diff --git a/cmake/load_local_packages.cmake b/cmake/load_local_packages.cmake
index 029d8bd96e..8fad9402ca 100644
--- a/cmake/load_local_packages.cmake
+++ b/cmake/load_local_packages.cmake
@@ -8,10 +8,8 @@ include(cmake/local_package.cmake)
 if (EXISTS "${PROJECT_LIB_DIR}/checkpoint")
   add_subdirectory(${PROJECT_LIB_DIR}/checkpoint)
 else()
-  # require directories for these packages
-  require_pkg_directory(checkpoint "VT checkpoint library")
   # find these required packages locally
-  find_package_local(checkpoint "${checkpoint_DIR}" checkpoint)
-endif()
+  find_package_local(checkpoint checkpoint)
+  endif()
 
 set(CHECKPOINT_LIBRARY vt::lib::checkpoint)
diff --git a/cmake/local_package.cmake b/cmake/local_package.cmake
index f860b3d3b0..9c321c64ce 100644
--- a/cmake/local_package.cmake
+++ b/cmake/local_package.cmake
@@ -1,30 +1,4 @@
-
-macro(require_pkg_directory pkg_name pkg_user_name)
-  if(hasParent)
-    # Skip this logic when this macro was not invoked from the
-    # top-level CMakeLists.txt file under the assumption that this
-    # package was dropped into another build system using add_subdirectory().
-    # Note that this will also skip if you call this macro from
-    # a subdirectory in your own package, so just don't do it!
-
-    #message(STATUS "skipping require_pkg_directory for ${pkg_name}")
-  else()
-    #message(STATUS "require_directory: name=${pkg_name}")
-    option(${pkg_name}_DIR "Root folder for ${pkg_user_name} installation" OFF)
-    if (NOT ${pkg_name}_DIR)
-      message(
-        FATAL_ERROR
-        "Please specify ${pkg_user_name} library installation root"
-        " with -D${pkg_name}_DIR="
-      )
-    endif()
-  endif()
-endmacro(require_pkg_directory)
-
-macro(find_package_local pkg_name pkg_directory pkg_other_name)
-  # Whether we loaded the package in the following loop with find_package()
-  set(${pkg_name}_PACKAGE_LOADED 0)
-
+macro(find_package_local pkg_name pkg_other_name)
   if(hasParent)
     # Skip this logic when this macro was not invoked from the
     # top-level CMakeLists.txt file under the assumption that this
@@ -34,97 +8,18 @@ macro(find_package_local pkg_name pkg_directory pkg_other_name)
 
     # message(STATUS "skipping find_package for ${pkg_name}")
   else()
-    message(
-      STATUS "find_package_local: pkg name=\"${pkg_name}\", "
-             "directory=\"${pkg_directory}\""
+    message(STATUS "find_package_local: pkg name=\"${pkg_name}\"")
+
+    find_package(
+      ${pkg_name}
+      NAMES ${pkg_name} ${pkg_other_name}
+      NO_CMAKE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
+      NO_CMAKE_BUILDS_PATH
+      NO_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH
+      NO_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
+      NO_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH
+      QUIET
+      REQUIRED
     )
-
-    # Rest of the arguments are potential relative search paths wrt the
-    # ${pkg_directory}
-    set(prefix_args ${ARGN})
-
-    # Default search paths: root, /cmake and /CMake subdirectories
-    list(APPEND prefix_args "/" "/cmake" "/CMake")
-
-    foreach(prefix ${prefix_args})
-      set(potential_path ${pkg_directory}/${prefix})
-      # message("prefix: ${potential_path}")
-      if (EXISTS "${potential_path}")
-        # message(STATUS "find_package_local: trying path: ${potential_path}")
-
-        # Search locally only for package based on the user's supplied path; if
-        # this fails try to next one. Even if the directory exists (tested above)
-        # this might fail if a directory does not have the config file
-        find_package(
-          ${pkg_name}
-          PATHS ${potential_path}
-          NAMES ${pkg_name} ${pkg_other_name}
-          NO_CMAKE_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
-          NO_CMAKE_BUILDS_PATH
-          NO_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PATH
-          NO_CMAKE_SYSTEM_PACKAGE_REGISTRY
-          NO_SYSTEM_ENVIRONMENT_PATH
-          QUIET
-        )
-
-        # Break out of the search loop now that we have found the path
-        if (${${pkg_name}_FOUND})
-          message(STATUS "find_package_local: found with prefix: ${prefix}")
-          set(${pkg_name}_PACKAGE_LOADED 1)
-          break()
-        endif()
-      endif()
-    endforeach()
-
-    if (NOT ${${pkg_name}_PACKAGE_LOADED})
-      message(STATUS "find_package_local: can not find package: ${pkg_name}")
-
-      foreach(prefix ${prefix_args})
-        set(path ${${pkg_name}_DIR}/${prefix})
-        message(STATUS "find_package_local: searched: ${path}")
-      endforeach()
-
-      message(
-        FATAL_ERROR "find_package_local: can not find package: ${pkg_name}"
-        " tried to find_package(..) with above search paths"
-      )
-    endif()
   endif()
 endmacro(find_package_local)
-
-macro(optional_pkg_directory pkg_name pkg_user_name assume_found_if_hasparent)
-  if(hasParent)
-    # Skip MOST of this logic when this macro was not invoked from the
-    # top-level CMakeLists.txt file under the assumption that this
-    # package was dropped into another build system using add_subdirectory().
-    # Note that this will also skip if you call this macro from
-    # a subdirectory in your own package, so just don't do it!
-
-    if(${assume_found_if_hasparent})
-      # Assume that the package is available even if the directory wasn't specified
-      set(${pkg_name}_DIR_FOUND 1)
-    endif()
-  else()
-    #message(STATUS "optional_pkg_directory: name=${pkg_name}")
-    option(${pkg_name}_DIR "Root folder for ${pkg_user_name} installation" OFF)
-    if (NOT ${pkg_name}_DIR)
-      message(
-        STATUS
-        "Path for ${pkg_user_name} library (optional) not specified "
-        "with -D${pkg_name}_DIR="
-      )
-      message(
-        STATUS
-        "Building without ${pkg_user_name} library"
-      )
-      set(${pkg_name}_DIR_FOUND 0)
-    else()
-      message(
-        STATUS
-        "Path for ${pkg_user_name} library (optional) specified "
-        "with -D${pkg_name}_DIR=${${pkg_name}_DIR}"
-      )
-      set(${pkg_name}_DIR_FOUND 1)
-    endif()
-  endif()
-endmacro(optional_pkg_directory)