Blockchain Technology in Innovation Ecosystems for Sustainable Purchases through the Perception of Public Managers

Abstract

The success of organizational processes is increasingly related to sustainable innovation. The concern with sustainable public purchases has been gaining strength over the years. However, several barriers are found to implementing this practice. At the same time, blockchain advances as technology part of the innovation of industry 4.0 and as a proposal to solve these difficulties. The study aimed to identify the perception of public procurement managers on the use of information systems with characteristic features of this technology, to reduce these barriers and elaborate a proposal for the use of blockchain in open innovation systems. The research developed is qualitative, quantitative and applied, being carried out through the application of a structured questionnaire to purchasing managers using the 92 prefectures of the State of Rio de Janeiro, located in Brazil, with subsequent analysis through descriptive statistics. The results of this work present relevant findings for public procurement through innovation and blockchain technology with the possibility of tracking the entire supply chain, allowing the verification of possible environmental and social damages such as the use of child or slave labor, the use of deforestation wood, counterfeit products, unethical agents, in addition to providing more transparency to the process of acquisition.