage And Logging $2K/yr

[#5] Secure server space, backups and archival retention for audio/video logs (~$500-$5,000/yr).

Psychological Support $2K/yr

[#22] Counseling and debriefing budget for handlers and staff (~$500-$3,000/yr).

Supplies And Consumables $1K/yr

[#8, #10, #16, #24, #23] Ongoing cleaning solutions (~$150/yr), PPE replacements (~$150/yr), archival monitoring/supplies (~$500/yr), poster replacements (~$50/yr), and small consumables.

Emergency Response Overtime $1K/yr

[#13] Overtime and rapid-response mobilization budget for tantrum retrievals (~$500-$2,000/yr recommended).

Staff Training And Sop Refreshers $1K/yr

[#19] Annual refresher training, SOP updates and compliance tracking (~$500-$2,000/yr).

[#21] Periodic legal counsel to monitor copyright/exposure risk if logs used externally (~$500-$2,000/yr).

Logistics And Transport $500/yr

[#17] Occasional relocation jobs or contracted specialized moving (~$500/yr average).

Surveillance Storage And Software $500/yr

[#4] Storage and monitoring software costs for CCTV and audio logs (~$200-$800/yr, mid estimate used).

Conservator Repairs $500/yr

[#9] Periodic repairs/parts and specialist interventions (estimated $200-$2,000 as-needed averaged).

Audio Software Licenses $500/yr

[#20] Updates/licenses for spectral analysis and pattern recognition software (~$200-$1,000/yr).

Electricity $500/yr

[#3] Operational electricity for HVAC, lighting, cameras and monitoring (~$50-$1,200/yr; mid estimate used).

Ppe Replacements $150/yr

[#10] Ongoing replacements for ear protection, gloves, etc.

Poster Replacement $50/yr

[#24] Occasional replacement or reframing of requested poster.

Cover Story And Legal $0/yr

[#15] Licensing and public cover-story costs assumed negligible for internal-only operations.

Personnel Interaction Budget $0/yr

[#12] Weekly 'converse' staff time and escort costs (estimated ~$7,000/yr) currently under consideration; baseline set to $0 pending approval.

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $112K/yr

80.0% probability / year

Normal uneventful year with routine maintenance, monitoring, and no policy changes or major incidents.

routine_maintenance no_major_incidents

🚨 Minor Incident $117K/yr

15.0% probability / year +$5K vs baseline

One or more modest tantrums requiring overtime, small repairs, and additional conservator time.

tantrum_response minor_repairs

🚨 Major Breach $162K/yr

2.0% probability / year +$50K vs baseline

Significant containment incident or forced relocation requiring large repairs, legal/cover payments, and emergency research.

large_repair_or_relocation legal_exposure

🚨 Weekly Converse Approved $120K/yr

3.0% probability / year +$8K vs baseline

Foundation approves weekly one-hour 'converse' visits adding staff time and escorts to routine operations.

policy_change approved_weekly_visits

👥 Personnel 3 total

Role	Count	Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent	2	[#6] Two guards assigned (salaries included in staff_wages).
Research Technician / Conservator (part-time)	1	[#7, #9, #11] Part-time technician responsible for weekly cleaning, routine diagnostics, and minor conservation tasks (annual labor cost included in staff_wages).

📋 Confidence Notes

Costs are based on analyst-provided ranges for a straightforward Safe-class containment; many line items have wide ranges (e.g., soundproofing, research scope, staffing choices), producing moderate uncertainty.

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