BMF’s multi-tenant Totara Learn platform, built by Cortexa
The company
The authoritative voice of building materials distribution.
The Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) is the trade association representing merchants and suppliers across the UK and Ireland, from national names to single-branch family businesses.
A cornerstone of BMF’s member offering is an extensive training programme blending classroom and online delivery. Partnering with Cortexa, BMF built an extended enterprise LMS able to serve its entire membership from one platform.
The challenge
One LMS, an extraordinarily varied membership.
BMF’s membership spans everything from national brands to single-branch family firms, and every one of them needed a training experience that fit.
A membership of extremes
From national names like Travis Perkins to single-branch family firms, one training experience had to work for everyone.
A vast, blended catalogue
Compliance, sales, skills and management training needed to combine classroom and online delivery in one place.
Branding needed to flex
Smaller members needed a simple BMF-branded catalogue; larger members needed their own fully branded experience.
No single source of training
Course content and completion records were scattered across the membership with no shared visibility.
The solution
An extended enterprise platform built for every member.
Cortexa developed a multi-tenant Totara Learn solution with a simplified, three-tier experience.
Extended enterprise LMS
A single Totara Learn platform built for multi-tenant access across the entire membership.
Three-tier member experience
A streamlined tier system: a fixed BMF-branded catalogue for smaller members, and fully customisable branded experiences for larger ones.
BMF Building Blocks library
A ready-to-use course library developed in partnership with BMF, covering core merchanting skills.
Blended delivery
Classroom and online training combined in one catalogue, spanning compliance, sales, skills and management topics.
Built to scale with membership
The platform grows and adapts as new members join, without compromising the experience for existing ones.
The result
A learning culture the whole membership can access.
"We have worked in partnership with Cortexa ever since our training programme moved online. They have continued to offer the best experience and support to both ourselves and our members."
The future
Deepening the value of membership.
Deeper member analytics
Giving BMF a clearer view of engagement and completion trends across the whole membership.
Expanding Building Blocks
Growing the shared course library with more sector-specific content.
Stronger cross-association ties
Building on collaborations with allied bodies like the Bathroom Manufacturers Association.
Ready to bring your members onto one platform?
Tell us about your membership and we’ll show you what a multi-tenant Totara platform could look like.