Cost Considerations Equipment, consumable supplies (tapes) and staff costs makeup the cost components of this service. As initial equipment and consumables are covered by the implementation project and staff costs are covered by the UN Network service, there is no initial recurring monthly cost for the service per agency. However, agencies with larger backup requirements will be charged additional costs based on the cost of the backup tapes, hard drives and other equipment. Sourcing Alternatives There are no locally available commercial alternatives to this service that can ensure that backups are maintained in United Nations premises.