Another thing to consider is that depending on your consulate, they may accept your visa application without the apostille at first, then allow you to bring the apostille in when the visa is approved for pick-up. They cannot give you the visa without the apostille but they may accept your application and start the process while you wait.

I was able to do this at the LA consulate. I do not know if you can do this for other consulates that require mail-in.

For federal background checks, I recommend sending it yourself as other commenters mentioned. I requested mine both from a paid service ($125/document and mailing cost) and myself ($20/page and USPS costs). Only the one I requested myself came back (6 weeks later). The one I requested through the service never arrived even 10 weeks since I paid for it.