# Project-Completion Gifts From Architects, Engineers and Designers, and the Federal $20 Gift Rule, Quoted Send a project-completion gift after the handover, once the client has settled in: something they use, with a card that names the project (our suggestion). 5 CFR 2635.204(a) lets a federal employee accept unsolicited gifts of "$20 or less per source per occasion", and 2635.203(b)(2) excludes greeting cards. One Personalized Gifts Delivered box for one handover is $35 delivered. *We sell a $35 logo mug gift box, printed, packed and shipped to each person's address. This guide covers the other options too.* **Key facts** - **Not during a bid:** "Never give a gift to an outside business associate who is either currently involved in a bidding process with your firm or receiving a bid from you or your company" ([Emily Post Institute](https://emilypost.com/advice/corporate-gift-giving)). - **5 CFR 2635.204(a):** an employee "may accept unsolicited gifts having an aggregate market value of $20 or less per source per occasion", up to "$50 in a calendar year" from any one person ([5 CFR 2635.204(a)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/section-2635.204)). - **The rule's own mug example:** an $18 framed map and "a ceramic mug that has a market value of $15": the employee "may accept the map or the mug, but not both" (same section). - **Cards aren't gifts:** the definition excludes "Greeting cards and items with little intrinsic value" ([5 CFR 2635.203(b)(2)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/section-2635.203)). - **Engineers' code:** engineers "shall not offer any gift or other valuable consideration in order to secure work" ([NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers, II.5.b](https://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/resources/pdfs/Ethics/CodeofEthics/NSPECodeofEthicsforEngineers.pdf), as revised July 2019). This page is part of our [client gifts by profession](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/professions) guide. The general guide to timing: [closing and project-completion gifts](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/client-gifts/closing-and-project-completion-gifts). ## What to send at handover, and when **After the handover, never during a bid.** The Emily Post Institute's rule above draws the first line. The second is practical: the day a project closes is crowded with punch lists, keys and final invoices. A gift a few weeks later, once the client has moved in or settled into the new space, gets their attention (our suggestion). What consultants used to send, as one commenter on r/civilengineering remembered it in February 2026: "Back pre-covid, many of the consultant companies used to always send a Christmas card and a gift like chocolates, Harry and David fruit, one smaller engineer consultant even always sent us smoked salmon and a whole setup with schmear and stuff for lox and bagels." And now: "Most companies don't bother with that anymore nowadays... So you may stand out by sending a nice card and gift / gift basket during the holiday season" ([r/civilengineering](https://www.reddit.com/r/civilengineering/comments/1r46fkg/)). A poster on r/Architects wanted a holiday gift for "a client (singular person, not a company) that has been good to us to show our appreciation (constantly giving us work)", and asked for ideas "besides the typical mail-order holiday gift baskets of chocolate/cookies/snacks" ([r/Architects, Dec 2024](https://www.reddit.com/r/Architects/comments/1h6wipl/)). The moment, by practice (our suggestion): | Who's sending | The handover moment | A detail for the card | |---|---|---| | An architect | Move-in, or the certificate of occupancy | The first morning in the building you drew | | A civil or structural engineer | Project closeout | The problem that kept the schedule alive | | An interior designer | The install, or the reveal | The room they didn't think would fit | | A landscape architect | The first full season after planting | What came up in spring | ## Where does the studio's mark go? **Small, on the gift; your name, on the card.** The Emily Post Institute says gifts with a company's logo should be "well made, in tasteful colors and with the logo understated enough not to look like an advertisement." On a Personalized Gifts Delivered box: - **The mug carries your mark, small:** printed up to 2 × 1.5 in on the front, or on both sides at no extra cost, Small, Medium or Large in the preview. - **The card carries your words:** it prints your message and sign-off, with no logo, so the studio's name goes in the sign-off. - **Or the project itself:** instead of a logo, a photo of the finished building or room prints up to about 3 in tall. Every mug in an order carries the same print, so one project's photo mug is its own order; one box is a complete order. A photo of the house they now live in, on a mug they keep, is a gift only the firm that designed it can send. ## The federal gift rule, quoted: $20 per occasion This section quotes the rule. It doesn't apply it to your client. > "(a) Gifts of $20 or less. An employee may accept unsolicited gifts having an aggregate market value of $20 or less per source per occasion, provided that the aggregate market value of individual gifts received from any one person under the authority of this paragraph (a) does not exceed $50 in a calendar year. The exception in this paragraph (a) does not apply to gifts of cash or of investment interests such as stock, bonds, or certificates of deposit. When the market value of a gift or the aggregate market value of gifts offered on any single occasion exceeds $20, the employee may not pay the excess value over $20 in order to accept that portion of the gift or those gifts worth $20. When the aggregate value of tangible items offered on a single occasion