BID is NATCA's system for annual schedule and leave bidding. Once a year, each facility runs bidding: the process by which members select their work schedule (their line) and their leave for the coming year, in seniority order. This section is the complete reference for BID v6, the current system at bid.natca.org.

A facility on the older BID v5 system? v5 remains fully operational at bid5.natca.org for facilities that haven't yet moved to v6, through the 2027 bidding year. A given facility runs its bid on one system or the other for a given year, never both. This section documents v6 only — v5's interface and some behavior differ. If your facility is still on v5, check with your facility administrator before following steps here.

Bidding with the one-time link. When it is a member's turn, BID sends an email and/or text containing a personal link that opens their bidding page directly. No separate sign-in is required.

Watch: 2026 BID webinar

Open the 2026 BID Webinar recording (opens in a new tab)

• Looking for the prior year's webinar instead?

How it works

1. Facility BID administrators configure the bid year: areas, rosters (seniority order), lines, and leave.
2. Bidding proceeds in rounds: a line round, in which members select a schedule, and one or more leave rounds, in which members select leave days.
3. When it is a member's turn, they are notified. They open their bidding page, make their selections, and submit. The selection is awarded immediately on submission.
4. Members can view everything they have been awarded on the My Bids page at any time.

Roles

• Controller (Member) — bids their own line and leave when it is their turn.
• Bid Aid — may enter a bid on a member's behalf, where a facility has enabled this.
• Area Representative — manages rosters, lines, and leave for their area(s), and can enter bids during a round.
• Facility Administrator — manages bidding facility-wide, and is the only role that can open, pause, close, or reset a round.
• Super User — full system-wide access, used by NATCA ITC.

Start here: Your first bid: a walkthrough if you're bidding for the first time, or Run a bid year, end to end if you're administering a facility's bid. To confirm what your role is permitted to do, see Roles and permissions.

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