Collapse of a merger deal between Carillion and Balfour Beatty has led to fresh conjecture over the future of Parsons Brinckerhoff.

It now appears that Atkins and WSP are in the running to take control of the £200M Parsons, although both consultants refused to comment on what they see merely as “market speculation”.

Balfour Beatty terminated discussions about a possible merger with Carillion on Thursday after what it described as “Carillion’s wholly unexpected decision” to only progress with the deal in the event that Parsons Brinckerhoff remained part of the combined entity.

Balfour said this was a change to an earlier agreement whereby its sale of Parsons would be unaffected by merger discussions. It will now proceed in accordance with its own business plan to sell the consultant.

Carillion said later that day that for the merger to work it would be “essential to retain the stability and dependability of Parsons Brinckerhoff’s earnings.” It added that it was surprised by Balfour Beatty’s reaction, adding that it continues to believe in the merits of a deal and will consider its position.

In other market news Hyder Consulting is to be sold to the Dutch consultant Arcadis for £256M after a cash offer was agreed last Thursday.

Hyder chief executive Ivor Catto said: "Although the board believes that Hyder has a strong future as an independent business, it considers that this cash offer substantially recognises Hyder's growth prospects and provides certainty, in cash, to our shareholders."

Arcadis was founded in 1888 as an association for wasteland redevelopment and has gross revenues of £2Bn. Its market sectors include infrastructure, water, the environment and buildings and has 22,000 employees. It has made more than 50 acquisitions in the last 20 years, including EC Harris, which it bought in 2011.

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