diff --git a/contrib/build-standalone b/contrib/build-standalone
index 2a7e74e97..5902995a4 100755
--- a/contrib/build-standalone
+++ b/contrib/build-standalone
@@ -1,55 +1,55 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python
 
-import os
 import glob
+import os
+import pip
+import shutil
 import sys
+import tempfile
 import zipfile
 
 try:
     import zlib
-    compression = zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED
+    COMPRESSION = zipfile.ZIP_DEFLATED
 except:
-    compression = zipfile.ZIP_STORED
+    COMPRESSION = zipfile.ZIP_STORED
 
-
-MAIN_PY_CONTENT = """\
+MAIN_PY = """\
 #!/usr/bin/env python
-import pip
-import sys
+import pip, sys
 sys.exit(pip.main())
 """
 
 def main():
-    file_name = 'pipx'
-    root_dir = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), '..')
-    os.chdir(root_dir)
+    file_name = os.path.join(os.getcwd(), 'pipx')
+    temp_dir = tempfile.mkdtemp('-standalone', 'pip-')
+    dst = os.path.join(temp_dir, 'pip')
+    src = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(pip.__file__))
+    shutil.copytree(src, dst)
+
+    with open(os.path.join(temp_dir, '__main__.py'), 'w') as main_py:
+        main_py.write(MAIN_PY)
+
+    os.chdir(temp_dir)
+    zf = zipfile.PyZipFile(file_name, mode='w', compression=COMPRESSION)
     try:
-        main_py = open('__main__.py', 'w')
-        main_py.write(MAIN_PY_CONTENT)
-        main_py.close()
-        zf = zipfile.PyZipFile(file_name, mode='w', compression=compression)
-        try:
-            zf.debug = 4
-            for package in ['pip', '__main__.py']:
-                zf.writepy(package)
-        finally:
-            zf.close()
-        pip_zip = open(file_name, 'r')
-        content = pip_zip.read()
-        pip_zip.close()
-
-        pip_zip = open(file_name, 'w')
-        pip_zip.write("#!/usr/bin/env python\n"+content)
-        pip_zip.close()
-
-        if hasattr(os, 'chmod'):
-            oldmode = os.stat(file_name).st_mode & 07777
-            newmode = (oldmode | 0555) & 07777
-            os.chmod(file_name, newmode)
-            print 'Made resulting file executable. Use it as `./%s`.' % file_name
+        zf.debug = 3
+        zf.writepy('pip')
+        zf.writepy('__main__.py')
     finally:
-        for path in glob.glob('__main__.py*'):
-            os.remove(path)
+        zf.close()
+
+    with open(file_name, 'r') as pipz:
+        content = pipz.read()
+
+    with open(file_name, 'w') as pipz:
+        pipz.write("#!/usr/bin/env python\n"+content)
+
+    if hasattr(os, 'chmod'):
+        oldmode = os.stat(file_name).st_mode & 07777
+        newmode = (oldmode | 0555) & 07777
+        os.chmod(file_name, newmode)
+        print 'Made resulting file %s executable.' % file_name
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     main()