diff --git a/.github/build-ci/data/standard.json b/.github/build-ci/data/standard.json
index 3aa9594d95..0022304fce 100644
--- a/.github/build-ci/data/standard.json
+++ b/.github/build-ci/data/standard.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
-    "gcc_compiler": "gcc@13.2.0",
-    "intel_compiler": "intel@2021.10.0",
-    "oneapi_compiler": "oneapi@2025.2.0",
+    "gcc_compiler_version": "13.2.0",
+    "intel_compiler_version": "2021.10.0",
+    "oneapi_compiler_version": "2025.2.0",
     "target": "x86_64"
 }
diff --git a/.github/build-ci/manifests/gcc-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2 b/.github/build-ci/manifests/gcc-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
index 9124829a9b..57fac0272d 100644
--- a/.github/build-ci/manifests/gcc-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
+++ b/.github/build-ci/manifests/gcc-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
@@ -2,9 +2,13 @@ spack:
   specs:
   - access-ww3 @git.{{ ref }} ~access3
   packages:
+    gcc:
+      require:
+      - '@{{ gcc_compiler_version }}'
     all:
       require:
-      - '%{{ gcc_compiler }} target={{ target}}'
+      - '%access_gcc'
+      - target={{ target }}
   concretizer:
     unify: false
   view: false
diff --git a/.github/build-ci/manifests/intel-access3.spack.yaml.j2 b/.github/build-ci/manifests/intel-access3.spack.yaml.j2
index 4c488eaf92..149eb729ef 100644
--- a/.github/build-ci/manifests/intel-access3.spack.yaml.j2
+++ b/.github/build-ci/manifests/intel-access3.spack.yaml.j2
@@ -2,9 +2,18 @@ spack:
   specs:
   - access-ww3 @git.{{ ref }} +access3
   packages:
+    # We pin a version of python as spack v1.1 has trouble building the default latest 
+    # python@3.14.3%intel@2021.10.0 due to a segfault. 
+    python:
+      require:
+      - '@3.11.14'
+    intel-oneapi-compilers-classic:
+      require:
+      - '@{{ intel_compiler_version }}'
     all:
       require:
-      - '%{{ intel_compiler }} target={{ target }}'
+      - '%access_intel'
+      - target={{ target }}
   concretizer:
     unify: false
   view: false
diff --git a/.github/build-ci/manifests/intel-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2 b/.github/build-ci/manifests/intel-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
index 8596347c63..7640cfbfd7 100644
--- a/.github/build-ci/manifests/intel-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
+++ b/.github/build-ci/manifests/intel-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
@@ -2,9 +2,13 @@ spack:
   specs:
   - access-ww3 @git.{{ ref }} ~access3
   packages:
+    intel-oneapi-compilers-classic:
+      require:
+      - '@{{ intel_compiler_version }}'
     all:
       require:
-      - '%{{ intel_compiler }} target={{ target }}'
+      - '%access_intel'
+      - target={{ target }}
   concretizer:
     unify: false
   view: false
diff --git a/.github/build-ci/manifests/oneapi-access3.spack.yaml.j2 b/.github/build-ci/manifests/oneapi-access3.spack.yaml.j2
index bfa80ecd56..ce7f7e3782 100644
--- a/.github/build-ci/manifests/oneapi-access3.spack.yaml.j2
+++ b/.github/build-ci/manifests/oneapi-access3.spack.yaml.j2
@@ -5,10 +5,15 @@ spack:
   packages:
     gcc-runtime:
       require:
-      - '%gcc target={{ target }}'
+      - '%access_gcc'
+      - target={{ target }}
+    intel-oneapi-compilers:
+      require:
+      - '@{{ oneapi_compiler_version }}'
     all:
       require:
-        - '%{{ oneapi_compiler }} target={{ target }}'
+        - '%access_oneapi'
+        - target={{ target }}
   concretizer:
     unify: false
   view: false
diff --git a/.github/build-ci/manifests/oneapi-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2 b/.github/build-ci/manifests/oneapi-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
index 0d5d1e7ef5..8c875f2274 100644
--- a/.github/build-ci/manifests/oneapi-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
+++ b/.github/build-ci/manifests/oneapi-no-access3.spack.yaml.j2
@@ -5,10 +5,15 @@ spack:
   packages:
     gcc-runtime:
       require:
-      - '%gcc target={{ target }}'
+      - '%access_gcc'
+      - target={{ target }}
+    intel-oneapi-compilers:
+      require:
+      - '@{{ oneapi_compiler_version }}'
     all:
       require:
-      - '%{{ oneapi_compiler }} target={{ target }}'
+        - '%access_oneapi'
+        - target={{ target }}
   concretizer:
     unify: false
   view: false
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index fddaf66a15..378fe0e708 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -30,11 +30,10 @@ jobs:
       max-parallel: 5
       matrix:
         file: ${{ fromJson(needs.pre-ci.outputs.matrix) }}
-    uses: access-nri/build-ci/.github/workflows/ci.yml@v2
+    uses: access-nri/build-ci/.github/workflows/ci.yml@v3
     with:
       spack-manifest-path: ${{ matrix.file }}
       allow-ssh-into-spack-install: false  # If true, PR author must ssh into instance to complete job
       spack-manifest-data-path: .github/build-ci/data/standard.json
-      # spack-packages-ref: main
-      # spack-config-ref: main
-      # spack-ref: releases/v0.22
+      # Default args (including explicit spack/spack-packages/spack-config versions)
+      # are specified in https://github.com/ACCESS-NRI/build-ci/tree/v3/.github/workflows#inputs