diff --git a/travis/compile_nwchem.sh b/travis/compile_nwchem.sh
index 3ef746f456..eaed7fb2e7 100755
--- a/travis/compile_nwchem.sh
+++ b/travis/compile_nwchem.sh
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ cd $TRAVIS_BUILD_DIR/src
 export MPICH_FC=$FC
 if [[ "$arch" == "aarch64" ]]; then 
     if [[ "$FC" == "flang" ]]  ; then
-	export BUILD_MPICH=1
         FOPT="-O2  -ffast-math"
     elif [[ "$(basename -- $FC | cut -d \- -f 1)" == "nvfortran" ]] ; then
 	export USE_FPICF=1
@@ -43,7 +42,6 @@ else
 	FOPT=-O2
     if [[ -z "$BUILD_OPENBLAS" ]] ; then
 	if [[ "$os" == "Darwin" ]]; then
-	    export BUILD_MPICH=1
  	    export BLASOPT="-L$MKLROOT  -Wl,-rpath,${MKLROOT}/lib -lmkl_intel_ilp64 -lmkl_sequential -lmkl_core  -lpthread -lm -ldl"
 	else
 	    export USE_FPICF=Y
@@ -59,7 +57,6 @@ else
 	export I_MPI_F90="$FC"
     elif [[ "$FC" == "flang" ]] || [[ "$(basename -- $FC | cut -d \- -f 1)" == "nvfortran" ]] ; then
         if [[ "$FC" == "flang" ]]; then
-            export BUILD_MPICH=1
 	    FOPT="-O2  -ffast-math"
 	fi
         if [[ "$FC" == "nvfortran" ]]; then
diff --git a/travis/nwchem.bashrc b/travis/nwchem.bashrc
index c6fa7d7287..f3b7731271 100644
--- a/travis/nwchem.bashrc
+++ b/travis/nwchem.bashrc
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ if [[ "$FC" == "ifort" ]] || [[ "$FC" == "ifx" ]] ; then
 	CC=icc
 	CXX=icpc
 # Intel MPI not available on macos       
-       export BUILD_MPICH=1
+#       export BUILD_MPICH=1
        unset BUILD_PLUMED
 # python arm64 not compatible with x86_64       
        if [[ "$arch" == "arm64" ]]; then
@@ -100,12 +100,6 @@ if [[ "$os" == "Darwin" ]]; then
 fi
 if [[ "$os" == "Linux" ]]; then 
    export NWCHEM_TARGET=LINUX64 
-  if [[ "$MPI_IMPL" == "mpich" ]]; then
-      export MPICH_FC=$FC
-      if [[ "$arch" != "aarch64" ]]; then
-	  export BUILD_MPICH=1
-      fi
-  fi
 fi
 export OMP_NUM_THREADS=1
 export USE_NOIO=1
@@ -149,6 +143,12 @@ if [[ -z "$USE_INTERNALBLAS" ]]; then
 	    GFORTRAN_EXTRA=$(echo $FC | cut -c 1-8)
 	    if  [[ ${FC} == gfortran ]] || [[ ${GFORTRAN_EXTRA} == gfortran ]] ; then
 #	    if  [[ ${FC} == gfortran ]]  ; then
+		if [[ "$MPI_IMPL" == "mpich" ]]; then
+		    export MPICH_FC=$FC
+		    if [[ "$arch" != "aarch64" ]]; then
+			export BUILD_MPICH=1
+		    fi
+		fi
 		if [[ `${CC} -dM -E - < /dev/null 2> /dev/null | grep -c clang` == 0 ]] && [[ `${CC} -dM -E - < /dev/null 2> /dev/null | grep -c GNU` > 0 ]] && [[ "$(expr `${CC} -dumpversion | cut -f1 -d.` \> 7)" == 1 ]]; then
 		    if [[ "$os" == "Linux" ]] && [[ "$arch" == "x86_64" ]]; then
 			if [[ ! -z "$BUILD_OPENBLAS" ]]; then