diff --git a/autogen.sh b/autogen.sh
index 2cc40b9b..75f10099 100755
--- a/autogen.sh
+++ b/autogen.sh
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@
 
 # Script to generate all required files from fresh git checkout.
 
+command -v pkg-config >/dev/null 2>&1
+if  [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
+    echo "autogen.sh: error: could not find pkg-config.  pkg-config is required to run autogen.sh." 1>&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
 command -v libtool >/dev/null 2>&1
 if  [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     echo "autogen.sh: error: could not find libtool.  libtool is required to run autogen.sh." 1>&2
diff --git a/configure.in b/configure.in
index 6df80ab5..bd0e8481 100644
--- a/configure.in
+++ b/configure.in
@@ -273,6 +273,15 @@ AC_ARG_WITH([pgm], [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-pgm],
     [build libzmq with PGM extension [default=no]])], 
     [with_pgm_ext=$withval], [with_pgm_ext=no])
 
+# build using system pgm
+AC_ARG_WITH([system-pgm], [AS_HELP_STRING([--with-system-pgm],
+    [build libzmq with PGM extension [default=no]])],
+    [with_system_pgm_ext=yes], [with_system_pgm_ext=no])
+
+if test "x$with_pgm_ext" != "xno" -a "x$with_system_pgm_ext" != "xno"; then
+    AC_MSG_ERROR([--with-pgm and --with-system-pgm cannot be specified together])
+fi
+
 if test "x$with_pgm_ext" != "xno"; then
 
     # This allows placing the tar.gz to foreign/openpgm
@@ -319,6 +328,14 @@ if test "x$with_pgm_ext" != "xno"; then
     ac_zmq_pgm_ext="yes"
 fi
 
+# Build with system openpgm
+if test "x$with_system_pgm_ext" != "xno"; then
+    PKG_CHECK_MODULES([OpenPGM], [openpgm-5.1 >= 5.1])
+    AC_DEFINE(ZMQ_HAVE_OPENPGM, 1, [Have OpenPGM extension])
+    LIBZMQ_EXTRA_CXXFLAGS="$OpenPGM_CFLAGS $LIBZMQ_EXTRA_CXXFLAGS"
+    LIBS="$OpenPGM_LIBS $LIBS"
+fi
+
 AC_SUBST(pgm_basename)
 
 # Set -Wall, -Werror and -pedantic