diff --git a/tests/org.eclipse.wtp.releng.tests/build.properties b/tests/org.eclipse.wtp.releng.tests/build.properties
index 8b5b788fce1fd8e6ae4be55dbe3cacb1f78b0546..90ecfb39662f3eb36f010cc1ee02c18ca620545a 100644
--- a/tests/org.eclipse.wtp.releng.tests/build.properties
+++ b/tests/org.eclipse.wtp.releng.tests/build.properties
@@ -14,5 +14,6 @@ bin.includes = META-INF/,\
                test.xml,\
                transformReportToHTML.xml,\
                about.html,\
-               plugin.properties
+               plugin.properties,\
+               relengTests.properties
 source.. = src/
diff --git a/tests/org.eclipse.wtp.releng.tests/src/org/eclipse/wtp/releng/tests/BuildTests.java b/tests/org.eclipse.wtp.releng.tests/src/org/eclipse/wtp/releng/tests/BuildTests.java
index 24745f5f9fbfa038161c663424e8b98c3aa881aa..482091de478ce2a22aaa4b9203fb6aeeacb97f47 100644
--- a/tests/org.eclipse.wtp.releng.tests/src/org/eclipse/wtp/releng/tests/BuildTests.java
+++ b/tests/org.eclipse.wtp.releng.tests/src/org/eclipse/wtp/releng/tests/BuildTests.java
@@ -483,31 +483,36 @@ public class BuildTests extends TestCase {
 		String listToReferenceFileArg = LIST_TO_REFERENCE_FILE;
 
 		String propertyFileName = System.getProperty("relengTestsPropertiesFile", "relengTests.properties");
+		System.out.println("relengTestsPropertiesFile: " + propertyFileName);
 		Properties testProperties = new Properties();
 		File propFile = new File(propertyFileName);
 		String fullPath = propFile.getAbsolutePath();
-		System.out.println(fullPath);
-		InputStream propertyStream;
-		try {
-			propertyStream = new FileInputStream(propFile);
-			testProperties.load(propertyStream);
-			qualifierArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("qualifierArgValue", "");
-			testToReferenceArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("testToReferenceArgValue", TEST_TO_REFERENCE); 
-			referenceIDArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("referenceIDArgValue", "");
-			referenceURLArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("referenceURLArgValue", "");
-			listToReferenceFileArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("listToReferenceFileArgValue", LIST_TO_REFERENCE_FILE);
-		}
-		catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
-			// just use defaults
-			System.out.println(e.getMessage());
+		System.out.println("fullPath: " + fullPath);
+		if (propFile.exists()) {
+			InputStream propertyStream;
+			try {
+				propertyStream = new FileInputStream(propFile);
+				testProperties.load(propertyStream);
+				qualifierArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("qualifierArgValue", "");
+				testToReferenceArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("testToReferenceArgValue", TEST_TO_REFERENCE);
+				referenceIDArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("referenceIDArgValue", "");
+				referenceURLArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("referenceURLArgValue", "");
+				listToReferenceFileArg = (String) testProperties.getProperty("listToReferenceFileArgValue", LIST_TO_REFERENCE_FILE);
+			}
+			catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
+				// just use defaults
+				System.out.println(e.getMessage());
+			}
+			catch (IOException e) {
+				// just use defaults
+				System.out.println(e.getMessage());
+			}
 		}
-		catch (IOException e) {
-			// just use defaults
-			System.out.println(e.getMessage());
+		else {
+			System.out.println("relengTestsPropertiesFile does not exist");
 		}
-		
-		
-		
+
+
 		String[] args = new String[]{qualifierArg, testToReferenceArg, referenceIDArg, referenceURLArg, listToReferenceFileArg};
 
 		return args;