diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 15175be7a..5ee4ad9c0 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 /include/
 /templates/
 /configure/*.local
-/modules/RELEASE.base
+/modules/RELEASE.local
 O.*/
 /QtC-*
 *.orig
diff --git a/modules/CONFIG_SITE.local b/modules/CONFIG_SITE.local
index 336fdf4d1..760f9d691 100644
--- a/modules/CONFIG_SITE.local
+++ b/modules/CONFIG_SITE.local
@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
-# FIXME: for a non-local install of the bundle, this has to be changes for the submodules
-INSTALL_LOCATION = $(TOP)/../..
+#*************************************************************************
+# EPICS BASE is distributed subject to a Software License Agreement found
+# in file LICENSE that is included with this distribution.
+#*************************************************************************
 
-# Do not install configuration from base submodules
+# When building submodules, this should always be true:
+INSTALL_LOCATION = $(EPICS_BASE)
+
+# Stop submodules from installing their configuration files:
 CONFIG_INSTALLS =
diff --git a/modules/Makefile b/modules/Makefile
index f9cc05aee..63d7163d2 100644
--- a/modules/Makefile
+++ b/modules/Makefile
@@ -10,8 +10,6 @@
 TOP = ..
 include $(TOP)/configure/CONFIG
 
-inc: RELEASE.base
-
 # Submodules for bundle build
 SUBMODULES += libcom
 
@@ -49,7 +47,11 @@ DIRS += $(subst /,,$(dir $(wildcard $(addsuffix /Makefile, $(SUBMODULES)))))
 
 include $(TOP)/configure/RULES_DIRS
 
-RELEASE.base:
-	@echo "EPICS_BASE = $(dir $(abspath $(lastword $(MAKEFILE_LIST))/..))" > $@
+# Ensure that RELEASE.local exists before doing anything else
+all host $(DIRS) $(ARCHS) $(ACTIONS) $(dirActionTargets) $(dirArchTargets) \
+    $(dirActionArchTargets) $(actionArchTargets): | RELEASE.local
+
+RELEASE.local:
+	@echo "EPICS_BASE = $(abspath $(INSTALL_LOCATION))"> $@
 realclean:
-	$(RM) RELEASE.base
+	$(RM) RELEASE.local
diff --git a/modules/RELEASE.local b/modules/RELEASE.local
deleted file mode 100644
index 77728b47f..000000000
--- a/modules/RELEASE.local
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-# Fallback / bootstrap
-EPICS_BASE = $(TOP)/../..
-
--include RELEASE.base