SCP-6537 — SCP-6537 | Cost Breakdown

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SCP-6537 Unknown ~ medium confidence

SCP-6537

Expected annual

$1.8M

One-time setup

$3.0M

Annual recurring

$1.8M

Personnel

Initial one-time setup is approximately $2.99M, driven primarily by secure facility buildout, instrumentation/robotics, and a large contingency/reserve for catastrophic events; annual recurring costs are approximately $1.76M, dominated by staff wages, legal/suppression budgets, and ongoing research/monitoring.

🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $3.0M

Catastrophic Reserve $1.8M

[#25] Modeled catastrophic/insurance reserve allocation (one-time reserve to fund worst-case legal, public safety, quarantine, and large-scale eradication efforts).

Equipment $471K

[#4, #5, #6, #11, #15, #16, #20, #22] High-speed multi-spectrum imaging & sensor suite (#4), remote manipulation/automated feeders (#5), initial PPE stock (#6), autoclave equipment (#11), EM/electronics spare kit (#15), air-gapped/secure data handling setup (#16), transport containers & vehicle mods (#20), and perimeter/surveillance sensor installs (#22). Midpoint estimates for each line item.

Facilities $430K

[#1, #2, #3, #14] Faraday cage construction and integration (#1), climate-controlled insectarium buildout (#2), RF-hardened HVAC install (#3), and BSL-2 insectary upgrade/buildout (#14). Estimates use midpoints of provided ranges and include installation and EM certification.

Contingency Seed Fund $300K

[#19] One-time standby seed fund for covert containment/eradication contingency (mobile shelters, field teams, pesticide, rapid-response equipment).

Initial Research And Lab Setup $40K

[#13] Initial genomics and lab research startup (sequencing runs, assays, reagents) allocated as an up-front research setup cost (baseline sequencing and initial assays).

🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.8M/yr

Staff Wages $840K/yr

[#7, #8] Fully-loaded scientific staff (lead researcher, 2 RAs, entomologist) and containment/security staffing (multi-shift guards), using midpoints of provided salary ranges.

Cover Story And Legal $230K/yr

[#17, #18, #27] Baseline digital suppression/expungement budget (#17), legal/cover-story and PR operations (#18), and baseline allowance for subject aftercare/settlements in suppression operations (#27).

Research And Monitoring $155K/yr

[#13, #24] Ongoing genomics/assays and expanded laboratory experiments (#13) plus long-term monitoring and study/personnel turnover costs (#24).

Logistics And Transport $112K/yr

[#20, #19] Per-transfer operational costs for secure transports (escorted transfers, Faraday-lined containers) (#20) and annual replenishment/re-stocking of contingency field funds as-needed (#19).

D Class Program $105K/yr

[#9] Costs to recruit, transport, supervise, medically support, and rotate D-Class used in feeding/experiments; baseline annual midpoint estimate.

Reserve Topup Per Year $100K/yr

[#25] Annual top-up to catastrophic reserve to maintain modeled readiness and financing for escalations.

Mental Health Monitoring $80K/yr

[#10] Regular psychiatric screening, counseling, testing, and replacement staffing to mitigate documented psychological effects on staff and D-Class.

Facilities Maintenance $78K/yr

[#2, #3, #5, #11, #15, #16, #14, #22] Ongoing HVAC & insectarium energy/maintenance (#2), RF-hardened HVAC filters and servicing (#3), robotics/remote manipulator maintenance (#5), contracted waste disposal operations (#11), electronics replacement/spares maintenance (#15), secure data operations/maintenance (#16), BSL insectary operating costs (#14), and perimeter sensor monitoring (#22).

Training And Audits $25K/yr

[#23] Recurring SOP development, staff training, and third-party audits to ensure containment procedures are followed.

Supplies And Consumables $20K/yr

[#6, #12, #26] PPE replacement and consumables (#6), food/provisioning for moths (flowers, carcasses) (#12), and a small baseline decontamination/disposition reserve for occasional campaigns (#26).

Emergency Medical Readiness $15K/yr

[#21] Baseline yearly readiness for ingestion/choking incidents: supplies, training, and medevac arrangements; major incident contingencies budgeted separately in scenarios.

⚡ Cost Scenarios

📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.8M/yr

94.0% probability / year

Normal year with no major incidents; ongoing operations, research, maintenance, and routine suppression activity only.

routine_research regular_maintenance minor_data_suppression

🚨 Minor Incident $1.9M/yr

5.0% probability / year +$100K vs baseline

Localized containment incident or small leak of footage requiring field response, limited eradication, and targeted suppression.

localized_escape small_footage_leak limited_field_response

🚨 Major Breach $2.8M/yr

1.0% probability / year +$1.0M vs baseline

Significant breach or high-profile leak requiring large-scale field campaign, major legal/PR operations, and accelerated research/containment spending.

public_exposure large_escape viral_footage_or_investigation

👥 Personnel 11 total

Role	Count	Notes
Research Scientist (Lead)	1	[#7] Lead researcher running experiments and overseeing studies.
Research Assistants / Technicians	2	[#7] Two RAs/technicians to operate equipment, perform assays, and maintain insectarium.
Entomologist	1	[#7] Specialized entomologist for insectary husbandry and breeding attempts.
Security Officer / MTF Agent	7	[#8] Multi-shift guards/security specialists for 24/7 coverage and escort duties (midpoint of 6-8).

📋 Confidence Notes

Range-based estimates from analyst notes provide reasonable anchors for most line items, but large variances exist (e.g., suppression and reserve needs), and many costs depend on incident frequency and site integration specifics, so overall confidence is moderate.

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