If you're going to be building a race bike, and you're in Rochester NY, I'm making a huge assumption that you'll be racing it next year (?). In other words you can trade time for money.
I understand you want to patronize your LBS, so Felt is a must, and you like SRAM, so SRAM is a must.
What may work for you is to buy a complete bike with components you don't necessarily want to keep, sell off the components when they are still new (maybe as a "build kit" to a friend/teammate etc) and use the money you raise from that to pay for the build kit you want. It may not be as cost effective but done properly you may be able to reduce your overall money output. It just takes time.
A long time ago I wanted to buy a particular frameset but it was out of my budget. I bought a full Ultegra bike, sold off the Ultegra "build kit" (everything but stem, post, bars, pedals), the post, and the pedals (came with Looks) separately. I ended up paying very little for the frame. Granted, this was through a bike shop so I paid wholesale for the bike, but we sold the kit, post, pedals for way below street price (40-50% less than typical for the kit for example, post was $10, pedals I think were $90 which was OEM packaged price).
I bought a different build kit (separately, but I use the term "kit" to describe everything on the bike except frame/fork and in this case, wheels/tires), used wheels I already had, and I was done.
That said, you can always build the bike using some lessor components. A take off seat post (meaning one that the shop has just laying around), take off stem (as long as it's the right size).
Normally I'd skimp on some of the components, but you're only dealing with minor reductions in overall cost. On a few of my builds I'd put on whatever front derailleur I had laying around (advantage of Campy Ergo), whatever brakes I had, whatever cranks. But your savings, if you need to buy those parts anyways, may only be $100, $150. So it may not be worth the downgrade hassle (break up a group price, etc). Used brakes etc may be an option, if a shop guy is upgrading to stupid light brakes or something. Ditto front derailleur, post, stem.
Finally, not to be a spoil sport, but if you're really good on the bike, starting this fall or next spring won't matter. You'll be a Cat 1 or 2 by the end of next year if you're super good, and you'd be killing group rides on virtually any bike you ride. One ex-pro, before he turned pro, finished a big RR in the area with cranks so bent they'd barely cleared the frame; a guy that "didn't make it as a pro" forgot his shoes at a big stage race and finished, in the group, the first road race while wearing sneakers taped to his clipless pedals. If you are that good, then time is a bit more important, because really good riders get to the top so quickly it's ridiculous.
If you're not that good then you have the rest of your life to enjoy cycling.
Since I fall in the second category, I've learned to trade time for money/thoughts/etc. Granted, I have a rideable bike, but I'll ponder big upgrades for a year or three before taking the plunge. Doesn't matter. I'm stronger now than I was 5-10 years ago, but weaker (at least I'm racing worse and sprinting slower) than 20 years ago. Does it matter to a Cat 3? No. I still influence race outcomes, place, sometimes win, and really like all the different aspects of racing.
Oh, except hills, which I couldn't climb fast from the very beginning, whether a 100 lbs Junior, or 112-200+ lbs Senior, or now, at my reasonably good sub 160 lbs weight.
cdr