diff --git a/bootstrap.sh b/bootstrap.sh
index 5869de656f..f87027d4a1 100755
--- a/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/bootstrap.sh
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ usage()
     echo "Bootstrap ReFrame by pulling all its dependencies"
     echo "  -P EXEC     Use EXEC as Python interpreter"
     echo "  -h          Print this help message and exit"
+    echo "  --ignore-errors Ignore installation errors"
     echo "  --pip-opts  Pass additional options to pip."
     echo "  +docs       Build also the documentation"
     echo "  +pygelf     Install also the pygelf Python package"
@@ -43,17 +44,22 @@ while getopts "hP:-:"  opt; do
     case $opt in
         "P") python=$OPTARG ;;
         "h") usage && exit 0 ;;
-	"-")
-	    case "${OPTARG}" in
+	    "-")
+	        case "${OPTARG}" in
+                "ignore-errors") ignore_errors=1 ;;
                 pip-opts)
-	            PIPOPTS="${!OPTIND}"; OPTIND=$(( $OPTIND + 1 )) ;;
-		pip-opts=*)
+	                PIPOPTS="${!OPTIND}"; OPTIND=$(( $OPTIND + 1 )) ;;
+		        pip-opts=*)
                     PIPOPTS=${OPTARG#*=} ;;
             esac;;
         "?") usage && exit 0 ;;
     esac
 done
 
+if [ -z $ignore_errors ]; then
+    set -e
+fi
+
 shift $((OPTIND - 1))
 if [ -z $python ]; then
     python=python3
@@ -82,16 +88,13 @@ fi
 export PIP_USER=0
 
 # Check if ensurepip is installed
-$python -m ensurepip --version &> /dev/null
-epip=$?
-
-export PATH=$(pwd)/external/usr/bin:$PATH
-
-# Install pip for Python 3
-if [ $epip -eq 0 ]; then
+if $python -m ensurepip --version &> /dev/null; then
+    # Install pip for Python 3
     CMD $python -m ensurepip --root $(pwd)/external/ --default-pip
 fi
 
+export PATH=$(pwd)/external/usr/bin:$PATH
+
 # ensurepip installs pip in `external/usr/` whereas the `--root` option installs
 # everything under `external/`. That's why we include both in the PYTHONPATH