exceeds $20, the employee may decline any distinct and separate item in order to accept those items aggregating $20 or less." > > "Example 2 to paragraph (a): … At the conclusion of the speech, the association presents the employee a framed map with a market value of $18 and a ceramic mug that has a market value of $15. The employee may accept the map or the mug, but not both, because the aggregate value of these two tangible items exceeds $20." > > [5 CFR 2635.204(a)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/section-2635.204) (eCFR, up to date as of October 27, 2026). Read October 29, 2026. > "(2) Greeting cards and items with little intrinsic value, such as plaques, certificates, and trophies, which are intended primarily for presentation;" > > [5 CFR 2635.203(b)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/section-2635.203), from the list of what the term "gift" excludes (eCFR, up to date as of October 27, 2026). Read October 29, 2026. Gift rules for state, county and city employees, quoted: [gifts to government employees](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-rules/gifts-to-government-employees) has New York's and Massachusetts', and more of the federal rules: who counts as a prohibited source, what happens to a gift over the limit, and gifts between federal coworkers. This is information, not legal or tax advice. Check the current rule (or check with the recipient's agency ethics official) before you send. ## Engineers' code of ethics: what NSPE says The National Society of Professional Engineers' code, Rules of Practice II.5.b, in full: > "b. Engineers shall not offer, give, solicit, or receive, either directly or indirectly, any contribution to influence the award of a contract by public authority, or which may be reasonably construed by the public as having the effect or intent of influencing the awarding of a contract. They shall not offer any gift or other valuable consideration in order to secure work. They shall not pay a commission, percentage, or brokerage fee in order to secure work, except to a bona fide employee or bona fide established commercial or marketing agencies retained by them." > > [NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers](https://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/resources/pdfs/Ethics/CodeofEthics/NSPECodeofEthicsforEngineers.pdf), Rules of Practice II.5.b (publication date as revised July 2019). Read October 29, 2026. This is information, not legal or tax advice. Check the current rule (or check your state's version of the rule) before you send. ## Company clients: ask about the policy first Private companies set their own limits. The Emily Post Institute: "Many companies forbid ANY corporate gift giving, or only allow employees to accept gifts valued less than $25. Be sure to follow your own company rules AND check with the HR department at the intended recipient's company first." The only survey we found is old. In a 2013 survey by SAI Global, a compliance-software company, reported by [Ogletree (2014)](https://ogletree.com/insights/2014-12-11/yule-time-tips-part-iii-holiday-gifts-under-increasing-scrutiny), "35 percent of companies require that corporate gifts be" modest, "defined as under $25"; another 22 percent capped gifts "at $50 or $100". From the same survey, Ogletree reports that 54 percent "do not impose strict limits" on the value of gifts employees may receive. A commenter on r/civilengineering described the strict end: "I work for an international firm, and we aren't allowed to accept anything beyond basic trade show swag (branded shirts, trinkets, small tools, etc) or modest food items." Every limit we've quoted: [client gift limits by industry](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-rules/client-gift-limits-by-industry). ## What should the card say? Name the project and one moment from it. On a Personalized Gifts Delivered order, the card is printed (not handwritten), with no logo or brand: one message and one sign-off for the whole order, up to 300 characters. The message can include {first name}, filled in from the address list, and you preview every person's card before you pay. The order page tells you if a message is too long to print. - "Hi {first name}, thank you for trusting us with your home. Watching it go from sketch to front door was a privilege. We hope the first mornings there are everything you pictured." - "{first name}, thank you for a project we'll remember: the tight schedule, the quick decisions and a team that made both easy. Enjoy the new space." More lines: [thank-you messages for clients](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/card-messages/thank-you-messages-for-clients). ## What sending these yourself takes Yes: a firm can buy, pack and ship a handover gift itself, one client at a time. Batched, by our estimate, 25 logo mug gift boxes take about 9 hours of hands-on work (about 3½ of them packing, at about 8 minutes a box), plus a week or more waiting for supplies from about 8 separate orders. Per box, it comes out about even with our $35: about $38 with USPS counter postage and about $34 with commercial postage, with $1,192.84 paid up front for the mugs, the retail supply packs and 25 postage labels ([our DIY cost comparison](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/compare/diy-mug-gift-box-vs-ordering), prices as of Oct 29, 2026). Handovers don't come in batches of 25. They come one project at a time, on the client's schedule, and a mug packed without a foam collar can break at the handle and must be bought, packed and shipped again. With Personalized Gifts Delivered, one box is a complete order: we print, pack and ship it to the client's address. ## What to know before you order - **Gift limits.