Published industry sources commonly put SCIF construction in the range of about $350 to $1,000 per square foot, with accreditation timelines of 12 to 36 months. The honest answer is that it depends on your requirement. Salian Defense models your specific case, then delivers the facility turnkey to ICD-705.
Published industry sources commonly put SCIF construction in the range of about $350 to $1,000 per square foot, with accreditation timelines commonly running 12 to 36 months, driven by the protection level, size, location, and the 2024 ICD-705 technical specifications. Total project cost for a permanent SCIF therefore commonly lands in the low millions, though a small fit-out is far less.
Cost rises with closed storage versus open storage, sound attenuation class, RF and TEMPEST shielding, arms-ammunition-and-explosives (AA&E) provisions, and the accrediting authority's path. The honest answer is that it depends on your requirement. Salian Defense models your specific case for free, and a confidence-rated budget follows.
A SCIF budget is the sum of a few decisions, most of them set by the accreditation requirement rather than by preference. The table below maps each driver to its effect on cost so you can see where the money goes before you commit to a design.
| Cost driver | Effect on cost |
|---|---|
| Storage / protection level | Closed storage and SAPFs raise the construction standard, intrusion detection, and alarm-response requirements over open-storage working spaces. This is usually the single largest swing. |
| Size (RSF) and workforce | Larger footprint and higher headcount increase build cost, mechanical and electrical load, and ongoing operating cost. Per-square-foot rates fall somewhat at scale. |
| Sound attenuation | Higher Sound Group ratings require heavier wall assemblies, sound traps, and acoustic isolation, adding material and labor. Amplified-sound areas cost more than normal-conversation areas. |
| RF and TEMPEST shielding | RF shielding to a specified attenuation, plus any TEMPEST countermeasures, adds enclosure cost, filtered penetrations, and verification testing. Often optional, and a major driver when required. |
| AA&E provisions | Arms, ammunition, and explosives storage triggers additional hardening, vault-grade construction, and physical-security standards where the mission calls for it. |
| Location | Regional labor and material rates, cleared-trade availability, and accrediting-authority requirements vary cost by market. |
| New build vs. retrofit | Retrofitting existing space can be cheaper or costlier than a new build depending on the gaps between current conditions and the ICD-705 standard. |
| Accreditation path | A pre-coordinated fixed facility checklist and construction security plan compress schedule and rework. A late or incomplete package adds cost and delay. |
Ranges are drawn from public industry sources and are budgetary only. They are refreshed periodically and are not a quote.
The ranges on this page are a starting frame, not your number. The Vates Cognition estimator returns a budgetary rough order of magnitude from unclassified inputs in minutes. When you are ready to move from a number to a facility, the Scope intake maps your path to a turnkey accredited facility: facility clearance, design, construction, accreditation, and operations under one accountable team. You bring the contract. We do everything else.