It is absolutely against the law for a civil servant to accept a gift like that. We can accept very small gifts; the value changes, but it's something like $20 per year. And even then, if it's a company that's trying to sell you some new product, it's frowned upon. It looks bad. So most people would turn down a gift larger than, say, a company branded ball-point pen.

I don't let contractors buy me bottled water, and I don't accept rides from them except in dire circumstances. I insist on driving.