This manual contains information that is confidential and proprietary to EXPRESS.

Disclosure or transmittal of this information contained therein, to any

third party without written consent of EXPRESS Quality Management Team is prohibited. Created by: Felipe Saldarriaga - Updated Dec 2019

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1. INTRODUCTION -

EXPRESS values any of our business partners who engineer their internal processes to manage all
the variables around the consistency of their output. The tool presented in this manual seek to
provide support to our Agent base during the up-front risk assessment process by helping them
identify the existing risk throughout the internal manufacturing process at any newly proposed
factory for EXPRESS with the purpose of establishing a plan for eliminating such risks and
therefore making product right the first time.

As such, achieving the above objectives can be done through the incorporation of the Technical
Evaluation step within each Agent’s new factory on-boarding and risk assessment process.

If an Agent/Vendor would like to introduce a new factory to potentially produce goods for
EXPRESS, a compliance audit must be scheduled via our internal Rizepoint system (according to
our compliance procedures --- see last page of this manual FAQ’a) and must be a pass. Subsequently
a Technical Evaluation then must be performed by an individual representing the Agent/Vendor who
is qualified and fully understands the garment manufacturing process; this form should be submitted
back via email to the Quality Management team and to the Production & Sourcing partner with cc to
the Logistics & Compliance team at EXPRESS within a reasonable time frame.

If the result of the technical evaluation is below 64.99% it is a fail, therefore there is no need for the
vendor/agent to follow up or take any further action as we will not engage business with such
factory; if the result is between 65% and 80%, there may be additional action that needs to be
taken and if the result is 80% or above, the factory can be used pending approval by your
Production & Sourcing partner.

Assuming the Technical Evaluation is successful, and our company decides to establish business
with this factory, we recommend our Agent/Vendor to schedule and carry out a full on-boarding
process to cover all aspects of Merchandising, Tech Design and Quality requirements.

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2. AREAS OF EVALUATION

For NON-SWEATER FACTORIES

Section 1. Pre-production activity

Section 2. Fabric, trims and accessories
Section 3. Markers
Section 4. Spreading & cutting
Section 5. Fusing
Section 6. Embellishment
Section 7. In process controls & procedures
Section 8. Dry process
Section 9. Wet process: washing & drying
Section 10. Finishing & pressing
Section 11. Cleaning
Section 12. Trim attaching area
Section 13. Final inspection & packaging
Section 14. In-house QA activities
Section 15. Maintenance & housekeeping
Section 16. Human resources

For SWEATER FACTORIES

Section 1. Pre-production activity

Section 2. Yarn, winding, trims and accessories
Section 3. Knitting controls and procedures
Section 4. Linking & mending
Section 5. Washing & drying
Section 6. Finishing & pressing
Section 7 final inspection & packaging
Section 8. In-house QA activities
Section 9. Maintenance & housekeeping
Section 10. Human resources

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3. SCORING SYSTEM

 Within each section there are some questions related to critical steps within that process
which are identified with a tick mark (✓) and have a greater value than all other questions.

 The person performing the evaluation must score each question with 0% if it’s not in place,
33% if it’s poor, 66% if is good and 100% if excellent.

 If there is an entire section within the process which does not apply: i.e. dry process in a T-
shirt factory, the auditor must score N/A to all questions within that section and this will not
affect the final factory rating.

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  If the evaluator scores the same question twice by mistake, there will be an ‘‘error’’ message
displayed in the score line indicating you must only give one score per question.

 The final factory rating will be calculated by the Excel sheet and displayed on the Summary
sheet automatically. Do not attempt to edit the Summary sheet as these cells are blocked.

 The following are the results based on the factory rating score:

Score Result
0.00% ~ 64.99% Fail
65.00% ~ 79.99% Low Risk
80.00% ~ 100% No risk

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4. STEPS TO SUBMIT THE FACTORY EVALUATION FORM

1. Agent recommends using a new factory to make Express product to our Sourcing & Production
team.
2. Agent aligns on having a compliance inspection performed by Elevate with our Sourcing &
Production Senior Vice-President and coordinates with our Supply Chain team and factory to
execute.
3. Elevate’s compliance Inspection is carried out and report is a pass
4. Agent submits Elevate’s compliance Inspection report to Sourcing & Production Senior Vice-
President and Supply Chain team.
5. Agent executes the technical evaluation. Although in some cases, the compliance inspection and
technical evaluation could occur simultaneously.
6. Technical evaluation results are submitted to Sourcing & Production Senior Vice-President and
TQM.
7. Agent to follow next steps as directed by Sourcing & Production team.

5. INSTRUCTIONS TO FILL OUT THE TECHNICAL EVALUATION FORM

We created two different Factory Technical Evaluation forms; one forNON-SWEATER factories
and another for SWEATER factories. Both of which are Excel spreadsheets containing five sections
as follows:

Section 1: Summary sheet

Section 2: Audit sheet
Section 3: Machine list
Section 4: Photos

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Section 5: Data

5. 1. NON-SWEATER FACTORIES FORM

Section 1 ~ Summary sheet

This sheet contains a general description of the factory on the top part which replaces the old
EXPRESS - FACTORY EVALUATION, PROFILE & AUTHORIZATION FORM and will be
discontinued as of now. The bottom part of this sheet contains a summary of the areas being
evaluated and the total score

Boxes A, B and C

Type the contact information from the Agent, Vendor (if any) and Factory. If there is no vendor
involved in the relationship, leave this box blank

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Box D

Mark YES if the factory is currently using any subcontractors for any step in the process for any
existing customer and fill in the details as listed using. If NO, then leave this part blank.

