diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index dde4749ada07..3acf91a4a68b 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -42,7 +42,3 @@ git_describe_command = ["sh", "-c", "tag=$(git tag | grep -v '-' | sort | tail -
 
 [tool.setuptools.packages.find]
 include = ["ssg*"]
-
-[[tool.mypy.overrides]]
-module = "pkg_resources"
-ignore_missing_imports = true
diff --git a/ssg/requirement_specs.py b/ssg/requirement_specs.py
index 10e6a6f35df2..b2c5587a733c 100644
--- a/ssg/requirement_specs.py
+++ b/ssg/requirement_specs.py
@@ -1,21 +1,64 @@
 """
 Common functions for processing Requirements Specs in SSG
 """
-
-import pkg_resources
 import re
+from typing import Tuple, List
 
 from ssg import utils
 
-# Monkey-patch pkg_resources.safe_name function to keep underscores intact
-# Setuptools recognize the issue: https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/issues/2522
-pkg_resources.safe_name = lambda name: re.sub('[^A-Za-z0-9_.]+', '-', name)
-# Monkey-patch pkg_resources.safe_extras function to keep dashes intact
-# Setuptools recognize the issue: https://github.com/pypa/setuptools/pull/732
-pkg_resources.safe_extra = lambda extra: re.sub('[^A-Za-z0-9.-]+', '_', extra).lower()
+
+class RequirementParser:
+    """
+    A simple parser for package requirements with version specifiers.
+    Handles formats like: package[extra]>=1.0,<2.0
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, target_v: str):
+        self.target = target_v
+        # First, extract package name and extras
+        base_match = re.match(
+            r'^(?P<name>[a-zA-Z0-9\-_.]+)(?:\[(?P<extra>[a-zA-Z0-9\-_]+)])?(?P<specs>.*)$',
+            target_v
+        )
+
+        if not base_match:
+            raise ValueError(f"Invalid requirement format: {target_v}")
+
+        self.name = base_match.group('name')
+        self.extra = base_match.group('extra')
+        specs_str = base_match.group('specs')
+
+        # Parse comma-separated version specifiers
+        self.specs_list = []
+        if specs_str and specs_str.strip():
+            for spec in specs_str.split(','):
+                spec = spec.strip()
+                if spec:
+                    spec_match = re.match(r'^(?P<op>[><!~=]+)\s*(?P<ver>.+)$', spec)
+                    if spec_match:
+                        self.specs_list.append((spec_match.group('op'), spec_match.group('ver')))
+                    else:
+                        raise ValueError(f"Invalid version specifier: {spec}")
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.target
+
+    @property
+    def specs(self) -> List[Tuple[str, str]]:
+        return self.specs_list
+
+    @property
+    def project_name(self) -> str:
+        return self.name
+
+    @property
+    def extras(self) -> List[str]:
+        if self.extra:
+            return [self.extra.lower()]
+        return []
 
 
-def _parse_version_into_evr(version):
+def parse_version_into_evr(version):
     """
     Parses a version string into its epoch, version, and release components.
 
@@ -53,7 +96,7 @@ def _spec_to_version_specifier(spec):
         VersionSpecifier: An object representing the version specifier.
     """
     op, ver = spec
-    evr = _parse_version_into_evr(ver)
+    evr = parse_version_into_evr(ver)
     return utils.VersionSpecifier(op, evr)
 
 
@@ -62,17 +105,20 @@ class Requirement:
     A class to represent a package requirement with version specifications.
 
     Attributes:
-        _req (pkg_resources.Requirement): The parsed requirement object.
+        _req (RequirementParser): The parsed requirement object.
         _specs (utils.VersionSpecifierSet): The set of version specifiers for the requirement.
     """
-    def __init__(self, obj):
-        self._req = pkg_resources.Requirement.parse(obj)
+    def __init__(self, obj: str):
+        self._req = RequirementParser(obj)
         self._specs = utils.VersionSpecifierSet(
             [_spec_to_version_specifier(spec) for spec in self._req.specs]
         )
 
     def __contains__(self, item):
-        return item in self._req
+        """Check if a version string satisfies the requirement specs."""
+        if not self.has_version_specs():
+            return False
+        return item in self._specs
 
     def __str__(self):
         return str(self._req)
@@ -131,7 +177,7 @@ def is_parametrized(name):
             bool: True if the package requirement is parametrized (includes extras),
                   False otherwise.
         """
-        return bool(pkg_resources.Requirement.parse(name).extras)
+        return bool(RequirementParser(name).extras)
 
     @staticmethod
     def get_base_for_parametrized(name):
@@ -144,4 +190,4 @@ def get_base_for_parametrized(name):
         Returns:
             str: The base project name of the package.
         """
-        return pkg_resources.Requirement.parse(name).project_name
+        return RequirementParser(name).project_name
diff --git a/ssg/templates.py b/ssg/templates.py
index e8a3b7f68012..696295ad54e2 100644
--- a/ssg/templates.py
+++ b/ssg/templates.py
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ def load_module(module_name: str, module_path: str):
         ValueError: If the module cannot be loaded due to an invalid spec or loader.
     """
     # https://docs.python.org/3/library/importlib.html#importing-a-source-file-directly
-    import importlib
+    import importlib.util
     spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(module_name, module_path) # type: ignore
     if not spec:
         raise ValueError("Error loading '%s' module" % module_path)
diff --git a/ssg/utils.py b/ssg/utils.py
index dc82c028a083..752a7d04c7b8 100644
--- a/ssg/utils.py
+++ b/ssg/utils.py
@@ -6,11 +6,11 @@
 from __future__ import print_function
 
 import multiprocessing
-import errno
 import os
 import re
 from collections import namedtuple
 import hashlib
+from typing import Dict
 
 from .constants import (FULL_NAME_TO_PRODUCT_MAPPING,
                         MAKEFILE_ID_TO_PRODUCT_MAP,
@@ -48,6 +48,25 @@ def __init__(self, s=()):
                                  ' invalid object: {0}'.format(repr(el)))
         super(VersionSpecifierSet, self).__init__(s)
 
