BlueLight Commercial: Revolutionising procurement knowledge sharing across UK policing

Established in 2020 by the Home Office, BlueLight Commercial works in collaboration with blue light organisations to transform their commercial and procurement activity, resulting in bottom-line improvements and delivering value back to the frontline along with increasing commercial capability and knowledge sharing among 43 police forces across England and Wales.

The Challenge: Breaking Down Procurement Silos

Traditional procurement practices in policing are fragmented, with each of the 43 police forces operating in isolation apart from a few regional collaborative teams. BlueLight Commercial was looking for a solution that could:

• Connect procurement professionals across different regions
• Facilitate rapid knowledge transfer
• Create a centralised platform for learning and collaboration
• Overcome geographical and organisational barriers

BlueLight Commercial had been using Totara Learn for over a year, but its LMS was outdated and lacked the necessary support to drive meaningful engagement. BlueLight Commercial approached Hubken to provide a fresh start and a more impactful LMS experience. BlueLight Commercial wanted to address the following:

• An upgraded installation to the latest version of Totara.
• A focused migration of branding, courses and content over to the new system.
• Difficulty managing courses and training workshops effectively.
• There is a need for a centralised learning platform that could serve all 43 police forces while also providing e-learning for BlueLight Commercial staff.

The Innovative Solution: Totara LMS as a Knowledge Ecosystem

Over the past 18 months, BlueLight Commercial has adopted a unique and innovative approach to using the Totara platform’s many features. And as a result, the Totara Learning Management System (LMS) has become far more than a training tool – it’s now a dynamic knowledge-sharing platform.

Key Innovative Features

• Course-Based Knowledge Sharing: Courses are now used not just for training, but as centralised, living repositories of procurement insights and secure document sharing
• Forums for Collaborative Learning: Creating spaces for professionals to exchange best practices and engage in peer discussion
• Workspace Functionality: Enabling targeted collaboration across different police force teams

This innovative use goes well beyond simply using the LMS to host learning modules, it transforms Totara into a hub for secure procurement document sharing and collaborative workflows.

Traditionally, LMS platforms focus on training and development; however, BlueLight Commercial’s approach exploits leverages Totara’s course framework to also facilitate:

• Secure Document Sharing: In environments with stringent data and document control protocols, such as those encountered in policing and other government-regulated sectors, the need to share information securely is paramount. Using the Courses and Audiences functionality, BlueLight Commercial created different unique procurement categories to share documents and restrict access among blue light organisations, creating a secure knowledge sharing environment within the Totara LMS.
• Collaboration for Evaluations: Their Totara platform has also been configured to support interactive and collaborative tasks, enabling real-time feedback and secure review processes.
• Streamlining Administrative Processes: The implementation of Totara in this manner has also simplified internal processes by enabling access control and document sharing through its course framework and streamlining internal collaboration.

This dual functionality of combining training delivery with secure document management illustrates the flexible nature of Totara’s course functionality when adapted to meet unique business needs.

Procurement Act Knowledge and Collaboration Hub – 2678 users

“The LMS has been an invaluable tool in helping to support the implementation of the new Procurement Act 2023, acting as a one-stop-shop for knowledge and communication with the blue light sector. It has enabled us to send communications and key updates to members via the Forum function, as well as receive and respond back to questions quickly. It has also enabled us to plan and run events such as webinars, as well as uploading recordings afterwards for all to access. The clear and easy-to-access document repository allows us to upload, categorise and share a large amount of legal, policy, commercial templates and other documents with multiple police forces and fire services in a way that would otherwise have been quite difficult. Overall, it has been an invaluable tool in BLC’s work on with the sector on the Procurement Act.”

– Ellie Wilkinson, Head of Commercial Governance and Compliance

The Result: Transforming Procurement Practices

The LMS has revolutionised how procurement knowledge is shared and acted upon throughout the BlueLight Commercial network:

• Courses now act as dynamic, evolving knowledge bases
• Forums allow real-time exchange of procurement knowledge
• E-learning programs roll out consistently across 43 police forces
• Content can be quickly updated and distributed to all regions

Enhancing Collaboration and Efficiency

The integration of document sharing into the Totara learning environment has had a tangible effect on daily operations:

• Ease of Access: The ability to share and access documents seamlessly through Totara reduces friction. This is particularly beneficial when documents need to be shared quickly among team members who are operating under strict security guidelines.
• Real-Time Collaboration: For teams involved in evaluations and other collaborative processes, utilising the course feature in this way supports real-time interaction and feedback. This fosters a more dynamic and interactive working environment.

Breaking Down Technological Barriers

The platform solved critical sharing challenges:

• Provided a safe environment for knowledge sharing within the sector, without the use of third party sharing platforms
• Enabled document sharing across different network environments
• Ability to share information and gain speedy feedback from a the sector on a ‘live’ basis

Measurable Impact

• 300% Increase in Active LMS Users: Growing from a limited user base to tripling the number of users in 12 months to a comprehensive UK-wide network
• Enhanced Collaboration: Courses now serve as knowledge-sharing spaces and not simply a traditional e-learning course management system
• Streamlined Procurement Practices: Consistent and focused learning environments now accessible for different procurement needs across 43 police forces
• Compliance is maintained: The LMS provides a controlled environment with secure access which can be system wide or specific areas through use of audiences
• Administrative efficiency is improved: Eliminates the use of additional software to sharing information
• User satisfaction is high: Teams that have adopted the system report that it simplifies their work processes and enhances overall efficiency

Conclusion

BlueLight Commercial has transformed the Totara LMS from a traditional training platform into a revolutionary knowledge-sharing tool. BlueLight Commercial’s adoption of the Totara Suite, supported by Hubken Group, represents an innovative leap in L&D strategy within the blue light sector. By transforming its approach to training, document sharing, and collaboration, the organisation has not only solved its initial challenges but has also set a benchmark for others in the industry.

“This is more than just a learning management system,” says Debbie Shore. “It’s become the central hub for procurement knowledge across UK policing. We’re not just sharing training, we’re creating a living, breathing knowledge network.“

“The Fleet Team have used this system extensively and have found it a simple and easy to use system that allows for collaboration across over 300 key stakeholders, allowing for specific forum topics to be discussed and restrictions given in access to certain information. Making changes to the pages is relatively easy even without significant web knowledge, we have received a significant amount of positive feedback from users. This has been a simple and effective way to communicate with our ever-expanding list of stakeholders.” Andy Brown – Head of Category- Fleet