Boxes E, F, G, H and I

These are to be filled out by the evaluator during the visit while interviewing the correspondent
factory associate.

Evaluation of Results

The results are automatically calculated by the worksheet and the evaluator will not be able to edit
any results. However, feel free to add any comments by section in the designated column. Make sure
the evaluator signs and dates at the bottom.

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Section 2 ~ Audit

This sheet contains the list of questions, including all critical ones to each section and the boxes to be
rated by the evaluator.

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Section 3 ~ Machine List

As stated in the introduction, we are very interested in factories that use technology to make their
product faster, better and in a more efficient manner. Use this tab to provide a full detailed list of
machines currently being used at the factory. If the factory is planning on investing in new equipment,
you can specify in this section as well. The current list is as reference so please modify accordingly.
There is no score for this list, it’s just used for our reference.

Section 4 ~ Photos

Please use this section to attach all photos related to the visit during the technical evaluation. Make
sure you take a photo of the factory entrance so we can see the proper factory name, address, etc.
We suggest that you take as many photos as necessary of each area within the factory and paste
them in this section with the proper label of which section the photo corresponds to for our clear
understanding; however, feel free to attach in a different manner to the report but ensure that you
send them labelled as indicated. Do not send old photos taken from the company website or factory
profile; we recommend that your auditor takes actual photos during the evaluation. EXPRESS
reserves the right to request more photos to be added as necessary

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Section 5 ~ Data

This section is to be used by EXPRESS only. Do not attempt to type anything in this section.

5. 2. SWEATER FACTORIES FORM

Section 1 ~ Summary sheet

This sheet contains a general description of the factory on the top part which replaces the old
EXPRESS - FACTORY EVALUATION, PROFILE & AUTHORIZATION FORM and will be
discontinued as of now. The bottom part of this sheet contains a summary of the areas being
evaluated and the total score

Boxes A, B and C

Type the contact information from the Agent, Vendor (if any) and Factory. If there is no vendor
involved in the relationship, leave this box blank

Box D

Mark YES if the factory is currently using any subcontractors for any step in the process for any
existing customer and fill in the details as listed using. If NO, then leave this part blank.

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Boxes E, F, G, H, I and J

These are to be filled out by the evaluator by interviewing the factory associate

Evaluation of Results

The results are automatically calculated by the worksheet and the evaluator will not be able to edit
any results. However, feel free to add any comments by section in the designated column. Make sure
the evaluator signs and dates at the bottom.

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Section 2 ~ Audit

This sheet contains the list of questions, including all critical ones to each section and the boxes to be
rated by the evaluator.

Section 3 ~ Machine List

As stated in the introduction, we are very interested in factories that use technology to make their
product faster, better and in a more efficient manner. Use this tab to provide a full detailed list of
machines currently being used at the factory. If the factory is planning on investing in new equipment,
you can specify in this section as well. The current list is as reference so please modify accordingly.
There is no score for this list, it’s just used for our reference.

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Section 4 ~ Photos

Please use this section to attach all photos related to the visit during the technical evaluation. Make
sure you take a photo of the factory entrance so we can see the proper factory name, address, etc.
We suggest that you take as many photos as necessary of each area within the factory and paste
them in this section with the proper label of which section the photo corresponds to for our clear
understanding; however, feel free to attach in a different manner to the report but ensure that you
send them labelled as indicated. Do not send old photos taken from the company website or factory
profile; we recommend that your auditor takes actual photos during the evaluation. EXPRESS
reserves the right to request more photos to be added as necessary

Section 5 ~ Data

This section is to be used by EXPRESS only. Do not attempt to type anything in this section.

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6. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS -

1. Who is responsible of submitting this Factory Evaluation Form to EXPRESS?

► The agent’s Technical or Quality representative

2. Who should the Agent’s representative send this form to at EXPRESS?

► The Quality and Production & Sourcing teams with cc to Compliance

3. When is the Agent accountable for sending this form to EXPRESS?

► Immediately after the evaluation visit is performed and the Excel file is created. Sometimes due to timing,
the Technical Evaluation can be performed at the same time as the Social Compliance inspection.

4. What is the criteria for scoring each question?

► We trust that the Agent’s evaluators are calibrated enough to decide the value of each question based on
their experience. The TQM team will be spot checking during future factory trips to ensure the Agent’s tech
team is properly calibrated.

5. If a factory is currently being used by the same agent but for another customer, can they waive this
evaluation?
► No, if the factory is new to EXPRESS, you must submit the technical evaluation form following the proper
steps described in this manual.

6. How would EXPRESS ensure the evaluators are calibrated to perform this job?
► From time to time when EXPRESS associates travel to visit factories, they will carry a copy of the latest
technical evaluation to review the process and confirm the results concur.

7. Can I submit a Factory Profile in addition to this Technical Evaluation form?

► Yes, now days most factories around the world have either a Factory Profile or a website that you can
share with EXPRESS for our review.

8. If an Agent is already completing a technical evaluation as part of their SOP, can they waive
EXPRESS’ form?
► No, the Agent is free to continue filling out their own technical evaluation; however, they must also submit
EXPRESS’ Tech Evaluation.

9. the factory has any questions about this Technical Evaluation, who should they contact?
► The primary contact for factories are their correspondent Agent.

10. If the Agent has any questions, who should they contact?
► The primary contact for this Technical Evaluation at EXPRESS is Felipe Saldarriaga
fsaldarriaga@express.com

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