+    def __contains__(self, version_str):
+        """Check if a version string satisfies all version specifiers in the set."""
+        # If checking for VersionSpecifier object membership, use parent implementation
+        if isinstance(version_str, VersionSpecifier):
+            return super(VersionSpecifierSet, self).__contains__(version_str)
+
+        # Otherwise, check if the version string satisfies all specs
+        from ssg import requirement_specs
+        try:
+            evr = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr(version_str)
+        except ValueError:
+            return False
+
+        # All specs must be satisfied
+        for spec in self:
+            if not spec.matches(evr):
+                return False
+        return True
+
     @property
     def title(self):
         return ' and '.join([ver_spec.title for ver_spec in sorted(self)])
@@ -117,6 +136,52 @@ def cpe_id(self):
     def oval_id(self):
         return '{0}_{1}'.format(escape_comparison(self.op), escape_id(self.ver))
 
+    def matches(self, evr: Dict):
+        """
+        Check if a given EVR dictionary satisfies this version specifier.
+
+        Args:
+            evr (dict): A dictionary containing 'epoch', 'version', and 'release' keys.
+
+        Returns:
+            bool: True if the EVR satisfies this version specifier, False otherwise.
+        """
+        # Compare EVR components for proper version comparison
+        def evr_to_tuple(e):
+            """Convert EVR dict to comparable tuple (epoch, version_parts, release)."""
+            epoch = int(e['epoch']) if e['epoch'] is not None else 0
+            # Split version into numeric parts for comparison
+            version_parts = [int(p) if p.isdigit() else p for p in e['version'].split('.')]
+            release = int(e['release']) if e['release'] is not None else 0
+            return (epoch, version_parts, release)
+
+        spec_epoch, spec_ver, spec_rel = evr_to_tuple(self._evr_ver_dict)
+        input_epoch, input_ver, input_rel = evr_to_tuple(evr)
+
+        # Normalize version lists to same length for comparison
+        max_len = max(len(spec_ver), len(input_ver))
+        spec_ver_norm = spec_ver + [0] * (max_len - len(spec_ver))
+        input_ver_norm = input_ver + [0] * (max_len - len(input_ver))
+
+        spec_tuple = (spec_epoch, spec_ver_norm, spec_rel)
+        input_tuple = (input_epoch, input_ver_norm, input_rel)
+
+        # Perform comparison based on operator
+        if self.op == '==':
+            return input_tuple == spec_tuple
+        elif self.op == '!=':
+            return input_tuple != spec_tuple
+        elif self.op == '>':
+            return input_tuple > spec_tuple
+        elif self.op == '<':
+            return input_tuple < spec_tuple
+        elif self.op == '>=':
+            return input_tuple >= spec_tuple
+        elif self.op == '<=':
+            return input_tuple <= spec_tuple
+        else:
+            return False
+
     @staticmethod
     def evr_dict_to_str(evr, fully_formed_evr_string=False):
         """
diff --git a/tests/unit/ssg-module/test_requirement_specs.py b/tests/unit/ssg-module/test_requirement_specs.py
index 13c3292b5f71..041778b1faa4 100644
--- a/tests/unit/ssg-module/test_requirement_specs.py
+++ b/tests/unit/ssg-module/test_requirement_specs.py
@@ -4,32 +4,47 @@
 
 
 def test_parse_version_into_evr():
-    v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('1.22.333-4444')
+    v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('1.22.333-4444')
     assert v == {'epoch': None, 'version': '1.22.333', 'release': '4444'}
 
-    v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('0')
+    v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('0')
     assert v == {'epoch': None, 'version': '0', 'release': None}
 
-    v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('0-1')
+    v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('0-1')
     assert v == {'epoch': None, 'version': '0', 'release': '1'}
 
     # Empty version is not the same as version '0'.
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('')
+        v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('')
 
     # we do not support letters anywhere for now
 
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('1.0.0-r2')
+        v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('1.0.0-r2')
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('b1')
+        v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('b1')
 
     # some more tests to ensure that the regex is correct
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('0:')
+        v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('0:')
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('-1')
+        v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('-1')
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr(':')
+        v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr(':')
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
-        v = requirement_specs._parse_version_into_evr('-')
+        v = requirement_specs.parse_version_into_evr('-')
+
+def test_requirement_parse():
+    req = requirement_specs.RequirementParser("package[NetworkManager]>=8.7")
+    assert req.project_name == 'package'
+    assert req.extras == ['networkmanager']
+    assert req.specs == [('>=', '8.7')]
+
+    req = requirement_specs.RequirementParser('linux_os')
+    assert req.project_name == 'linux_os'
+    assert req.specs == []
+
+    # Test comma-separated version specs
+    req = requirement_specs.RequirementParser('oranges>=1.0,<3.0')
+    assert req.project_name == 'oranges'
+    assert req.specs == [('>=', '1.0'), ('<', '3.0')]