# Read: COM-B model and cognitive biases
*Activity type: page*

##### Use the COM-B model to gather insights

To help you consider what questions to ask, The COM-B model (Michie, Van Stralen & West, 2011) is widely used. It suggests that a particular behaviour is more likely to occur when the target audience has:

- Capability (e.g. awareness, knowledge, skills, etc.)

- Opportunity (e.g. time, resources, tools, money, access, etc.)

- Motivation (e.g. beliefs, attitudes, enthusiasm, etc.) 

To learn more about the COM-B model of behaviour, you can visit this href="https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/organizational-behavior/the-com-b-model-for-behavior-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener" (https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/organizational-behavior/the-com-b-model-for-behavior-change).

***Figure: The COM-B model of behaviour*

Use COM-B to explore all three drivers for the behaviour you are interested in. Below are example questions for the first priority behaviour identified in the previous section :  For council staff to consider recycled materials and circular products/services in during their procurement activities.

Key factors for behaviour change**
**Example questions to ask stakeholders**

**Capability**

- “Do you know what recycled or circular materials are available for this kind of procurement”

- “Do you know the specifications of recycled or circular materials?

- “Do you know how to include evaluation criteria relating to recycled and circular content?”

**Opportunity**

- “Have you ever evaluated a submission with recycled/circular content?”

- “What do your procurement guidelines or process include regarding recycled and circular content?”

**Motivation**

- “Do you think there’s any benefit to procuring recycled and circular material?”

- “Do you think it’s easy or difficult to include recycled and circular content in your procurement?”

- “What would make it easier for you to consider recycled and circular material?”

Using the COM‑B model helps you ask more complete and practical questions because it prompts you to look beyond just “awareness” or “attitudes” and consider all three drivers of behaviour: Capability, Opportunity and Motivation.  

Rather than guessing why circular procurement isn’t happening (or assuming one single barrier), COM‑B helps you pinpoint which type of barrier is most important for your audience. For example, whether staff need clearer knowledge and tools (Capability), more time/resources and supportive processes (Opportunity), or stronger confidence and buy‑in (Motivation).  

This makes your insights more actionable: once you know what’s really getting in the way, you can design targeted supports and interventions (e.g. templates, prompts, checkpoints, leadership messaging) that are more likely to shift day‑to‑day procurement decisions.

##### Consider common cognitive biases and heuristics

As you conduct research, it’s also helpful to consider how some common cognitive biases or heuristics might be influencing your behaviour. For a more extensive list, definitions and examples of known biases, see The Decision Lab's list href="https://thedecisionlab.com/biases" target="_blank" rel="noopener" (https://thedecisionlab.com/biases). 

Here are some examples of how this could apply to the priority behaviours identified earlier:

**Common cognitive biases**
**Examples in a procurement context**

**Confirmation bias**
Council staff or suppliers may preferentially notice information that supports their existing views about “what works” in procurement, making them overlook evidence that circular options are viable or high-quality.

**Status quo bias**
Teams may default to familiar suppliers, materials, or procurement processes, making them less likely to adopt early cross- team involvement, explore recycled and circular options, or adjust tender criteria for circular requirements.

**Availability bias**
If staff have limited exposure to examples of successful circular procurement, they may assume such options are rare or risky, reducing their confidence in choosing recycled materials or in evaluating circular tender responses.

**Temporal discounting / present bias**

Council officers and suppliers may prioritise short-term convenience (e.g., sticking with known materials, avoiding extra planning effort, or minimising immediate tender preparation time) over the longer-term benefits of embedding circularity.

**Social norms**
If staff perceive that colleagues or other councils are not prioritising circular procurement, they may feel less compelled to consider recycled/circular options, involve others early, or signal circular expectations in tenders. Visible leadership or peer uptake can strongly motivate change.

Biases and heuristics matter because they explain why circular procurement can be hard to adopt even when the “right” process exists. People tend to default to familiar and easy choices.  Once you spot the likely bias, you can design a better response, and the next section introduces the EAST framework to help you translate these insights into practical interventions.
