diff --git a/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/Nuget.ps1 b/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/Nuget.ps1
index a8c22b6..64f3bc4 100644
--- a/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/Nuget.ps1
+++ b/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/Nuget.ps1
@@ -149,14 +149,17 @@ if(Test-Path $PackagePath)
     $GetGalleryVersion = { (Find-NugetPackage -Name $DependencyName -PackageSourceUrl $Source -Credential $Credential -IsLatest).Version }
 
     # Version string, and equal to current
-    if( $Version -and $Version -ne 'latest' -and $Version -eq $ExistingVersion)
+    if($Version -and $Version -ne 'latest')
     {
-        Write-Verbose "You have the requested version [$Version] of [$DependencyName]"
-        if($PSDependAction -contains 'Test')
+        if(Test-VersionEquality $Version $ExistingVersion)
         {
-            return $True
+            Write-Verbose "You have the requested version [$Version] of [$DependencyName]"
+            if($PSDependAction -contains 'Test')
+            {
+                return $True
+            }
+            return $null
         }
-        return $null
     }
 
     # latest, and we have latest
diff --git a/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/PSGalleryModule.ps1 b/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/PSGalleryModule.ps1
index 65d6689..cf8e2a7 100644
--- a/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/PSGalleryModule.ps1
+++ b/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/PSGalleryModule.ps1
@@ -225,6 +225,17 @@ $Existing = Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name $ModuleName -ErrorAction SilentlyCon
 
 if($Existing) {
     Write-Verbose "Found existing module [$Name]"
+
+    if($Version -and $Version -ne 'latest') {
+        $matchedInstall = $Existing | Where-Object { Test-VersionEquality $Version $_.Version.ToString() } | Select-Object -First 1
+        if ($matchedInstall) {
+            Write-Verbose "You have the requested version [$Version] of [$Name]"
+            Import-PSDependModule -Name $ModuleName -Action $PSDependAction -Version $matchedInstall.Version
+            if($PSDependAction -contains 'Test') { return $true }
+            return $null
+        }
+    }
+
     # Thanks to Brandon Padgett!
     $ExistingVersion = $Existing | Measure-Object -Property Version -Maximum | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Maximum
     $FindModuleParams = @{Name = $Name }
@@ -238,18 +249,6 @@ if($Existing) {
         $FindModuleParams.Add('AllowPrerelease', $AllowPrerelease)
     }
 
-    # Version string, and equal to current
-    if($Version -and $Version -ne 'latest' -and $Version -eq $ExistingVersion) {
-        Write-Verbose "You have the requested version [$Version] of [$Name]"
-        # Conditional import
-        Import-PSDependModule -Name $ModuleName -Action $PSDependAction -Version $ExistingVersion
-
-        if($PSDependAction -contains 'Test') {
-            return $true
-        }
-        return $null
-    }
-
     $GalleryVersion = Find-Module @FindModuleParams | Measure-Object -Property Version -Maximum | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Maximum
     [System.Version]$parsedExistingVersion = $null
     [System.Version]$parsedGalleryVersion = $null
diff --git a/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/PSGalleryNuget.ps1 b/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/PSGalleryNuget.ps1
index c67e7fa..f028cbb 100644
--- a/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/PSGalleryNuget.ps1
+++ b/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/PSGalleryNuget.ps1
@@ -133,16 +133,19 @@ if(Test-Path $ModulePath)
     $GetGalleryVersion = { (Find-NugetPackage -Name $Name -PackageSourceUrl $Source -Credential $Credential -IsLatest).Version }
 
     # Version string, and equal to current
-    if( $Version -and $Version -ne 'latest' -and $Version -eq $ExistingVersion)
+    if($Version -and $Version -ne 'latest')
     {
-        Write-Verbose "You have the requested version [$Version] of [$Name]"
-        # Conditional import
-        Import-PSDependModule -Name $ModulePath -Action $PSDependAction -Version $ExistingVersion
-        if($PSDependAction -contains 'Test')
+        if(Test-VersionEquality $Version $ExistingVersion)
         {
-            return $True
+            Write-Verbose "You have the requested version [$Version] of [$Name]"
+            # Conditional import
+            Import-PSDependModule -Name $ModulePath -Action $PSDependAction -Version $ExistingVersion
+            if($PSDependAction -contains 'Test')
+            {
+                return $True
+            }
+            return $null
         }
-        return $null
     }
 
