Founder Briefing

Supplier onboarding and dMRV operating model

A detailed, capability-focused walkthrough of how Carbon Upscale runs legacy and verified lanes in one platform: from supplier intake to claim controls, registry issuance, and public checkpoint transparency.

View Supplier Experience
Last reviewed against founder explainer: Feb 22, 2026

Executive Snapshot

One source of truth for founders and operators

Operating lanes

2

Legacy lane + verified dMRV lane running in one platform.

Claim progression states

6

From `draft` to `mint_ready` with explicit forward transitions.

Core evidence surfaces

5

Claims, checkpoints, verifier context, issuance metadata, and transaction linkage.

Primary stakeholder groups

4

Founders, investors, suppliers, and operations teams.

Why This Matters

Founder value from the dMRV model

Carbon Upscale now operates as a migration-friendly marketplace with a verified lane for higher-assurance procurement. These pillars summarize the strategic value in operational terms.

Speed Without Replatforming

Legacy suppliers can keep listing with low friction while verified suppliers move into dMRV controls.

Founder impact

You keep revenue velocity on existing projects while progressively upgrading trust for strategic accounts.

Trust With Evidence Chain

Checkpoint anchoring, methodology linkage, and verifier context build a transparent provenance narrative.

Founder impact

Investors and enterprise buyers can see a credible path from impact data to on-chain retirement outcomes.

Control Through Explicit Gates

Claims, issuances, and mint readiness are controlled by forward-only workflow states and quantity guards.

Founder impact

Governance is operationalized in product logic rather than relying on manual process discipline alone.

Auditability For Scale

Verified-path purchases retain claim references and dMRV flags for reconciliation, payout reporting, and reviews.

Founder impact

Board, finance, and compliance teams can trace execution without rebuilding reporting from scratch.

Architecture

Two-lane operating model

The platform intentionally supports both a legacy lane and a verified lane so Carbon Upscale can balance adoption speed and high-assurance proof requirements.

Legacy lane

Backward-compatible execution

  • Configured with `projects.dmrv_exempt = true`
  • Marketplace and settlement remain backward-compatible
  • No verified-lane claim gate required for each mint
  • Best fit for fast onboarding and low process overhead
Verified lane

Evidence-gated execution

  • Configured with `projects.dmrv_exempt = false`
  • Requires claim workflow, checkpoint evidence, and issuance controls
  • Only `mint_ready` claims can enter verified-path mint execution
  • Best fit for institutional-grade traceability requirements
Supplier progression pathLegacy onboarding for speedVerified lane for high-assurance buyers

End-To-End Journey

Supplier onboarding through verified execution

This timeline mirrors the operational journey from supplier intake to final transaction traceability. Each stage is represented in schema, API logic, and audit controls.

Claim lifecycle visual

draft
submitted
under_review
verified
registry_issued
mint_ready

Terminal exits for non-progressing claims: rejected / withdrawn.

Step 01

Supplier intake

Supplier identity is represented as an AIO and tied into dMRV structures.

  • Supplier source record exists in `suppliers`.
  • `suppliers.organization_id` is backfilled or populated to connect supplier identity to AIO.
  • `organizations` row is created and linked through supplier mapping fields.
  • `suppliers.dmrv_tier` signals onboarding maturity (`3` not started, `2` setup, `1` ready).
Step 02

Project + AIM setup

Projects are mapped to impact modules to create a clear evidence context.

  • Each project links to one or more `impact_modules` (AIMs).
  • AIMs bridge `projects` with implementation context and methodology references.
  • Method taxonomy can be linked via `methodology_id` with legacy text fallback support.
Step 03

Claim workflow

Claims progress through forward-only status gates with submission prerequisites.

  • `POST /api/admin/dmrv/claims` creates claims in `draft`.
  • `PUT /api/admin/dmrv/claims/[id]` enforces status transitions and checks submission prerequisites.
  • Submission requires an active linked impact module, valid period dates, and at least one checkpoint.
  • If an AIM references `methodology_id`, then `methodology_version` is required at submission.
  • Verifier metadata (`verifier_id`, `vvb_assigned_at`, `vvb_processed_at`, `vvb_report_uri`) supports review traceability.
Step 04

Registry issuance + mint gate

Issuance quantity controls and transition RPCs prevent over-allocation and workflow bypass.

  • `dmrv_registry_issuances` tracks `quantity`, `quantity_reserved`, and `quantity_minted`.
  • Atomic controls use `reserve_issuance_quantity`, `confirm_issuance_mint`, `rollback_issuance_reservation`, and `transition_issuance_status`.
  • Only `mint_ready` claims can mint in verified-path execution.
Step 05

Evidence anchoring + public transparency

Checkpoint packages are anchored and exposed through read-safe public retrieval.

  • Checkpoint rows store proof metadata and blockchain anchor references.
  • Public retrieval via `get_public_checkpoint_transparency(project_id, limit, offset)` is built for audit-friendly consumption.
  • Methodology, verifier, and registry context are included for buyers and auditors.
Step 06

Settlement and reporting outcomes

Verified-path transactions preserve claim linkage for finance and reconciliation.

  • Verified purchases set `transactions.dmrv_verified = true`.
  • Verified purchases retain `transactions.impact_claim_id` for attribution.
  • Legacy and verified lanes share core payment/payout machinery while preserving lane-specific controls.

Mint Safety

Registry issuance and mint gate controls

Verified-path issuance is protected by explicit quantity accounting and state transitions that keep claims, issuance inventory, and mint events aligned.

Quantity accounting

`dmrv_registry_issuances` tracks `quantity`, `quantity_reserved`, and `quantity_minted` per issuance object.

