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SCP-971 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-971
Expected annual
$1.0M
One-time setup
$810K
Annual recurring
$996K
Personnel
4
One-time startup costs are moderate (~$810k) for archival storage, equipment and an optional field expedition; annual operating costs are dominated by recurring testing, forensic analysis, legal/PR and conservation funds (~$995.6k/yr). Major cost drivers are ongoing per-test forensic/lab work and potential large conservation/legal responses if provenance to endangered animals is established.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $810K
Field Expedition $500K
[#20] Major investigative/field expedition costs (travel, permits, multi-team operations) — per-expedition one-time
Equipment $262K
[#2, #11, #12, #13, #21] Electronic access control hardware, evidence cameras, optional on-site incinerator, industrial shredder, specialized laboratory capital purchase
Initial Research And Lab Setup $40K
[#10, #24] Bioinformatics pipeline/ref database initial setup and SOP/training development
Facilities $8K
[#1] Secure archival storage (cabinet upgrade, climate control, installation and COC hardware)
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $996K/yr
Research And Monitoring $274K/yr
[#5, #8, #9] Weekly sanctioned testing operational baseline (per-test staffing/ops), pathogen/toxicology screening and routine forensic DNA/sample analyses (excludes bioinformatics recurring maintenance)
Cover Story And Legal $180K/yr
[#14, #17] Digital takedown/monitoring and legal retainer; baseline compensation/reserve for small restitution actions
Staff Wages $140K/yr
[#3, #4, #6] Two dedicated guards and contracted/allocated senior administrative oversight and D-class management supervision
Conservation Compensation Fund $100K/yr
[#19] Baseline conservation/mitigation fund for affected endangered-species programs
Insurance And Contingency $100K/yr
[#23] Insurance premiums / reserve for regulatory fines, litigation and unexpected exposures
Veterinary And Field Investigations $60K/yr
[#18] Veterinary consultations, necropsies and zoo/field surveys investigating links to wildlife impacts
Logistics And Transport $50K/yr
[#15] Rapid response field ops, vehicles and liaison for intercepting/confiscating physical copies
Sequencing Service Contracts $20K/yr
[#21] Outsourced sequencing/run service costs if capital purchase is not used for all work
Bioinformatics Maintenance $15K/yr
[#10] Recurring database/subscription, pipeline maintenance and storage for genomic forensics
Medical Surveillance $10K/yr
[#22] Periodic health monitoring and bloodwork for staff/test subjects
Biohazard Disposal $9K/yr
[#12] Incineration / regulated biohazard disposal fees per-meal if on-site incinerator not used (weekly disposal baseline)
Supplies And Consumables $9K/yr
[#7] PPE, sterile sampling kits, bags and single-use consumables for sample handling
Misc Overhead $9K/yr
[#25] Utilities, admin, phone lines, fuel and petty operational expenses
Financial Services Retainer $8K/yr
[#16] Bank liaison and chargeback management retainer/processing
Evidence Storage And Maintenance $3K/yr
[#11] Secure digital storage and maintenance for audio/video evidence archives
Chain Of Custody Processes $3K/yr
[#13] Annual process costs for documented evidence handling and secure destruction certificates
Training And Sop $3K/yr
[#24] Refresher training, SOP maintenance and ethics reviews
Facilities Maintenance $2K/yr
[#1] Climate-control and vault maintenance for archival storage
Key Management Maintenance $500/yr
[#2] Ongoing maintenance and license/escrow fees for electronic locks and audit systems
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $996K/yr
88.0% probability / year
Normal operational year with weekly testing limits and no major incidents.
weekly_sanctioned_tests routine_forensics_and_disposal
🚨 Minor Incident $1.1M/yr
10.0% probability / year +$75K vs baseline
Localized discovery of a public copy or small exposure requiring targeted takedown, legal action and a rapid response interception.
localized_public_copy_discovery small_field_intercept intensive_takedown_campaign
🚨 Major Investigation $2.7M/yr
2.0% probability / year +$1.8M vs baseline
Definitive trace to killed endangered animals or active supply chain discovered, triggering major field expeditions, large conservation compensation and international legal exposure.
proven_endangered_species_link multi-team_field_expedition international_legal_action_and_compensation
👥 Personnel 4 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 2 [#3] Two dedicated guards for vault and evidence movement (or equivalent coverage)
Site Administrative Staff / Senior Administrator (Level-4+) 1 [#4] Senior-level oversight authorizing tests and reviewing chain-of-custody (0.05–0.2 FTE charged as project overhead)
Technician / Test Operator 1 [#6] Staff responsible for D-class oversight, test operations and basic sample handling during scheduled tests
📋 Confidence Notes
Line-item estimates are grounded in the analyst notes' ranges for testing, forensics, legal and conservation costs; uncertainty remains around rare high-impact events (conservation payouts, field expeditions and legal liabilities), so medium confidence is appropriate.
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