     # latest, and we have latest
diff --git a/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/Package.ps1 b/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/Package.ps1
index a6223ba..4fd9856 100644
--- a/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/Package.ps1
+++ b/PSDepend/PSDependScripts/Package.ps1
@@ -169,21 +169,25 @@ $Existing = Get-Package @GetParam
 if($Existing)
 {
     Write-Verbose "Found existing package [$Name]"
-    # Thanks to Brandon Padgett!
-    $ExistingVersion = $Existing | Measure-Object -Property Version -Maximum | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Maximum
-    $GetSourceVersion = { Find-Package -Name $Name -Source $Source | Measure-Object -Property Version -Maximum | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Maximum }
-    
-    # Version string, and equal to current
-    if( $Version -and $Version -ne 'latest' -and $Version -eq $ExistingVersion)
+
+    if($Version -and $Version -ne 'latest')
     {
-        Write-Verbose "You have the requested version [$Version] of [$Name]"
-        if($PSDependAction -contains 'Test')
+        $matchedInstall = $Existing | Where-Object { Test-VersionEquality $Version $_.Version } | Select-Object -First 1
+        if ($matchedInstall)
         {
-            return $True
+            Write-Verbose "You have the requested version [$Version] of [$Name]"
+            if($PSDependAction -contains 'Test')
+            {
+                return $True
+            }
+            return $null
         }
-        return $null
     }
-    
+
+    # Thanks to Brandon Padgett!
+    $ExistingVersion = $Existing | Measure-Object -Property Version -Maximum | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Maximum
+    $GetSourceVersion = { Find-Package -Name $Name -Source $Source | Measure-Object -Property Version -Maximum | Select-Object -ExpandProperty Maximum }
+
     $SourceVersion = (& $GetSourceVersion)
     [System.Version]$parsedExistingVersion = $null
     [System.Version]$parsedSourceVersion = $null
diff --git a/PSDepend/Private/Test-VersionEquality.ps1 b/PSDepend/Private/Test-VersionEquality.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d45327b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/PSDepend/Private/Test-VersionEquality.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+function Test-VersionEquality {
+    <#
+    .SYNOPSIS
+    Compare two versions by casting and comparing individual components.
+    
+    .DESCRIPTION
+    Compare two version strings by attempting to parse them as System.Version
+    and System.Management.Automation.SemanticVersion, and comparing their
+    components. If parsing fails, fall back to string comparison.
+    
+    .PARAMETER ReferenceVersion
+    The reference version string to compare against.
+    
+    .PARAMETER DifferenceVersion
+    The version string to compare with the reference version.
+    
+    .EXAMPLE
+    Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.3'
+
+    Returns true for identical three-part versions.
+
+    .EXAMPLE
+    Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.0' -DifferenceVersion '1.2'
+
+    Returns true when both omit build (treated as 0).
+
+    .EXAMPLE
+    Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.4'
+
+    Returns false when build differs.
+    #>
+    [CmdletBinding()]
+    [OutputType([bool])]
+    param(
+        [string]$ReferenceVersion,
+        [string]$DifferenceVersion
+    )
+
+    # First, check if either version string is null or empty. If so, they can't
+    # be equal.
+    if (
+        [string]::IsNullOrEmpty($ReferenceVersion) -or
+        [string]::IsNullOrEmpty($DifferenceVersion)
+    ) {
+        return $false
+    }
+
+    # Parsing requires existing references to exist, so we create them.
+    [System.Version]$parsedRef = $null
+    [System.Version]$parsedDiff = $null
+
+    # Check if we can parse both versions as System.Version. If we can, we
+    # compare them using individual components.
+    # Because System.Version treats missing components as -1, we use Math.Max to
+    # treat them as 0 for comparison purposes (e.g. 1.2 is treated as 1.2.0.0).
+    if ([System.Version]::TryParse($ReferenceVersion, [ref]$parsedRef) -and
+        [System.Version]::TryParse($DifferenceVersion, [ref]$parsedDiff)
+    ) {
+        return (
+            $parsedRef.Major -eq $parsedDiff.Major -and
+            $parsedRef.Minor -eq $parsedDiff.Minor -and
+            [Math]::Max($parsedRef.Build, 0) -eq [Math]::Max($parsedDiff.Build, 0) -and
+            [Math]::Max($parsedRef.Revision, 0) -eq [Math]::Max($parsedDiff.Revision, 0)
+        )
+    }
+
+    # If they can't be parsed as System.Version, we attempt to parse them as
+    # SemanticVersion, which can handle prerelease and build metadata.
+    [System.Management.Automation.SemanticVersion]$parsedRefSemVer = $null
+    [System.Management.Automation.SemanticVersion]$parsedDiffSemVer = $null
+
+    if (
+        [System.Management.Automation.SemanticVersion]::TryParse(
+            $ReferenceVersion, [ref]$parsedRefSemVer
+        ) -and
+        [System.Management.Automation.SemanticVersion]::TryParse(
+            $DifferenceVersion, [ref]$parsedDiffSemVer
+        )
+    ) {
+        return $parsedRefSemVer -eq $parsedDiffSemVer
+    }
+
+    # TODO: Investigate if we want to add additional parsing logic here for
+    # other version formats (e.g. date or commit based versions)
+
+    return $ReferenceVersion -eq $DifferenceVersion
+}
diff --git a/Tests/Test-VersionEquality.Tests.ps1 b/Tests/Test-VersionEquality.Tests.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..97596c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tests/Test-VersionEquality.Tests.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,213 @@
+#requires -Module @{ ModuleName = 'Pester'; ModuleVersion = '5.0.0' }
+
+BeforeAll {
+    if (-not $env:BHProjectPath) {
+        & "$PSScriptRoot\..\build.ps1" -Task 'Build'
+    }
+    Remove-Module $env:BHProjectName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    Import-Module (Join-Path $env:BHProjectPath $env:BHProjectName) -Force
+}
+
+Describe 'Test-VersionEquality' {
+
+    Context 'Null and empty inputs' {
+
+        It 'Returns false when ReferenceVersion is empty' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '' -DifferenceVersion '1.0.0'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when DifferenceVersion is empty' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.0.0' -DifferenceVersion ''
