In northern Chinese cities, spring snowmelt and rainy-season drainage constitute a major challenge for municipal sanitation departments. In early 2025, the Urban Management Bureau of a district in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia, prioritized sewer cleaning vehicles in its equipment upgrade plan. After multiple rounds of evaluation, it selected the Dongfeng single-cab, blue license plate, 5 m³ sewer cleaning truck supplied by Chengli Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd. This article uses this case as a focal point to reconstruct the entire procurement decision-making process and analyze the key strengths of the solution. I. Requirement Initiation: A Phone Call from the Department Head In February 2025, Deputy Director Li Ming (a pseudonym), who oversees sanitation at the district’s Urban Management Bureau in Baotou City, discovered during an inspection that aging residential communities suffered severe sewer pipe blockages, posing high flood risks during the rainy season. He directly instructed the Procurement Office: “We need a batch of sewer cleaning trucks capable of entering residential neighborhoods—compact in size, compliant with blue license plate regulations, and operable with a Class C driver’s license. Yet the tank capacity must be sufficient—minimum 5 m³—otherwise crews would need multiple trips per day.” This requirement cut straight to the core: balancing maneuverability (blue license plate compliance) with operational efficiency (5 m³ capacity). II. Internal Discussion: Trade-offs Between Vehicle Selection and Budget Constraints The Procurement Office promptly convened a selection meeting involving the Technical Division, Fleet Department, and Finance Division. The Technical Division noted that most small-scale sewer cleaning trucks on the market offer only 3 m³ or 4 m³ capacities; 5 m³ models compliant with blue license plate standards are relatively rare, and most utilize diesel-powered chassis—requiring careful attention to emission standards. The Finance Division emphasized budgetary constraints: “Based on publicly available tender information, the government procurement budget for comparable 5 m³ sewer cleaning trucks typically ranges between RMB 170,000–204,000 per unit. We plan to procure three units, with total expenditure capped at RMB 450,000–550,000.” The Fleet Captain added: “Dongfeng chassis enjoy strong reputation across northern China, backed by extensive service networks and affordable spare parts. We previously used Chengli’s water-sprinkling trucks—the superstructures demonstrated consistent reliability.” Following discussion, the team narrowed its target to a Dongfeng single-cab chassis equipped with a 5 m³ tank and compliant with China VI emission standards—and decided to arrange an on-site factory visit to Chengli Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd. III. On-Site Inspection: Visiting Chengli’s Manufacturing Facility In mid-March 2025, a four-member procurement team traveled to Suizhou, Hubei Province, to conduct an on-site inspection of Chengli Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd. At Chengli’s industrial park, they focused on touring the sewer cleaning truck production workshop. A technical engineer introduced the official parameters of the CLW5040TQYD6 sewer cleaning truck: featuring a Dongfeng single-cab cab, wheelbase of 3,308 mm, rated payload of 1.5 tons, effective tank volume of 5.1 m³, and equipped with a high-pressure cleaning system and suction piping. Director Li Ming specifically inquired about blue license plate registration. Sales Manager Zhang Yue (Tel: +86 ) presented the official MIIT announcement: “The CLW5040TQYD6’s overall dimensions measure 5,995 × 2,000 × 2,650 mm, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,495 kg—fully compliant with national blue license plate requirements and eligible for registration nationwide. Moreover, Chengli maintains complete and up-to-date MIIT announcements; we directly interface with traffic management bureau databases, eliminating any