** Each box is $35, delivered. Some employers and industries cap the gifts their people may accept; the limits, quoted from their sources: [client gift limits by industry](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/gift-rules/client-gift-limits-by-industry). - **The seal says "Happy Holidays".** The black tissue closes with a gold "Happy Holidays" seal sticker, whatever the season; your card carries the thank-you. - **The treats.** LINDOR truffles contain milk, soy and barley malt (gluten); read the labels. Chocolate softens in heat. - **One print and one message per order.** Every mug and card in an order is the same, with each person's first name filled in. A project photo or a project-specific line makes its own order. - **Where we ship.** The lower 48 states and Washington, DC, except Texas for now; no Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other US territories, APO/FPO or international. The order page flags any row we can't ship to, so you can fix it or take it out before you pay. ## Where Personalized Gifts Delivered fits for a firm's handovers A handover gift is one client, one project, one week. Personalized Gifts Delivered sends it finished: - **One box, any week.** No minimum: one handover is a complete order, at $35 delivered, with no setup fee. It ships within 2 business days of a complete order. - **Your mark, quietly:** your logo printed small on an 11 oz white ceramic mug, or a photo of the finished project up to about 3 in tall. - **A finished gift:** a 1.5 oz packet of Ghirardelli premium hot cocoa and 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles packed inside the mug, black tissue closed with a gold seal sticker, in a matte-black gift box with a magnetic lid. - **A card about the work:** your message, printed, signed with your studio's name, in an envelope closed with a gold wax-seal sticker. You see the mug and the card before you pay. - **A record:** when it ships, you get an email with a spreadsheet of recipient, ship date, carrier, tracking number and $35 per box, the date and value if the client's policy asks. Add your logo (or type your website and we'll find it), or a photo or a few words for a personal gift; check the preview of your mug and card; add your address list; and pay $35 per box. We print, pack and ship each box to its own address. We ship from New York. Ships within 2 business days of a complete order (your design, your address list and payment). Ships by USPS Ground Advantage or UPS Ground, with tracking, and usually arrives 2–5 business days after it ships. Delivery dates are carrier estimates, not guarantees, and run slower in mid-December. That's a [custom logo mug gift box, shipped to one client at project completion, no minimum](https://personalizedgiftsdelivered.com/custom-logo-mug-gift-box), sent when the keys have changed hands. ## Frequently asked questions ### What gift should an architect or interior designer send at project completion? A project-completion gift from an architect or designer works best as something the client uses, with a card that names the project, sent after the handover (our suggestion). The Emily Post Institute's line on logo gifts: "well made, in tasteful colors and with the logo understated enough not to look like an advertisement." ### Can an engineering or architecture firm send a gift to a federal agency client? 5 CFR 2635.204(a) lets a federal employee "accept unsolicited gifts having an aggregate market value of $20 or less per source per occasion", up to $50 a year from any one person, and the employee "may not pay the excess value over $20". Check with the recipient's agency ethics official. ### Is a greeting card a gift under the federal gift rule? No: 5 CFR 2635.203(b)(2) excludes "Greeting cards and items with little intrinsic value, such as plaques, certificates, and trophies, which are intended primarily for presentation" from what counts as a gift. ### What does the NSPE Code of Ethics say about gifts to clients? The NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers (rule II.5.b) says engineers "shall not offer any gift or other valuable consideration in order to secure work", and shall not give "any contribution to influence the award of a contract by public authority". Check your state board's rules too. ### Who ships one project-completion gift box to one client, with no minimum? Personalized Gifts Delivered ships one $35 logo mug gift box, delivered, to one client's address: one box is a complete order. It holds your firm's logo printed small on an 11 oz mug, or a photo of the finished project, plus Ghirardelli cocoa, 4 Lindt LINDOR milk chocolate truffles and your printed card. ## Sources 1. eCFR, 5 CFR part 2635: [§2635.203](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/section-2635.203) and [§2635.204](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/section-2635.204), up to date as of October 27, 2026. Read October 29, 2026. 2. National Society of Professional Engineers, [Code of Ethics for Engineers](https://www.nspe.org/sites/default/files/resources/pdfs/Ethics/CodeofEthics/NSPECodeofEthicsforEngineers.pdf), publication date as revised July 2019. Read October 29, 2026. 3. The Emily Post Institute, [Corporate Gift Giving](https://emilypost.com/advice/corporate-gift-giving). Read October 29, 2026. 4. Ogletree, ["Yule Time Tips, Part III: Holiday Gifts Under Increasing Scrutiny"](https://ogletree.com/insights/2014-12-11/yule-time-tips-part-iii-holiday-gifts-under-increasing-scrutiny), December 11, 2014, reporting a 2013 survey by SAI Global, a compliance-software company. Read October 29, 2026. 5. Reddit threads quoted (checked word for word in the Arctic Shift archive, October 29, 2026): [r/civilengineering 1r46fkg](https://www.reddit.com/r/civilengineering/comments/1r46fkg/) (Feb 2026); [r/Architects 1h6wipl](https://www.reddit.com/r/Architects/comments/1h6wipl/) (Dec 2024).