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when both are empty' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '' -DifferenceVersion ''
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context '[System.Version] two-part (Major.Minor)' {
+
+        It 'Returns true for identical two-part versions' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2' -DifferenceVersion '1.2'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when minor differs' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2' -DifferenceVersion '1.3'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when major differs' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.0' -DifferenceVersion '2.0'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context '[System.Version] three-part (Major.Minor.Build)' {
+
+        It 'Returns true for identical three-part versions' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.3'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns true when both omit build (treated as 0)' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.0' -DifferenceVersion '1.2'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when build differs' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.4'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context '[System.Version] four-part (Major.Minor.Build.Revision)' {
+
+        It 'Returns true for identical four-part versions' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3.4' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.3.4'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns true when revision is absent on one side (treated as 0)' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3.0' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.3'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when revision differs' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3.4' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.3.5'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context 'SemanticVersion (Major.Minor.Patch[-pre[+build]])' {
+
+        It 'Returns true for identical semver strings' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.3'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns true for identical semver with pre-release label' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '2.0.0-beta.1' -DifferenceVersion '2.0.0-beta.1'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when patch differs' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.2.3' -DifferenceVersion '1.2.4'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when pre-release label differs' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '2.0.0-alpha' -DifferenceVersion '2.0.0-beta'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false when one has a pre-release label and the other does not' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '2.0.0-beta' -DifferenceVersion '2.0.0'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context 'Tricky versions with zero components or zero-prefixed pre-release' {
+
+        # 0.0.0.5 — [System.Version] Build=0 Revision=5
+        # Risk: Math.Max(Build,0) normalises absent build (-1) to 0,
+        # so 0.0.0.5 must NOT equal 0.0.0 even though both have Build→0 after normalisation.
+        It 'Returns true for 0.0.0.5 equal to itself' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '0.0.0.5' -DifferenceVersion '0.0.0.5'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false for 0.0.0.5 vs 0.0.0 (revision 5 vs absent)' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '0.0.0.5' -DifferenceVersion '0.0.0'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false for 0.0.0.5 vs 0.0.0.4' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '0.0.0.5' -DifferenceVersion '0.0.0.4'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        # 0.1.0.2 — [System.Version] Build=0 Revision=2; same zero-build concern
+        It 'Returns true for 0.1.0.2 equal to itself' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '0.1.0.2' -DifferenceVersion '0.1.0.2'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false for 0.1.0.2 vs 0.1.0 (revision 2 vs absent)' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '0.1.0.2' -DifferenceVersion '0.1.0'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        # 1.0.2-0alpha.5 — SemanticVersion path; pre-release starts with digit 0
+        # (valid because the identifier is alphanumeric, not purely numeric)
+        It 'Returns true for 1.0.2-0alpha.5 equal to itself' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.0.2-0alpha.5' -DifferenceVersion '1.0.2-0alpha.5'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false for 1.0.2-0alpha.5 vs 1.0.2 (pre-release vs none)' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.0.2-0alpha.5' -DifferenceVersion '1.0.2'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false for 1.0.2-0alpha.5 vs 1.0.2-0alpha.6 (differing pre-release suffix)' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '1.0.2-0alpha.5' -DifferenceVersion '1.0.2-0alpha.6'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context 'CalVer and arbitrary string fallback' {
+
+        It 'Returns true for identical CalVer strings' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '2024.01.15' -DifferenceVersion '2024.01.15'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false for different CalVer strings' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion '2024.01.15' -DifferenceVersion '2024.02.01'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns true for identical arbitrary version strings' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion 'latest' -DifferenceVersion 'latest'
+            } | Should -BeTrue
+        }
+
+        It 'Returns false for different arbitrary strings' {
+            InModuleScope PSDepend {
+                Test-VersionEquality -ReferenceVersion 'latest' -DifferenceVersion 'stable'
+            } | Should -BeFalse
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/docs/PSDependScripts-ReviewerChecklist.md b/docs/PSDependScripts-ReviewerChecklist.md
index c9187b9..223facb 100644
--- a/docs/PSDependScripts-ReviewerChecklist.md
+++ b/docs/PSDependScripts-ReviewerChecklist.md
@@ -64,7 +64,23 @@ Resolve the inputs once into locals before the main body runs:
 - `AddToPath` consistently prepends to `$env:PATH` and/or `$env:PSModulePath`
   via `Add-ToItemCollection`.
 