Atomic transition RPCs

`reserve_issuance_quantity`, `confirm_issuance_mint`, and rollback functions enforce consistency under load.

Mint gate policy

Verified-path minting only proceeds when claim status is `mint_ready`, avoiding governance bypass.

Issuance status workflow

`pending -> submitted -> issued` (or `rejected`) is tracked for registry alignment.

Public Transparency

Evidence anchoring to buyer-facing transparency

dMRV evidence is made useful when it is both machine-verifiable and understandable to external stakeholders. This is the public retrieval chain used for that goal.

Step 1

Checkpoint package created

Evidence package is hashed and stored in `checkpoints` with period context and claim linkage.

Step 2

Public function retrieval

`get_public_checkpoint_transparency(project_id, limit, offset)` returns proof + context without raw table exposure.

Step 3

Buyer and auditor consumption

Downstream consumers verify checkpoint hashes, claim status, methodology metadata, and verifier context.

Data Model

Entity graph and relationship map

The dMRV path works because each operational step has a durable entity model. This map helps founders explain how supplier intake, verification, and transactions connect.

Mermaid-style relationship lanes

projects
suppliers
organizations
suppliers
organizations
impact_modules
impact_claims
impact_modules
dmrv_methodologies
impact_claims
checkpoints
dmrv_verifiers
impact_claims
dmrv_registry_issuances
transactions
security_events
Verified lane guardrails are concentrated around `impact_claims`, `dmrv_registry_issuances`, and transition RPCs.
Public checkpoint retrieval stitches methodology, verifier, registry, and anchor references into one consumable transparency surface.

Entity responsibilities at a glance

projectsLane behavior selector

`projects.dmrv_exempt` controls legacy vs verified execution path

suppliersCommercial onboarding readiness

Includes dMRV readiness tier and source profile metadata for organization mapping

organizationsAccountable Impact Organization (AIO) representation

Bridges supplier identity via `suppliers.organization_id` and legacy supplier mapping fields

impact_modulesActivity Impact Module (AIM) layer

Connects methodology context and project-level impact claims

dmrv_methodologiesMethod taxonomy source

Referenced by `impact_modules.methodology_id` to standardize methodology structure

impact_claimsCore claim object and lifecycle anchor

References `impact_module_id`, optional `verifier_id`, and status transitions through mint readiness

checkpointsEvidence + anchoring log

Stores hashes, anchoring status, and transparency output context

dmrv_verifiersReview authority node

Linked through `impact_claims.verifier_id` for VVB accountability

dmrv_registry_issuancesRegistry issuance + quantity state machine

Enforces quantity reservation, mint confirmation, and rollback controls

transactionsCommercial execution outcome

Retains `dmrv_verified` and `impact_claim_id` for downstream reporting

security_eventsOperational and security event trail

Captures `event_type`, severity, and endpoint metadata from security logging

`security_events` uses `event_type` naming in current schema wording.

Audience Messaging

Narrative blocks by stakeholder

Investor

Migration-friendly growth with stronger trust rails

Legacy supply remains monetizable while verified dMRV creates institutional-grade evidence depth.

  • Explicit lane gating with `projects.dmrv_exempt`.
  • Verifier and registry references tied to claim lifecycle.
  • Public transparency endpoint supports diligence workflows.
Founder and operations

One operational story across onboarding, verification, and execution

Teams can run one repeatable sequence from supplier intake to public transparency delivery.

  • Onboard supplier and mark dMRV readiness (`suppliers.dmrv_tier`).
  • Create claims and checkpoint cadence for monitoring periods.
  • Verify, issue, mint, and reconcile with explicit controls.
Supplier

Choice between immediate listing and higher-assurance verified mode

Suppliers can list now in legacy mode, then graduate to verified mode for stronger provenance narratives.

  • Verified mode adds clearer claim provenance and readiness signals.
  • Quantity controls reduce overselling or inventory drift concerns.
  • Weekly reconciliation and sweeps keep operations reliable.

Source Alignment

Files to keep aligned in founder decks

Keep these references in sync whenever the dMRV story is updated for board packs, investor materials, or supplier onboarding collateral.

DMRV_PLAN.md
docs/design/data.html
app/supplier-onboarding/page.tsx
docs/design/suppliers.html
docs/reference/DATABASE_REFERENCE.md
docs/reference/API_REFERENCE.md

Governance

Operational controls and founder checklist

This section packages the most important controls into board-ready language and a repeatable review checklist for internal alignment.

Control panel

Hard gates for status progression and verifier requirements that protect claim integrity.

  • `DMRV_REQUIRE_VVB_ASSIGNMENT` enforces verifier assignment before `submitted -> under_review`.
  • Forward-only transition validation prevents bypassing required claim states.
  • `X-Admin-Actor` is required on role-gated admin dMRV endpoints for actor attribution.

Founder pre-share checklist

Check 1

Confirm all dMRV lanes use intended `projects.dmrv_exempt` values per supplier profile.

Check 2

Confirm each supplier has an up-to-date `suppliers.dmrv_tier` value.

Check 3

Confirm claim transitions and verification steps are enforced by admin tooling and API guards.

Check 4

Confirm mint logs always write `transactions.impact_claim_id` and `transactions.dmrv_verified`.

Check 5

Confirm `DMRV_REQUIRE_VVB_ASSIGNMENT` and `DMRV_RECONCILIATION_THRESHOLD` are intentionally configured per environment.

Check 6

Confirm public checkpoint responses include registry issuance, methodology, and verifier metadata.

Keep language capability-focused in all external founder materials unless legal/commercial review approves comparative claims.

Next Step

Use this page as the canonical founder briefing for dMRV

Keep language capability-focused and update this route whenever workflow, controls, or schema surfaces change.

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