International Design Services, Inc.

What International Design Services, Inc. does

International Design Services, Inc. (IDS) is a US-based professional services firm that provides 3D steel detailing and connection design services to steel fabricators, general contractors, structural engineers, and design teams across commercial, industrial, infrastructure, healthcare, and educational construction. Founded in 2003 in St. Louis, Missouri, IDS delivers issued-for-fabrication drawings, e-plans, calculation packages, and BIM models in compliance with AISC standards, supported by proprietary GIZA connection design software integrated with Tekla Structures and a deployed base of more than 250 Tekla licenses and more than 190 SDS/2 licenses.

The company operates a project-based delivery model in which each engagement is led by an experienced project manager who assembles dedicated modeling, drafting, and checking resources. IDS engages early through design-assist and design-build roles, enabling proactive BIM coordination, fewer RFIs and change orders, and fabricator- and erector-friendly connection details. Service offerings comprise Steel Detailing, Connection Design, Miscellaneous Steel Design, Design Assist, Design Build, and Pre-Construction Modeling and Estimating, delivered by a team of 500+ employees across the St. Louis headquarters and offshore delivery centers in India and the Philippines.

The company generates revenue through professional services fees tied to tonnage and project complexity, with engagements ranging from 50 to over 30,000 tons. Customers include Amazon, Mayo Clinic, AdventHealth, PNC, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Sea-Tac Airport, Flexential, and DC Water. The firm holds NISD Quality Procedures Program Certification, 10CFR50 Appendix B / NQA-1 nuclear-grade quality compliance, and Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) certifications at national and multi-state levels. Ownership transitioned from founder Tom Vossmeyer to his daughter Michelle Smith in 2018; the company remains privately held with no external institutional capital disclosed.

Name

International Design Services, Inc.

Legal name

International Design Services, Inc.

Website

https://ids-inc.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

International Design Services, Inc. is a St. Louis-based professional services firm providing 3D steel detailing and connection design to steel fabricators, general contractors, and design teams across commercial, industrial, healthcare, infrastructure, and educational construction, supported by its proprietary GIZA software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Steel Detailing Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (541330), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Engineering & Constructability Consulting (BPAHAIAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Structural Steel Fabrication (IMADACAA)

Keywords

• Structural steel detailing
• Steel connection design
• BIM steel modeling
• Miscellaneous steel design
• Design assist services

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Steel Detailing Services: 3D modeling and steel detailing for structural and miscellaneous steel. Delivers issued for fabrication drawings and e-plans in accordance with AISC's most recent manual for steel construction. Projects range from 50 tons to over 30,000 tons.
2. Connection Design Services: Industry-leading connection design services including calculation packages using Math CAD and GIZA software, pre-construction services, fabrication and erection RFI support, custom drawings, and design optimization.
3. Miscellaneous Steel Design: Design of canopies, platforms, staircases, ladders, and other free-standing structures for commercial, residential, and industrial projects.
4. Pre-Construction Modeling and Estimating: Model creation using design drawings for structural steel with connections, providing material take-offs. Export various file types including KSS, XSR for estimating programs. Provides 3D PDF or model fly-through for bidding purposes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

International Design Services, Inc. provides 3D steel modeling, structural and miscellaneous steel detailing, and engineering connection design services for construction projects ranging from 50 tons to over 30,000 tons. The company delivers issued-for-fabrication drawings, e-plans, connection calculation packages, pre-construction modeling, and design-assist/design-build collaboration services to general contractors, steel fabricators, and design teams using Tekla Structures, SDS/2, and its proprietary GIZA connection design software.

Product overview

International Design Services, Inc. (IDS) is a steel detailing and connection design services company that operates as a single unified offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The company's core service portfolio consists of six integrated service offerings: Steel Detailing (3D modeling and fabrication drawings), Connection Design (calculation packages and design optimization), Miscellaneous Steel Design (canopies, platforms, staircases, ladders), Design Assist (early collaborative design services), Design Build (collaborative project delivery), and Pre-Construction Modeling (estimating and bidding support). These services are combined into one unified team to provide customers with integrated steel construction solutions from design through fabrication support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Steel Detailing
• Connection Design
• Miscellaneous Steel Design
• Design Assist
• Design Build
• Pre-Construction Modeling

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,500 detailing and connection design projects successfully completed
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Trimble (Tekla Structures): Platform vendor of Tekla Structures, the 3D steel detailing software on which IDS operates 250+ licenses. Not a direct competitor but a critical ecosystem dependency—Tekla's product roadmap, pricing, and competitive positioning versus Graitec/Advance Steel directly affects IDS's delivery economics and competitive landscape.

Direct peers

• Technosteel Detailing: India-headquartered steel detailing and connection design services provider serving US fabricators and GCs. Directly comparable to IDS in service scope (steel detailing, connection design, miscellaneous steel) and in leveraging offshore delivery for US-based construction clients.
• Dowco Enterprises: US-based structural steel detailing and miscellaneous metals detailing firm with a long operating history. Directly comparable to IDS in core service offering (steel detailing, miscellaneous metals) and in serving steel fabricators and general contractors on commercial and industrial projects.

Broad incumbents

• Graitec: Global structural engineering software and services provider offering Advance Steel (a Tekla competitor) along with structural analysis and detailing services. Comparable as an overlapping capability provider to IDS but operating as a broader AEC software portfolio rather than a specialized steel detailing specialist.
• Nemetschek Group: AEC software conglomerate whose brands (Allplan, Vectorworks, Bluebeam, dRofus) overlap with the broader digital construction ecosystem IDS operates in. Comparable as an ecosystem incumbent but operates across the full AEC stack rather than specializing in structural steel detailing.

Emerging players

• IDEA StatiCa: Connection design software vendor serving structural engineers with automated steel connection design and code-check workflows. Comparable to IDS in the connection design domain—an adjacent capability that competes with IDS's GIZA-based connection design service offering for engineering firms performing their own connection checks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/international-design-services-inc-177882968892657
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-design-services-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Design Services, Inc.