Research paper

Designing a blockchain-based information system for procurement processes - Balancing decentralization, scalability, and security while maintaining privacy

The paper designs a blockchain-based procurement IS that navigates the blockchain trilemma while preserving privacy, deriving two design principles: balance decentralization, scalability and security via a public chain plus Layer-2 scaling and decentralized inter-layer communication; and maintain that balance when privacy is required via efficient, resilient cryptography and minimized control points.

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Overview

Publication metadata and narrative from the current library record.

Authors: Valeriya Arnold, Tobias Guggenberger, Jan Stramm, Nils Urbach
Year: 2026
Venue: Information Systems 140 (2026) 102723
Methodology: Design science research; prototype on Aztec/Ethereum; 16 expert interviews; quantitative viability assessment.

blockchainblockchain-trilemmadesign-science-researchprivacyprocurementprocurement-is-trilemmazero-knowledge

Designing a blockchain-based information system for procurement processes - Balancing decentralization, scalability, and security while maintaining privacy

Authors: Valeriya Arnold, Tobias Guggenberger, Jan Stramm, Nils Urbach
Venue: Information Systems 140 (2026) 102723
Link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.is.2025.102723 (opens in a new tab)

Summary

Artifact

A public-permissionless, Layer-2 (rollup) blockchain-based procurement information system with zero-knowledge privacy.

Methodology

Design science research; prototype on Aztec/Ethereum; 16 expert interviews; quantitative viability assessment.

Citations

[1] Valeriya Arnold, Tobias Guggenberger, Jan Stramm, Nils Urbach. Designing a blockchain-based information system for procurement processes - Balancing decentralization, scalability, and security while maintaining privacy. Information Systems 140 (2026) 102723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.is.2025.102723 (opens in a new tab) [2] Source document: Designing a blockchain-based information system for procurement.pdf

DSR grid

Six dimensions represented in the current paper record.

Problem description

Existing blockchain-based procurement systems rarely balance decentralization, scalability and security while maintaining privacy across inter-organizational processes.

Input knowledge

The blockchain trilemma; Layer-2 (rollup) and zero-knowledge-proof research; procurement research; Gregor et al. principle formulation.

Research process

Design science research: a prototype on Aztec/Ethereum (Layer-2 rollup with ZKPs), 16 expert interviews, and a quantitative viability assessment against five design objectives.

Key concepts

Blockchain, procurement, blockchain trilemma, privacy, design science research, zero-knowledge proofs.

Solution description

A public-permissionless, Layer-2 procurement information system with zero-knowledge-proof-based privacy and minimized control points. Solution-space representation: Instantiation (prototype) plus two design principles grounded in five design objectives.

Output knowledge

Two design principles - balancing the trilemma, and maintaining that balance under privacy requirements.

Design knowledge

Directly linked concepts, grouped by their represented design-knowledge category.

Design Principle

Design Principle2

Design Principle

design-knowledge/procurement-is-trilemma-dp1

DP1 - Balance decentralization, scalability and security

Balance decentralization, scalability and security by using a public chain as a trust anchor, a Layer-2 for scaling, and decentralized communication between layers, rather than defaulting to permis...

blockchain-trilemmadesign-principleprivacyprocurement+2

Design Principle

design-knowledge/procurement-is-trilemma-dp2

DP2 - Maintain the balance under privacy requirements

Maintain the decentralization-scalability-security balance when privacy is required by integrating efficient, resilient cryptography (e.g., zero-knowledge proofs) and minimizing control points.

blockchain-trilemmadesign-principleprivacyprocurement+2

Paper design map

The default semantic design map canonicalizes stored design relationships; Raw links retains the complete technical Markdown-link view.

Design-knowledge map

2 stored concepts / 0 canonical semantic relationships

Concept types

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Publication metadata

Additional metadata represented in the current library record.

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{
  "type": "paper",
  "title": "Designing a blockchain-based information system for procurement processes - Balancing decentralization, scalability, and security while maintaining privacy",
  "description": "The paper designs a blockchain-based procurement IS that navigates the blockchain trilemma while preserving privacy, deriving two design principles: balance decentralization, scalability and security via a public chain plus Layer-2 scaling and decentralized inter-layer communication; and maintain that balance when privacy is required via efficient, resilient cryptography and minimized control points.",
  "resource": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.is.2025.102723",
  "authors": "Valeriya Arnold, Tobias Guggenberger, Jan Stramm, Nils Urbach",
  "year": 2026,
  "venue": "Information Systems 140 (2026) 102723",
  "methodology": "Design science research; prototype on Aztec/Ethereum; 16 expert interviews; quantitative viability assessment.",
  "dsr_grid": true,
  "dsr_solution_space": "Instantiation (prototype) plus two design principles grounded in five design objectives.",
  "tags": [
    "procurement-is-trilemma",
    "procurement",
    "blockchain-trilemma",
    "privacy",
    "zero-knowledge",
    "design-science-research",
    "blockchain"
  ]
}

Designing a blockchain-based information system for procurement processes - Balancing decentralization, scalability, and security while maintaining privacy

Summary

Citations

[1] Valeriya Arnold, Tobias Guggenberger, Jan Stramm, Nils Urbach. Designing a blockchain-based information system for procurement processes - Balancing decentralization, scalability, and security while maintaining privacy. Information Systems 140 (2026) 102723. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.is.2025.102723 [2] Source document: Designing a blockchain-based information system for procurement.pdf

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