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SCP-9853 Pythagoras ✓ high confidence
SCP-9853
Expected annual
$459K
One-time setup
$828K
Annual recurring
$453K
Personnel
12
Estimated first-year (one-time + 1 year ops) setup is dominated by facility modifications, equipment, research lab setup and a contingency reserve (~$828k one-time), with ongoing annual costs driven by staffing redundancy, research and consumables (~$453k/yr). Major cost drivers are chamber modifications, research setup, personnel redundancy, PPE/disposables and contingency.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $828K
Initial Research And Lab Setup $292K
[#14, #15] Lab buildout and initial research program costs including personnel startup, reagents, imaging and EEG equipment, psychometric software and subject recruitment reimbursements.
Contingency Reserve $200K
[#21] One-time internal contingency / liability reserve to cover accidental exposures, litigation or extended care when needed.
Equipment $189K
[#2, #3, #7, #9, #11, #13, #16, #17, #22, #27, #29] Includes H2S sensors and scrubbers, initial sealed containers and shelving, reusable PPE procurement, transfer carts, CCTV and environmental logging hardware, incident kits and initial training materials, legal/cover-story buyouts, acquisition/settlement costs, transport packaging certification, and data-security/forensics tooling.
Facilities $138K
[#1, #4, #8, #10, #24] Includes chamber anteroom/airlock/negative-pressure work, incinerator upgrade, decon shower/station install, secure locker/vault structural work, and initial wastewater treatment setup.
Training Initial $8K
[#19] Initial specialized handling and ethical/emergency protocol training course setup and certificates.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $453K/yr
Staff Wages $172K/yr
[#5, #6] Primary daily hazmat technician wages (~2 hr/day equivalent) plus incremental personnel cost to maintain redundancy/shift coverage (3–5 techs).
Research And Monitoring $125K/yr
[#12, #14, #15] Ongoing funded research program, neurocognitive testing/study costs, and routine medical surveillance for handlers (per-handler screening budget applied across staff).
Supplies And Consumables $50K/yr
[#2, #7, #8, #25, #4, #11, #27, #26] Disposable PPE and decon consumables, filter/cartridge replacement and calibration, small handling tools, incineration/disposal operating costs, periodic sensor/CCTV maintenance, data-security maintenance, and minor object repairs.
Opportunity Cost $28K/yr
[#28] Budgetary placeholder for the opportunity cost of occupied secure real estate and classification overhead.
Container Replenishment $19K/yr
[#3] Annual replenishment cost for sealed individual storage containers (≈400 units/year at ~$20–75 each).
Security And Vetting $15K/yr
[#23] Additional security staffing, background reinvestigations and vetting costs for personnel authorized to handle instances.
Facilities Maintenance $9K/yr
[#1, #8, #24, #10] Ongoing HVAC/negative-pressure maintenance, decon station upkeep, wastewater operations and access-control maintenance for secure storage.
Administrative Recordkeeping $6K/yr
[#18] Audit-ready chain-of-custody recordkeeping, database maintenance and staff time for documentation.
Training And Development $6K/yr
[#13, #19] Recurring readiness drills, incident-response refreshers, and refresher handling courses.
Ethical And Policy Oversight $6K/yr
[#29] Annual ethics reviews, bioethicist consultations and legal oversight related to forced-consumption protocols.
Cover Story And Legal $6K/yr
[#16] Retained counsel, PR suppression and ongoing legal/cover-story maintenance budget.
Logistics And Transport $4K/yr
[#9, #22] Maintenance/fuel for internal transfer carts and recurring per-shipment packaging/handling costs for authorized field deployments.
Archiving And Audit $4K/yr
[#30] Annual destruction auditing and reconciliation for items destroyed after three months.
Psychological Support $3K/yr
[#20] Ongoing counseling and EAP allocation for staff with lingering perceptual effects or stress.
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $453K/yr
94.0% probability / year
Normal uneventful year with daily retrievals, routine research and no accidental exposures beyond planned operations.
routine_daily_retrieval scheduled_research_activity no incidents
🚨 Minor Incident $478K/yr
5.0% probability / year +$25K vs baseline
Isolated accidental exposure or single personnel refusal requiring medical treatment, short-term PR/legal action and limited overtime.
isolated_exposure acute_medical_evaluation limited_legal/PR_response
🚨 Major Breach $953K/yr
1.0% probability / year +$500K vs baseline
Significant containment incident involving multiple exposures or public awareness leading to large medical, legal and replacement costs.
widespread_exposure litigation_and_public_exposure facility_repair_and_replacement
👥 Personnel 12 total
Role Count Notes
Hazmat Technician 4 [#5, #6] Primary daily technician plus 3 backups/shift coverage to ensure 24/7 redundancy and allow for leave.
Research Scientist 3 [#14, #15] Researchers assigned to mechanism/mitigation studies, imaging and neurocognitive testing.
Security Officer / MTF Agent 1 [#23] Additional vetted security/cover personnel with access-control responsibilities.
Medical Officer 1 [#12, #13] On-call medical surveillance and acute-evaluation liaison for exposures and sedation/containment readiness.
Engineer / Maintenance 1 [#1, #8, #24] Facilities maintenance and wastewater/decon system upkeep.
Administrative Staff 1 [#18] Chain-of-custody recordkeeping, logging and audit preparation.
IT / Forensics Specialist 1 [#11, #27] CCTV, environmental logging, data-security and incident-forensics handling.
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide line-item estimates for each cost driver and approximate ranges; mappings and midpoint selections produce a defensible budget range. Remaining uncertainty is primarily choice between disposable vs reusable PPE, in-house vs contracted disposal, and exact research staffing levels.
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