diff --git a/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/element-deps b/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/element-deps
index 89d13d0a34..77cf654537 100644
--- a/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/element-deps
+++ b/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/element-deps
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
+ensure-venv
 openssh-server
 package-installs
diff --git a/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/install.d/40-install-bindep b/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/install.d/40-install-bindep
index 88150c9c97..67a86dc2d9 100755
--- a/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/install.d/40-install-bindep
+++ b/nodepool/elements/infra-package-needs/install.d/40-install-bindep
@@ -22,5 +22,5 @@ if [ ${DIB_DEBUG_TRACE:-0} -gt 0 ]; then
 fi
 set -e
 
-$DIB_PYTHON_VIRTUALENV /usr/bindep-env
+python3 -m venv /usr/bindep-env
 /usr/bindep-env/bin/pip install bindep
diff --git a/nodepool/elements/nodepool-base/element-deps b/nodepool/elements/nodepool-base/element-deps
index 6e43915f81..4bc83d431b 100644
--- a/nodepool/elements/nodepool-base/element-deps
+++ b/nodepool/elements/nodepool-base/element-deps
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
+ensure-venv
 package-installs
-pip-and-virtualenv
 zuul-worker
diff --git a/nodepool/elements/nodepool-base/install.d/91-venv-os-testr b/nodepool/elements/nodepool-base/install.d/91-venv-os-testr
index 09d3f75d53..ea96003c98 100755
--- a/nodepool/elements/nodepool-base/install.d/91-venv-os-testr
+++ b/nodepool/elements/nodepool-base/install.d/91-venv-os-testr
@@ -18,5 +18,5 @@ if [ ${DIB_DEBUG_TRACE:-0} -gt 0 ]; then
 fi
 set -e
 
-$DIB_PYTHON_VIRTUALENV /usr/os-testr-env
+python3 -m venv /usr/os-testr-env
 /usr/os-testr-env/bin/pip install os-testr
diff --git a/nodepool/nl01.openstack.org.yaml b/nodepool/nl01.openstack.org.yaml
index cdcff826f7..64cebc4805 100644
--- a/nodepool/nl01.openstack.org.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/nl01.openstack.org.yaml
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ labels:
     min-ready: 10
   - name: ubuntu-xenial
     min-ready: 1
+  - name: ubuntu-bionic-plain
 
 providers:
   - name: rax-dfw
@@ -67,6 +68,8 @@ providers:
         config-drive: true
       - name: ubuntu-xenial
         config-drive: true
+      - name: ubuntu-bionic-plain
+        config-drive: true
     pools:
       - name: main
         max-servers: 140
@@ -121,6 +124,11 @@ providers:
             flavor-name: 'Performance'
             diskimage: ubuntu-bionic
             key-name: infra-root-keys-2018-06-15
+          - name: ubuntu-bionic-plain
+            min-ram: 8192
+            flavor-name: 'Performance'
+            diskimage: ubuntu-bionic-plain
+            key-name: infra-root-keys-2018-06-15
           - name: ubuntu-xenial
             min-ram: 8192
             flavor-name: 'Performance'
@@ -164,3 +172,4 @@ diskimages:
   - name: opensuse-tumbleweed
   - name: ubuntu-bionic
   - name: ubuntu-xenial
+  - name: ubuntu-bionic-plain
diff --git a/nodepool/nodepool.yaml b/nodepool/nodepool.yaml
index ccc613f213..d3e914aaea 100644
--- a/nodepool/nodepool.yaml
+++ b/nodepool/nodepool.yaml
@@ -74,19 +74,45 @@ providers:
     region-name: 'DFW'
     cloud: rax
     rate: 0.001
-    diskimages: *provider_diskimages
+    diskimages: &rax_provider_diskimages
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : duplicated to add ubuntu-bionic-plain
+      # while we work to remove pip-and-virtualenv
+      - name: centos-7
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: centos-8
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: debian-buster
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: debian-stretch
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: fedora-29
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: fedora-30
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: gentoo-17-0-systemd
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: opensuse-15
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: opensuse-tumbleweed
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: ubuntu-bionic
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: ubuntu-bionic-plain
+        config-drive: true
+      - name: ubuntu-xenial
+        config-drive: true
 
   - name: rax-iad
     region-name: 'IAD'
     cloud: rax
     rate: 0.001
-    diskimages: *provider_diskimages
+    diskimages: *rax_provider_diskimages
 
   - name: rax-ord
     region-name: 'ORD'
     cloud: rax
     rate: 0.001
-    diskimages: *provider_diskimages
+    diskimages: *rax_provider_diskimages
 
   - name: vexxhost-ca-ymq-1
     region-name: 'ca-ymq-1'
@@ -131,6 +157,9 @@ diskimages:
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
       - epel
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
       DIB_CHECKSUM: '1'
@@ -154,6 +183,9 @@ diskimages:
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
       - epel
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
       DIB_CHECKSUM: '1'
@@ -176,6 +208,9 @@ diskimages:
       - cache-devstack
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     release: stretch
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
@@ -204,6 +239,9 @@ diskimages:
       - cache-devstack
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     release: buster
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
@@ -251,6 +289,9 @@ diskimages:
       - initialize-urandom
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     release: 29
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
@@ -274,6 +315,9 @@ diskimages:
       - initialize-urandom
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     release: 30
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
@@ -294,6 +338,9 @@ diskimages:
       - nodepool-base
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
       DIB_CHECKSUM: '1'
@@ -317,6 +364,9 @@ diskimages:
       - cache-devstack
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     release: '15.1'
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
@@ -339,6 +389,9 @@ diskimages:
       - cache-devstack
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     release: 'tumbleweed'
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
@@ -361,6 +414,9 @@ diskimages:
       - cache-devstack
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     release: bionic
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
@@ -388,6 +444,9 @@ diskimages:
       - initialize-urandom
       - growroot
       - infra-package-needs
+      # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : we are working to move this into job
+      # configuration
+      - pip-and-virtualenv
     release: xenial
     env-vars:
       TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
@@ -403,3 +462,32 @@ diskimages:
       GIT_HTTP_LOW_SPEED_TIME: '300'
       GIT_HTTP_LOW_SPEED_LIMIT: '1000'
       DIB_SHOW_IMAGE_USAGE: '1'
+  # NOTE(ianw) 2020-02-17 : this is an alternative image without the
+  # pip-and-virtualenv element we can test ansible roles to achieve
+  # full backwards-compatability with.
+  - name: ubuntu-bionic-plain
+    pause: false
+    elements:
+      - ubuntu-minimal
+      - vm
+      - simple-init
+      - openstack-repos
+      - nodepool-base
+      - cache-devstack
+      - growroot
+      - infra-package-needs
+    release: bionic
+    env-vars:
+      TMPDIR: /opt/dib_tmp
+      DIB_CHECKSUM: '1'
+      DIB_IMAGE_CACHE: /opt/dib_cache
+      DIB_JOURNAL_SIZE: '512'
+      DIB_APT_LOCAL_CACHE: '0'
+      DIB_DISABLE_APT_CLEANUP: '1'
+      DIB_GRUB_TIMEOUT: '0'
+      DIB_DISTRIBUTION_MIRROR: 'http://mirror.dfw.rax.openstack.org/ubuntu'
+      DIB_DEBOOTSTRAP_EXTRA_ARGS: '--no-check-gpg'
+      DIB_DEBIAN_COMPONENTS: 'main,universe'
+      GIT_HTTP_LOW_SPEED_TIME: '300'
+      GIT_HTTP_LOW_SPEED_LIMIT: '1000'
+      DIB_SHOW_IMAGE_USAGE: '1'