Gifts are super important for landing big contracts. I've heard a lot of stories about sending VPs Away suitcases or watches to catch their attention and initiate a sale.
The strategy seems to be, "run the process in secret and present the result as a fait accompli". It's working.
[1] https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/former-redflex-ceo-plea...
[2] https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7exem/banjo-ai-company-utah...