diff --git a/build/rpm/pcp.spec.in b/build/rpm/pcp.spec.in
index 4aba2ae8b9..b2a90f40e9 100755
--- a/build/rpm/pcp.spec.in
+++ b/build/rpm/pcp.spec.in
@@ -26,11 +26,13 @@ ExcludeArch: %{ix86}
 %global __python2 python
 %endif
 
-# UsrMerge was completed in EL 7, however the latest 'hostname' package in EL 7 contains "Provides: /bin/hostname"
+# UsrMerge was completed in EL 7, however the latest 'hostname' package in EL 7 contains "Provides: /bin/hostname".  Likewise for /bin/ps from procps[-ng] packages.
 %if 0%{?rhel} >= 8 || 0%{?fedora} >= 17
 %global _hostname_executable /usr/bin/hostname
+%global _ps_executable /usr/bin/ps
 %else
 %global _hostname_executable /bin/hostname
+%global _ps_executable /bin/ps
 %endif
 
 # prevent conflicting binary and man page install for pcp(1)
@@ -113,7 +115,7 @@ BuildRequires: qt5-qtsvg-devel
 %endif
 %endif
 %if "%{_vendor}" == "redhat"
-BuildRequires: %{_hostname_executable}
+BuildRequires: %{_hostname_executable} %{_ps_executable}
 %if "@enable_systemd@" == "false"
 BuildRequires: initscripts
 %endif
@@ -138,7 +140,7 @@ BuildRequires: readline-devel
 # Utilities used indirectly e.g. by scripts we install
 Requires: bash xz gawk sed grep coreutils diffutils findutils
 %if "%{_vendor}" == "redhat"
-Requires: %{_hostname_executable}
+Requires: %{_hostname_executable} %{_ps_executable}
 %endif
 # which(1) comes from different places
 %if 0%{?suse_version} >= 1100
diff --git a/build/rpm/redhat.spec b/build/rpm/redhat.spec
index 40c102a127..e4cbed54cc 100644
--- a/build/rpm/redhat.spec
+++ b/build/rpm/redhat.spec
@@ -20,11 +20,13 @@ ExcludeArch: %{ix86}
 %global __python2 python
 %endif
 
-# UsrMerge was completed in EL 7, however the latest 'hostname' package in EL 7 contains "Provides: /bin/hostname"
+# UsrMerge was completed in EL 7, however the latest 'hostname' package in EL 7 contains "Provides: /bin/hostname".  Likewise for /bin/ps from procps[-ng] packages.
 %if 0%{?rhel} >= 8 || 0%{?fedora} >= 17
 %global _hostname_executable /usr/bin/hostname
+%global _ps_executable /usr/bin/ps
 %else
 %global _hostname_executable /bin/hostname
+%global _ps_executable /bin/ps
 %endif
 
 %global disable_perl 0
@@ -300,6 +302,7 @@ BuildRequires: perl(ExtUtils::MakeMaker) perl(LWP::UserAgent) perl(JSON)
 BuildRequires: perl(Time::HiRes) perl(Digest::MD5)
 BuildRequires: perl(XML::LibXML) perl(File::Slurp)
 BuildRequires: %{_hostname_executable}
+BuildRequires: %{_ps_executable}
 %if !%{disable_systemd}
 BuildRequires: systemd-devel
 %endif
@@ -316,7 +319,7 @@ BuildRequires: qt5-qtsvg-devel
 
 # Utilities used indirectly e.g. by scripts we install
 Requires: bash xz gawk sed grep coreutils diffutils findutils
-Requires: which %{_hostname_executable}
+Requires: which %{_hostname_executable} %{_ps_executable}
 Requires: pcp-libs = %{version}-%{release}
 
 %if !%{disable_selinux}