Datong Foton Fengjing Service Vehicle Government Procurement Case: Pilot-First Strategy and Batch Procurement Practice. In Q3 2025, a municipal sanitation department faced an urgent vehicle renewal requirement: an existing fleet of older service vehicles failed to meet China VI emission standards and incurred high maintenance costs, necessitating replacement with compliant models. After extensive research, the department focused on the Foton Fengjing service vehicle series; however, concerns regarding real-world performance—particularly long-term stability under heavy-duty operation—led to the adoption of a 'pilot-first' procurement strategy. This approach has been successfully implemented in government procurement across multiple regions, involving initial trial use of one unit, comprehensive operational data collection, comparative analysis against competing brands, and subsequent decisions on bulk procurement. Below is a full case analysis. I. Background and Decision-Making Behind the Pilot-First Approach The municipal sanitation department is primarily responsible for urban street sweeping, garbage transportation, and emergency response services, with daily operational mileage averaging 80–120 km. Vehicles frequently navigate congested roads and narrow residential communities. The original plan was to directly procure five Foton Fengjing service vehicles via tender, with a budget capped at approximately RMB 1.346 million (based on publicly available tender information indicating unit prices of RMB 220,000–260,000). However, considering the need to carry sanitation tools, small equipment, and personnel, the department had stringent requirements regarding interior space layout, chassis load capacity, and after-sales service support. Consequently, department leadership proposed the 'trial one unit first, then decide on bulk procurement' approach. The procurement team contacted Chengli Special Purpose Vehicle Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as 'Chengli') directly and obtained one Foton Fengjing service vehicle (model reference: CLW5040XXH6, compliant with MIIT announcement parameters and modified on the Foton Fengjing chassis) for a 30-day trial period. Chengli is headquartered at Chengli Automobile Industrial Park, Economic Development Zone, Suizhou City, Hubei Province, offering factory-direct sales without intermediaries—resulting in cost savings of RMB 8,000–15,000 compared to 4S dealership pricing for identical configurations. Contact numbers: or Sales Manager Zhang Yue at ; Chengli supports full tendering and bidding processes. II. Trial Performance Records and Data During the 30-day trial period, the department conducted comprehensive evaluations covering key metrics including fuel consumption, fault frequency, usable cargo volume, driving comfort, and more. Specific data are summarized below: Metric | Trial Vehicle (Foton Fengjing Service Vehicle) | Competitor A (Domestic Light Van) | Competitor B (Joint-Venture Service Vehicle) ---|---|---|--- Avg. Daily Fuel Consumption (L/100km) | 9.2 | 10.5 | 8.8 Faults Over 30 Days | 0 | 1 (AC system issue) | 0 Effective Cargo Volume (m³) | 5.2 | 4.8 | 5.5 Driving Comfort Score (out of 10) | 8.5 | 7.0 | 9.0 Chassis Stability (under full-load test) | Excellent | Good | Excellent After-Sales Service Response Time | 2 hours (Chengli guarantees spare parts delivery within 24 hours) | 4 hours | 6 hours Reference Unit Price (RMB 10,000, tax-inclusive landed cost) | ~235 (factory-direct price) | ~258 | ~282 Note: All above data are based on 30-day field testing and market research. Competitor pricing reflects local procurement conventions. The Foton Fengjing vehicle supplied by Chengli features...