BID can post notifications into your facility's Discord or Slack channel. As a Facrep (or Area Rep) this lets you see when each person in your Local is up to bid and what bid was entered, without watching BID itself.
Setup is different in BID v6 than it was in BID v5. v6 uses a Discord webhook instead of the BID Bot and a Channel ID. If you set this up previously in v5, you will need to redo it in v6 — see Discord in BID v6.
In this Article
Which version am I using?
Check the address bar. bid.natca.org is BID v6. bid5.natca.org is the legacy BID v5, which stays available through the 2027 bidding year.
The two systems keep their notification settings separately. Configuring Discord in one does not configure it in the other.
Discord in BID v6 (webhook)
BID v6 posts to Discord using a channel webhook. You create the webhook in Discord, then paste its URL into BID. The BID Bot is not used in v6 — you do not need to add it, and you do not need Developer Mode or a Channel ID.
You will need the Manage Webhooks permission in your Discord server.
Step 1 — Create the webhook in Discord
Right-click the channel you want BID to post in and choose Edit Channel.
Select Integrations, then Webhooks.
Click New Webhook (or Create Webhook).
Give it a name people will recognise — BID works well — and confirm the channel is correct.
Click Copy Webhook URL. It looks like
https://discord.com/api/webhooks/…
Treat the webhook URL like a password. Anyone who has it can post messages into that channel. Don't paste it into a public channel or a shared document.
Step 2 — Paste it into BID
In BID v6, open Areas from the admin menu.
Click the pencil (Edit) button on the area you want notifications for.
Select the Configuration tab, then find the Integrations section.
Paste the URL into the Discord field. Depending on your version it is labelled Discord webhook URL or Discord channel ID — either way, paste the full
https://webhook URL.Click Save.
Each area is configured separately. Notifications are area-level, so an area with its own Discord channel needs its own webhook. If you want several areas posting into one channel, you can paste the same webhook URL into each of them.
Moving over from v5
If your facility used the BID Bot in v5, the Channel ID you entered there will not work in v6 — v6 needs a webhook URL. Follow the two steps above for each area that should post to Discord.
You can leave the BID Bot in your Discord server or remove it; v6 does not use it either way. Leave it if you are still bidding in v5.
Slack in BID v6
Slack notifications are not available in BID v6 yet. The Slack fields appear in the area Configuration tab, but nothing is delivered from them at this time. Slack support is planned as a follow-on.
If your facility relies on Slack notifications today, they continue to work in BID v5 — see below.
Discord in BID v5 (legacy — BID Bot)
These instructions apply to bid5.natca.org only. BID v5 uses the NATCA BID Bot and a Channel ID rather than a webhook.
To add the BID Bot to your server, click the button below to authorize it [NOTE - you must have the Manage Server role to add a bot]. Follow the prompts.
In the Discord app, enable Developer Mode (User Settings > Advanced > Enable Developer Mode). Tutorial here.
Right-click the desired channel and click Copy ID. This option only appears once Developer Mode is enabled. Tutorial here.
In BID v5, click Manage Areas from the gear icon in the top right, then Edit on the area you want.
Paste the ID into the Discord Channel ID box and submit.
Private channel permissions (v5 bot only)
If the channel is private, you must grant the bot permission to post:
Edit the settings for the channel you want the bot to post in.
Select Permissions, click Add Members or Roles, and check the box next to BID Bot.
Click Done, then press ESC or click the X.
This step is not needed in BID v6 — a webhook is tied to its channel and does not need channel permissions.
Slack in BID v5 (legacy)
Slack integration in v5 is based on a webhook link created through Slack. You need a paid Slack plan, and either a Slack app or a new workflow. The webhook goes into each Area's settings.
Create the Slack webhook — https://api.slack.com/messaging/webhooks
Copy the webhook link.
In BID v5, go to the gear settings menu in the top right and select Manage Areas.
Click Edit on the area you want the webhook on.
Paste the link into the Slack Webhook box and click Submit.
Troubleshooting
Nothing is arriving in Discord (v6). Check that the value in the area's Discord field starts with https://discord.com/api/webhooks/. A bare Channel ID (a long string of numbers) is left over from v5 and will not deliver.
It worked, then stopped. Someone may have deleted the webhook in Discord. Webhooks are listed under Edit Channel > Integrations > Webhooks. Create a new one and paste the new URL into BID.
One area posts and another doesn't. Each area holds its own webhook. Check the Configuration tab on the area that isn't posting.
Notifications are in test mode. If your facility or area has Test Mode enabled, BID records notifications but does not deliver them. A banner appears across the top of BID when test mode is on.
Still stuck? Reply to this article or contact NATCA ITC support and tell us your facility, the area, and roughly when you expected a notification.