SCP-5803 — SCP-5803 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-5803 Unknown ~ medium confidence

SCP-5803

Expected annual

$1.8M

One-time setup

$2.3M

Annual recurring

$1.8M

Personnel

First-year one-time setup is approximately $2.35M with recurring annual operations around $1.80M; main cost drivers are personnel (security + research/admin), one-time sealed-cell and facility upgrades, and optional advanced research which can push one-time costs into seven figures.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $2.3M

Advanced Research Optional $1.1M

[#16] Optional advanced atomic-structure research (synchrotron/accelerator time, specialist facility access) — highly variable; midpoint used for optional budgeting.

Facilities $365K

[#1, #2] Hermetically sealed containment cell and structural/clean-room modifications (midpoint estimates for cell, HVAC, installation, reinforcement, permits, fire suppression integration).

Relocation Contingency Reserve $300K

[#27] Containment escalation/relocation contingency reserve for emergency moves (held as funded reserve).

Equipment $224K

[#3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #14, #23] One-time hardware: audio recording system, remote observation sensors/cameras, remote-manipulation robotics, item lockers & archival hardware, on-site NAS/backups, UPS/generator hardware, and IT hardware/secure comms initial purchase.

Transport And Capsule $180K

[#17] Robotic sample acquisition and sealed transport capsule design, testing, and vehicle modifications (one-time build).

Insurance Reserve $125K

[#12] Initial insurance/liability reserve (one-time seed reserve to cover contingencies).

Initial Research And Lab Setup $55K

[#15, #20] Initial forensic/materials analysis instrumentation and initial conservation/restoration of violin/case materials (non-destructive testing budget + initial conservation work).

First Year Budget Reference $0

[#29] Analyst-provided first-year budget summary (reference item, no additional cost attribution here).

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.8M/yr

Staff Wages $1.4M/yr

[#8, #9, #28] Security (12 FTEs including benefits/overhead), containment/research staff (6 FTEs fully burdened), and program management/administrative payroll (multiple FTEs).

Cover Story And Legal $75K/yr

[#11] Legal counsel, cover-story maintenance, front company upkeep and related documentation costs.

Research And Monitoring $49K/yr

[#15, #26] Ongoing forensic follow-ups, acoustic analysis, and annual external technical reviews/audits.

Equipment Maintenance $44K/yr

[#3, #4, #5, #14, #23, #6, #7] Maintenance and replacement for audio systems, sensors/cameras, robotics, UPS/generator upkeep, IT licensing/secure software, climate control for lockers, and archival storage rotation.

Public Relations $35K/yr

[#24] Rapid-response budget for leak/misinformation mitigation, takedowns, and monitoring social media for potential exposures.

Insurance And Contingency Replenish $35K/yr

[#12] Annual replenishment to maintain contingency reserve and internal insurance pool.

Chain Of Custody And Data Security $31K/yr

[#19] IT admin, secure storage, encrypted access controls, audit logging, and periodic data-security work to maintain chain-of-custody and access controls.

Logistics And Transport $18K/yr

[#17] Recurring maintenance for transport/robotic handling systems and readiness for limited transport operations.

Special Event Staffing $18K/yr

[#10] Annual overtime and temporary staffing for May 28th observation and escalation coverage.

Training And Drills $16K/yr

[#22] Ongoing training, SOP updates, and date-specific drills (May 28th preparations).

Energy Costs $16K/yr

[#13] Power for HVAC, dehumidification, continuous recording, cameras, and UPS charging (annual energy estimate).

Supplies And Consumables $14K/yr

[#6, #18, #25] Consumables: climate control & packaging supplies for item storage, PPE and decontamination consumables, and miscellaneous small tools, cables, media, batteries.

Psychological Support $13K/yr

[#21] Counseling, debriefing, and employee assistance program usage for exposed staff.

Conservation Maintenance $3K/yr

[#20] Ongoing conservation and humidity control for any recovered physical violin/case materials.

Facilities Maintenance $0/yr

[]

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.8M/yr

94.5% probability / year

Normal year with scheduled monitoring, no major incidents or containment breaches.

routine_operations annual_May_28_observation

🚨 Minor Incident $1.9M/yr

5.0% probability / year +$100K vs baseline

Localized equipment failure, minor contamination or small unauthorized recording leak requiring response and limited repairs.

equipment_failure unauthorized_recording_leak localized_sensor_loss

🚨 Major Breach $2.7M/yr

0.5% probability / year +$875K vs baseline

Coordinated raid or forced containment failure requiring emergency relocation, large repairs, and extended legal/PR response.

coordinated_raid forced_relocation containment_failure

👥 Personnel 20 total

Role	Count	Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent	12	[#8] 4 guards per shift covering 24/7 -> ~12 FTEs as specified; salary+30% overhead included in staff_wages.
Containment Specialist	2	[#9] 1–2 containment specialists (counted as 2 FTE within the 6 FTE containment/research staff).
Research Scientist	2	[#9] 2 researchers (anomalous-objects) included in the 6 FTE research/containment staff.
Audio Engineer / Analyst	1	[#9] 1 audio engineer/analyst included in research staffing.
Conservator / Conservation Specialist	1	[#9, #20] 1 conservator for physical artifacts included in research staffing; ongoing conservation maintenance is budgeted separately.
Administrative Staff	2	[#28] Program manager(s), procurement and accounting staff included in administrative payroll allocation.

📋 Confidence Notes

Most recurring costs and personnel requirements are well-described (medium confidence). Large ranges on hardware, optional advanced research, and contingency scenarios introduce uncertainty; advanced research and major relocation costs are especially variable.

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