faq

No. 32 hours is full-time at whereabouts. Every salary on our compensation page, every benefit, every profit sharing distribution, all of it is structured around 32 hours as the full-time standard. We don't pay a part-time rate for a 32-hour week. We built the firm around 32 hours being enough.

With a conversation. No pitch deck, no prepared presentation. You tell us what's going on and we tell you honestly what we think. If we're a fit, we move to a written assessment and a proposal. If we're not, we'll tell you that too and try to point you somewhere useful. The full process is described on our typical engagement page.

Yes. whereabouts is fully remote US-based firm and works with clients nationally and internationally. We don't have geographic restrictions on who we work with. If the work is a good fit, location isn't a factor.

Almost always yes. Most of our engagements involve working alongside existing staff, IT teams, or other vendors. We're used to plugging into established workflows rather than replacing them. We'll flag early if we see a conflict or a structural issue that needs to be addressed.

That's actually the most common starting point. Tell us what's not working (or what you're trying to accomplish) and we'll help you figure out what kind of support makes sense. We won't push you toward a more expensive engagement than the situation warrants.

Yes, and deliberately so. A significant portion of our work is aimed at nonprofits, small government agencies, and mission-driven organizations that don't have large IT budgets. Our pricing is structured to be accessible to organizations at that scale, including a specific discount for nonprofits and diversity-certified businesses. See our pricing page for more information.

We're primarily an Esri shop: ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS Enterprise, and the full range of Esri extensions and applications. We also work with PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, Python, R, SQL, Tableau, and Power BI. For organizations with budget constraints, we also work with open source tools including QGIS and GRASS GIS. We'll always recommend the right tool for the situation, not the one we happen to prefer.

Yes. whereabouts has been an Esri Partner Network Member since 2025.

It depends heavily on scope. A spatial database design project might take six to ten weeks. An Enterprise GIS design and deployment can take a couple of months. A simple automation script might even be a few days. We give honest timeline estimates in every proposal and flag changes early if something is going to shift.

Yes. We can transition from project-based work to a Committed Hours Package arrangement for ongoing maintenance, administration, or support. We'll discuss that option during scoping if it looks like a fit for your situation.

We flag it before it becomes a problem, not after. If something is going to push beyond the agreed scope or budget, we'll tell you as soon as we know, explain why, and present your options. We strive to never have you open an invoice and find a number you didn't expect.

whereabouts is a certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE), Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB), and LGBT Business Enterprise (LGBTBE), and a disabled-owned firm. For government agencies, nonprofits, and other organizations with vendor diversity requirements or set-aside programs, our certifications may qualify an engagement for preferred or sole-source procurement. If this is relevant to your organization's purchasing process, let us know early and we'll make sure you have the documentation you need.

Yes. We do. 10% off rates for registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and WBE, WOSB, LGBTBE, VOSB, or other nationally recognized diversity-certified businesses. Committed Hours Package pricing already reflects a discount, so no additional discount applies to packages. Full details on our pricing page.

Because we said no-surprises pricing and we meant it. You have a right to know what something costs before you invest time in a conversation about it. In the past, we've found that being forthright with rates attracts the clients an organization works best with and filters out mismatches early, which is better for everyone.

Hourly is straightforward. You pay for the hours worked at the applicable rate. Time and materials is similar but involves an authorized budget that we work against, invoiced monthly, good for ongoing or exploratory work. Committed Hours Packages are pre-purchased blocks of hours at a discounted rate, with built-in project management time included.

Package hours are valid for 6 months from the start date. We'll flag it if you're approaching the end of your term with hours remaining so you can plan accordingly.

Currently, Molly Freeman, founder and principal consultant, has the luxury of being involved in every engagement along with her network of collaborators. We're not a firm that sells work and hands it off to a junior team, if you hire whereabouts, you're working with experienced practitioners from start to finish.

A few signs: your organization has location-based data that isn't being used spatially. You're making decisions about coverage, resources, or infrastructure without a clear geographic picture. You have a GIS system that was set up years ago and nobody fully understands anymore. You're trying to buy geospatial software and aren't sure what you actually need. If any of those sound familiar, it's probably worth a conversation.