diff --git a/.github/workflows/concretize-lxplus-pr-target.yaml b/.github/workflows/concretize-lxplus-pr-target.yaml
index c7603688..0dcc4c79 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/concretize-lxplus-pr-target.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/concretize-lxplus-pr-target.yaml
@@ -30,13 +30,11 @@ jobs:
         docker run -it --name CI_container -e GITHUB_ENV=${GITHUB_ENV}  -v ${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}:/Package -v /cvmfs:/cvmfs:shared -d clicdp/cc7-lcg /bin/bash
     - name: Setup container
       run: |
-        docker exec CI_container /bin/bash -c ' ln -s /usr/lib64/liblzma.so.5.2.2 /usr/lib64/liblzma.so;\
-        yum -y install gcc;'
-
+        docker exec CI_container /bin/bash -c ' ln -s /usr/lib64/liblzma.so.5.2.2 /usr/lib64/liblzma.so;'
     - name: Setup Spack
       run: |
         docker exec CI_container /bin/bash -c 'cd ./Package;\
-        source scripts/ci_setup_spack.sh;'
+        source scripts/ci_setup_spack2.sh;'
     - name: Concretize
       run: |
         docker exec CI_container /bin/bash -c 'cd ./Package;\
diff --git a/config/compilers_centos7_cvmfs.yaml b/config/compilers_centos7_cvmfs.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5342c7a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/compilers_centos7_cvmfs.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+compilers:
+- compiler:
+    paths:
+      cc: /cvmfs/sw.hsf.org/spackages/linux-centos7-haswell/gcc-4.8.5/gcc-8.3.0-avsmzt7bekq7ispf6zlarx6vwdretbae/bin/gcc
+      cxx: /cvmfs/sw.hsf.org/spackages/linux-centos7-haswell/gcc-4.8.5/gcc-8.3.0-avsmzt7bekq7ispf6zlarx6vwdretbae/bin/g++
+      f77: /cvmfs/sw.hsf.org/spackages/linux-centos7-haswell/gcc-4.8.5/gcc-8.3.0-avsmzt7bekq7ispf6zlarx6vwdretbae/bin/gfortran
+      fc: /cvmfs/sw.hsf.org/spackages/linux-centos7-haswell/gcc-4.8.5/gcc-8.3.0-avsmzt7bekq7ispf6zlarx6vwdretbae/bin/gfortran
+    operating_system: centos7
+    target: x86_64
+    modules: []
+    environment: {}
+    extra_rpaths: []
+    flags: {}
+    spec: gcc@8.3.0
diff --git a/scripts/ci_setup_spack.sh b/scripts/ci_setup_spack.sh
index 7edfcb7e..7ce6611f 100755
--- a/scripts/ci_setup_spack.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci_setup_spack.sh
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
  echo ' - $SPACK_ROOT/var/spack/repos/key4hep-spack' >> spack/etc/spack/repos.yaml
  tar -czf key4hep-spack.tar.gz spack
  cp ${PWD}/spack/var/spack/repos/key4hep-spack/config/cvmfs_build/upstreams.yaml spack/etc/spack/
-# compiler setup 
+ compiler setup 
  spack load gcc
  spack compiler find --scope site
  tar -czf key4hep-spack_centos7-cvmfs.tar.gz spack
diff --git a/scripts/ci_setup_spack2.sh b/scripts/ci_setup_spack2.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..ed0e74b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/ci_setup_spack2.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+# set up spack inside the k4-spack repo
+ if [ -n "$SPACK_VERSION" ]; then git clone  https://github.com/key4hep/spack ; cd spack; git checkout $SPACK_VERSION; cd ..; else git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/key4hep/spack; fi 
+ source spack/share/spack/setup-env.sh
+# get the right config files to the right places
+ cp config/packages.yaml spack/etc/spack/
+ mkdir spack/var/spack/repos/key4hep-spack
+ cp -r * spack/var/spack/repos/key4hep-spack || true
+# clean up git directories for zip
+ rm -rf spack/var/spack/repos/key4hep-spack/spack || true
+ rm -rf spack/.git
+# register k4 package recipes with spack
+ echo "repos:" > spack/etc/spack/repos.yaml
+ echo ' - $SPACK_ROOT/var/spack/repos/key4hep-spack' >> spack/etc/spack/repos.yaml
+ tar -czf key4hep-spack.tar.gz spack
+ cp ${PWD}/spack/var/spack/repos/key4hep-spack/config/cvmfs_build/upstreams.yaml spack/etc/spack/
+ cp config/compilers_centos7_cvmfs.yaml spack/etc/spack/compilers.yaml
+# compiler setup 
+# spack load gcc
+# spack compiler find --scope site
+# tar -czf key4hep-spack_centos7-cvmfs.tar.gz spack