Don’t you hate slime and surface water at the base of basement walls? Although, it is often impossible to stop all dampness without a void to the cut face, good Designers and Contractors usually:

• advise the Client they need to spend more on pits and floor drains
• tell the Concreter you want minimum 1:100 to drains. AND no ponding!
• take a little bit more concrete out around every drain – I call this ’shedding’
• BTW, please DON’T steel trowel concrete where it can get wet – it becomes a nasty slip risk

Keep the Rules simple. Getting drainage right is a pain in the arse – but after 5 years EVERY Client will remember your good work!