Schedule redaction is the removal of PII and party identity from a contract's annexes. Pricing exhibits often move between firms for benchmarking. Section 1 of the Sherman Act (15 U.S.C. §1) reaches information exchange between competitors, and regulators have pulled back some of the old sector-specific safe harbors for this kind of exchange.
When this applies
Annexes carry pricing tables, named key staff, and contact lists. Once a table reaches a rival, §1 asks whether the exchange dulls competition. Stripping the names and firms is what keeps the figures usable.
How anonym.plus handles it
- Load the annexes into anonym.plus on your device.
- The tool scans pricing tables and personnel lists.
- Named staff, firms, and contacts get flagged.
- Confirm the flags and keep the figures.
- Swap or black out the IDs.
- Save the clean annexes on your machine.
What you need to provide
- The annexes (PDF, DOCX, XLSX, or mixed).
- A column map for known ID fields.
- An operator (Replace keeps tables readable).
PII entity types detected
| Category | anonym.plus entity type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Names | PERSON | key staff → [STAFF] |
| Contact | EMAIL_ADDRESS | contact list → [EMAIL] |
| Pay | MONEY | named rate → [RATE] |
| Company | ORGANIZATION | vendor → [SUPPLIER] |
| Contact | PHONE_NUMBER | phone list → [PHONE] |
| Dates | DATE_TIME | schedule date → [DATE] |
Compliance achieved
- Strips party identity from pricing tables — the usual mitigation under Sherman Act §1 (15 U.S.C. §1).
- Removes named staff and contacts from personnel annexes as ordinary PII.
- Keeps the figures and the table layout for review.
- Local-only work — nothing is uploaded.
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Limitations & cautions
Spreadsheet annexes mix tidy columns with free-text notes. Column rules handle the first well; notes need the same review as any clause. Test a sample before a full run on a large workbook.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a pricing annex raise antitrust questions?
Because Sherman Act §1 reaches information exchange between rivals. A price tied to a named firm is the part that can dull competition; the bare figure usually is not.
Is there still a safe harbour for benchmarking?
Some of the old sector-specific safety zones have been pulled back in recent years. Counsel now judge more exchanges on their facts, which raises the value of removing identity before you share.
Can I clean a pricing spreadsheet?
Yes. A column map flags ID fields while the figures stay. Free-text cells get the same scan as any text.