-### 7. Logging discipline
+### 7. Local-first resolution for explicit versions
+
+When a Dependency declares an explicit version (not `'latest'` or `''`):
+
+1. Check **all** locally installed versions against the requested version before
+   making any remote call.
+2. Use typed comparison (`[System.Version]` → `[SemanticVersion]` → string
+   equality) rather than string comparison — `"1.0"` and `"1.0.0.0"` are the
+   same version.
+3. Only fall through to the remote registry if no local match is found.
+4. The `'latest'` path legitimately requires a remote call to confirm currency;
+   the explicit-version path does not.
+
+This keeps air-gapped and CI environments fast, avoids unnecessary network cost,
+and is consistent with the principle that PSDepend should be idempotent.
+
+### 8. Logging discipline
 
 - `Write-Verbose` for normal progress on each decision branch.
 - `Write-Error` (not `throw`) for recoverable failures.
@@ -119,10 +135,14 @@ Use this as a PR review checklist when adding or modifying a script under
 
 ### Version comparison (for installers)
 
-- [ ] Both `[SemanticVersion]::TryParse` and `[Version]::TryParse` are
-      attempted before comparing (see `PSGalleryModule.ps1` lines 262–273).
+- [ ] When an explicit version is requested, **all locally installed versions
+      are checked before any remote call is made** — the check must not be
+      limited to the maximum installed version (see `PSGalleryModule.ps1`).
+- [ ] Version comparison uses `[System.Version]::TryParse`, falling back to
+      `[System.Management.Automation.SemanticVersion]::TryParse`, then string
+      equality — never raw string equality alone (handles `"1.0"` vs `"1.0.0.0"`).
 - [ ] `'latest'` vs explicit-version paths each produce a defensible
-      early-return.
+      early-return; only the `'latest'` path is allowed to hit a remote registry.
 
 ### Security / hygiene